Great Expectations...

Okay... my intention this week was to get a little project finished and then share it with you... That was until my little girl became poorly sick... nothing too crazy... just a cold, but it has meant that she has had restless sleep... which then lead to a restless night's sleep, cuddling with Mummy... equalling... a restless night's sleep for Mummy, hanging onto the edge of the bed for dear life! I'll never understand how something so small can take up so much room... But, then again, I think that's the age old question for us parents!

Anyhoo, my days have been spent curled up on the couch, snuggled under the yellow ducky blanket (hers not mine), dispensing hugs and tissues... and so, any ideas of finishing DIY projects have been squashed until the weekend, when my co-pilot is around to share the load...

Just so you don't think I'm a slacker, I figured I would share my progress thus far...

I have no idea what I'm going to use this for... but, I like it... I'll give you the background on it another day...

So far, I have cleaned it, sanded it, primed it, and given it a coat of Laura Ashley's Swiss Almond... I have another coat of paint to slap on, and then, to distress.... change the hardware... find a use for it and, more importantly, find a space for it in my tiny kitchen!

Sorry for the half finished project... catch you on Friday for Friday Flower... I'm off to wipe noses!

Take care. Lx

The beauty in simplicity...

As I write this post tonight, I have to tell you that my head is a little woolly... I'm afraid I've been nursing a hangover all day... please, don't judge... I've spent the best part of my 30's either pregnant or nursing... during which time, I think everyone and their dog decided to get married... and so, while everyone else chinked their champagne glasses, toasting the happy couples, I sat on the sidelines... either with baby in my belly, sat on my belly, or working out when I next needed to pump...

Given this sober state of affairs, it has meant that I've been at weddings taking in the details... and, I have to say, there is no such thing as a bad wedding...

... this one occasion gives us an insight into the preferences of the happy couple...

.... and, while some may not be to everyone's tastes... every wedding is a celebration of a happy union and, that in itself, is beautiful...

Anyhoo, this particular wedding was in Providence, Rhode Island (a city that I have now fallen in love with and demanded that, once that hubby of mine finishes his studies, we all up sticks and move there)...

... the ceremony was held at Prospect Terrace Park... with fantastic views over the city... it was conducted by a friend of the groom and is best described as intimate, simple, beautiful... just perfect...

I sat next to a tree that had the initials of countless couple etched into it... as I watched two wonderful people exchange their vows, I thought of all the lovers that must have shared moments in this park... wondering what had happened to these couples... wondering if they are still alive... wondering if they ever come back to this tree...

I thought of the simplicity of love... no bells and whistles... just love in it's simplest form... a wedding like this didn't distract you from that thought... it reminded you that this is what it's actually about...  close friends and family celebrating love...

...Oh... and then, amazing food and cocktails... lovely cocktails... too lovely....  so, once again, on a Sunday, I'm off to bed to catch up on some much needed rest... I definitely can't party like a rockstar... I think I should just stick to tea!
Happy  Monday all!
Lx

A Friday Flower, Soup & Mum ♥

Yesterday was a challenging day, to say the least... I'm not going to go into the gory details... all I will say is that it involved birds in the bathroom, lots of feathers, other unmentionables... and poop... lots of it...
Anyhoo, my intention was to take a picture of the mums in my garden for today's Friday Flower (that'd be the flower and not actual human mums) ... to say I am overrun with these flowers is an understatement... I dig them up, move them around the garden, and they survive it all... their resilience is like that of a weed... Anyways, my plan was scuppered by the fact that the northeast is being battered by wind and rain today...

Looking out at the dreary weather, my mind turned to fall once more... that loveliness of feeling warm and cozy inside, locked away from the elements... when I think cozy, I think food... when I think warm cozy food, I think soup!! And so, I figured I would also share a soup recipe with you, as well as the usual Friday Flower... a two-for-the-price-of-one deal!

My family loves beans in any shape or form, so I always have a cupboard full... my mum always says, 'if you have an onion, celery, and carrots in, you can always whip up a soup"... check, check check... all in, so I got cooking and made a chickpea and bacon soup...

Then, all I had to do was nip to the supermarket to pick up a bunch of flowers... in doing so, I found that, even though it looked like a chilly autumn day, in fact it was muggy... warm... humid ... and hardly soup weather... but we ate it anyway, and it was delicious... I've popped the recipe at the end of the blog, if you're so inclined!

Anyways, back to the Friday Flower... It's a mum... given this, I dedicate it to my Mum... (though being technologically challenged, I doubt she'll get to read this any time soon)... In fact, I dedicate this Friday Flower to all Mums, for all the challenges we overcome every day!

I'll be linking with the lovely Melissa... I'm sure you've all read her blog... if not, you're missing out!
Have a great weekend and I'll catch you next week!
Lx

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Chickpea & Bacon Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 sticks of celery diced

2 cloves of garlic, peeled

4 teaspoons of chopped rosemary

2 chicken stock cubes, made up to 2 ½ cups of stock

3 cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

4 rashers of bacon snipped into small pieces

100 ml of light cream (optional)

Method

1.   In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over a medium heat and add the bacon pieces. Fry the bacon until crispy and then, using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a side plate (I pop it on top of a paper towel). Leave the pan on the heat.

2.   Add the onion and carrots to the pan and cook for 4 minutes. Then add the celery and cook for a further 4 minutes.

3.   Crush the two cloves of garlic and add to the pan, with the rosemary. Cook for a further 2 minutes.

4.   Add two-thirds of the chickpeas, all of the stock and plenty of seasoning. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer briskly for 8 minutes or until carrots have softened…

5.   Blend the soup until smooth, and then stir in the rest of the chickpeas and the cream. Season to taste and warm through for 1-2 minutes.

6.   Ladle the soup into warm bowls and top with the reserved bacon bits. Serve with some nice crusty bread…

If you want to try something a little different, substitute the bacon for chorizo sausage!

A broken promise & some Fall decorating

Once upon a time, the hubby worked for a client whose house he would visit once a week... when he had been to this particular house, he would tell me about his day and preface the conversation with, "Laura, you would love this house"... You see, the hubby knows I am a house voyeur... I take him on new routes when I come across houses that I have fallen in love with... he doesn't mind... he just gets me...

Anyhoo, one of his pet peeves about this particular house was that the decor was changed with each season and holiday.... He declared the housewife a 'pyscho' and made me promise never to do the same... ever...
Well, I broke that promise... I did keep it for a couple of years, and then the kiddies came along... I became a housewife (is this noun even used anymore?), I spent more time at home, and, more to the point, I spent more time mopsing around Target.... my head was turned by the seasonal displays... and none turned my head more than Fall...

Fall (or Autumn, as I knew it pre-America) was a season that slid by unnoticed in the UK... gobbled up by Christmas. And, to be honest, the only memory I have of  Fall is decorating  mushroom baskets with colourful crepe paper and filling them with fruit, veg, and canned goods. These baskets were then passed out to the elderly as part of the Harvest Festival... I'm writing this with a smile on my face, as I remember picking out the pretty papers and proudly taking my basket to school... I wonder if they do this anymore? Or, has health and safety deemed it a hazard??

Anyways, we definitely didn't decorate our house (in fact, that was only saved for Christmas)... and so, I embrace this new found appreciation of Autumn...

I love decorating the house up with rich colours, distracting us from the gloomy days and nights that are creeping up on us. I also look at it as an opportunity to teach the little ones about the changes in seasons... My eldest and I had great fun today picking out the decorations for the cloche, and I'm sure she'll have as much fun picking out the decorations for it at Christmas time...

So, yeah, I broke a promise... the hubby can now add me to the 'Psycho Mum' category... I wear my badge proudly!

Happy Humpday everyone!
Lx
P.S I'll be linking my page to Julia today... I follow her blog every day, so I can get my fix of house love...
P.P.S If you're really interested in seeing my new haircut, check it out below... it was taken last thing at night (by my own steady hand)... feeling very foolish... devoid of any make-up and my p-jams on... jeez... never thought I'd have the courage to do that...

A weekend of baking, shopping and wine...

Okay... I'm not going to lie... I had a couple of glasses of wine prior to writing this... You see, I've spent the afternoon at my neighbours' little girl's Christening... It was quite a production getting me there, and so, once finally sitting down, I decided to kick back and enjoy...

This weekend went by in quite a whirlwind... I'd offered to bake cupcakes and cookies... and, just for the hell of it, I threw in a trifle as well... As per usual, I under-estimated the effort involved and decided to squeeze in said baking amongst outfit-shopping and polishing myself up...

First on the list was to get the girlies' sorted with appropriate attire. In the past, I've sprung for fancy outfits for such occasions, only to find them gathering cobwebs in the closet, never to be worn again... so, this time, I was prudent and brought some funky dresses from Target that will look awesome with their Converse... Then, it was my turn... and let me tell you, I'm in a sorry state of affairs... from my head down to my toes...

So, the hubby treated me to a shopping spree at Anthro (this event is as rare as an albino tiger)... with my frugal head on, I picked up a gorgeous red and black rose shirt-dress on sale (very 50's housewife)... I then had to tackle the old physical appearance... so, I had all my hair chopped into a short bob and coloured... When I heard the buzz of the razor (just on the neck), I panicked... I've not had short hair since Australia... but, I think I like it...

Once I'd sorted the family out for clothes, I donned the apron and got cracking on the  cakes... Oh, and flag making....
It all went down a storm... I have to say, it's very gratifying seeing people enjoying the fruits of your labour... I almost asked someone for some critical feedback, but the hubby reigned me in!
Anyhoo... the kids have run themselves ragged and, so, I'm hoping they will give me a good night's rest... and some much needed beauty sleep...
Wishing you all a happy start to the week!
Lx

A Friday Flower: Here's to good friends...

Last week, I babysat for a very good friend while she went out for her 15th Wedding Anniversary... I have to say, it was no hardship on my part, as I was leaving the hubby with my two screaming toddlers while I watched her older (and much calmer) children... It was a bit like a 'bus man's holiday'...

It gave me an insight into what's ahead of me... a time when children do craft projects that don't require a 3-hour clean up, where they sit and watch 'your' TV shows, with you, and go to bed without kicking and screaming... it was bliss... I know... don't wish these years away... but I sure won't miss the 'witching hours' at the end of the night...

On her return, my dear friend presented me with this lovely bunch of stocks... ahhh, she knows me well... I love these flowers and, to me, they are quintessentially 'English'... I feel that every shot of an idyllic country cottage includes a pitcher with stocks spilling over, or some strategically placed by a farmhouse sink, waiting to be popped into an old jug... and don't even get me started on the smell... heavenly...

Anyhoo, I've sat on these pictures all week, waiting to share them with you... I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

And so, my Friday flower is dedicated to friends... old, new, and yet to meet... they really make my world a much nicer and happier place...

Speaking of friends, I'll be linking up for a Friday Flower with Melissa ... Nip over and see her, too, and you will meet one of my newfound blog friends!
Happy weekend everyone!
Lx

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Appreciating what is on your doorstep...

Life's pretty hectic for me at the moment. What, with having the builders in, two kiddies running around, baking for a neighbour's baby christening, and the usual day-to-day chores, I'm pretty stretched ... However, I did manage to squeeze in a family bike ride the other day... there are always a few more hours in the day, right?

We have a bike path that runs past the end of our road and it hugs the coastline... something we had overlooked, until we got the dog and needed a place to walk her... With this in mind, the hubby then surprised me one day and picked up a nice little beach cruiser (for me) and a green trailer for the girls (they call it 'Chick', as in Chick Hicks from the movie Cars)... with us fitted out with new biking gear, that left the hubby without one... so, he rides his Mum's purple ladies mountain bike... he didn't want to commit to a new bike until we proved that it wasn't a passing fad...  Hey, if he's happy to ride a chick bike, then so be it... I guess you'd call that, 'being comfortable with your masculinity...'

Anyhoo, we set off early Saturday morning for a our ride... I decided I wanted to take a camera with me... with nowhere to stow said camera, the hubby had the bright idea of taking the basket off my little girls bike and attaching it to mine... well, if he can ride his Mum's purple bike, then I can deal with a kiddie basket!

As we're riding leisurely along the bike path, we're being zipped past by sleek cyclists in up-to-date techno-lightweight-breathable-all singing- all dancing biking gear and all I could think was... 'What must they think of our mismatched clan?'
But, who cares? Because, we had a blast... I squeezed in a spot of thrifting at a church thrift store (that basket sure limited my buying power)...we took in the views of NYC over the water...

...watching reeds, as tall as houses, swaying in the fall breeze...

... breathing in the salty air... and just enjoying something that's on our doorstep and free... (that was the best part of the day)!
I'm busy on a little project at the moment (I hope to share it with you at some point), but I'll be checking in at the back end of the week. Happy humpday!
Lx

Fall ♥

It's Fall... I know this because my girls' t-shirts are showing the stains of multiple juice pops, eaten on hot summer days, and 'Tide Stain Release' is just not going to cut it on these babies anymore! It's time to kiss goodbye to the pretty pastels of summer and move on to the rich colours of fall...  Is it just me, or does anyone else feel their heart strings tugged when they pack their kids' clothes away at the end of a season? I find it's like packing away that season of their lives... I know I'll be dragging my 'threads' out for years to come (I'm thrifty), but there's such a sense of finality when I pack away their wardrobe... Anyhoo.... on a lighter note...

I love the rich warm colours that fall brings with it...

I love pumpkins, both for decorating and eating... strange really, given that I had never eaten one prior to my move to  America...

I love the fact that I can hide my toes in my Converse and not have to worry about when I'll get a chance to fit in that much needed pedi...

... or that I can pull all my cozy sweaters out of the closet and bundle myself up once again...

I swear I have cooler sweaters, but I love to rock the granny look!

...and being snuggled indoors, with my favourite armchair fitting the season ...


I know... I brought it during my 'red' season & just can't bare to get rid of it... anyhoo the dog likes it!

I love the fact that a hot cup of tea, becomes the right choice of drink...

... and the damp smell of leaves in the air (sorry I couldn't capture that one)... and, to anyone in the UK, enjoy the smell of bonfires and the morning cobwebs (just two of the things that I miss from Blighty)... There are so many things that I love about Fall... What about you?
Lx