Future Dr. Doolittle

DD4 to DS5: "I can talk English and Spanish."

DS5 in response: "Yeah, but can you talk squirrel-ish?"

She's Art Literate At Two

Upon seeing that I was wearing the shirt I got on our recent trip to the Louvre, emblazoned with their most famous painting, the two year old excitedly pointed, while screaming, "Mamma Wisa! Mamma Wisa!" It was a proud moment. Who knew that she was paying so much attention while we got lost...er... toured... the Louvre?

Fun

Get yours here.

The Great Crust Debate Continues

Aaahhh...the important discussions that grace our table. ;)

Upon examining their sandwiches prepared with crustless bread:

DD4: "Do you like crust, brother?"

DS5: "Yes, especially this kind. 'Cause look! No crust!"

Good Definition of Legalism

"Legalism is seeking to achieve forgiveness from God and achieve acceptance by God through obedience to God." C.J. Mahaney

Hmmm. Guilty as charged.

Good Friends. Good Trip Reports.

If you enjoy trip reports, hop on over to my friend, Annette's blog. She and her husband, Tony, just got back from a fabulous trip to Portugal. The photos are to-die-for and made me want to GO! With 16 days left in this part of the world, however, I don't believe we'll have time to fit that one in.

Also, my friend, Paula, has been posting about her summer in Central Asia. Some amazing photos as well. Be sure to check out their new Tajik-wear. She has some great photos of a trip to London with a certain friend as well. ;)

Enjoy!

Travel Photos - Lincolnshire, York, and Scotland Part One

The York Minster --Europe's largest Gothic cathedral. Enormous!

Shopping the "The Shambles" in York, the medieval shopping district in town. Cute!

The cannons at Stirling Castle in Scotland.


Stirling Castle as seen from below in the town of Stirling, Scotland.


Some boy bagpiping buskers in the town of Stirling, outside the shopping area. They were great!


Belton House in Lincolnshire where some of the BBC's Pride and Predjudice was filmed.


The gorgeous area where we stayed in Scotland. I've seen more sheep in the past week, than I have in my entire life. And I'm a farm girl, so that's a lot of sheep!

Home from a Wee Scottish Adventure

We just got back from our last little adventure before we prepare to depart for home. We have only 18 days left in London. It seems quite hard to believe, as it often feels as if we arrived only yesterday. I will be posting some pictures soon of our last adventures, but here is where we stayed for most of the time. Drummonie was delightful, as was the Perthshire area of Scotland. Hubby did (barely) achieve of his lifelong dream of playing golf here. The children and I tagged along one day to see the town of St. Andrews and were delighted. We also spent some time reminiscing about one of our favorite movies here. And we relaxed with a drive and some stops through this area of Scotland, finding the gravesite of the hero of another favorite story. Our last little jaunt involved a delightful stop in the
Lake District of England to visit Peter Rabbit and friends. I hope to post some photos for you in the next few days.

The Last Hurrah

I've been kind of quiet this week because we had some visitors here. Plus, things are getting a bit hectic here because of the impending move. We're really in full "going home" mode these days. We're heading off for our last holiday here in England, with hubby hopefully achieving his lifelong dream of playing at St. Andrews, plus many more adventures along the way. I'm not sure if I'll be able to post for the next 10 days or so. I will if I can. I will continue my London Lessons when I return. Thanks for reading!

A Very Special Guest

Today, during our daily tea party (today we used the Barbie china tea set), dd4 ran upstairs quickly to get something. She came down breathlessly carrying her Bible. "Mommy," she shared, "today I'm inviting Jesus!"

Oh, may she always invite Jesus into every little aspect of her life! BTW, do you think Jesus takes one lump or two?!

Gifts in My Landscape

"The landscape of a day

is never barren. . .

Upon each hour is painted

at least one gift"

B.J. Hoff


A few gifts from the hours of my day so far...

*playing Candyland with my oldest.

*receiving a lovely card filled with rainbows and sunshines from Miss Middle.

*cuddling with my baby on the couch because she's so sleepy.

How about you? What are the gifts God is painting upon your landscape today?

Typical Expat Kid

One of the things that can identify a typical expat kid is confused citizenship. Here's a recent case in point from our experience:

My two oldest children excitedly exclaim as we're walking in central London: "Look, Mommy! Look, Mommy! There's our flag!"

They were excitedly waving and pointing out the Union Jack!

Sometimes we have to wonder in awe at the things our children are experiencing and seeing at such young ages --things we never would have dreamed of doing at their ages. We pray often that their experiences here would shape the future dreams and plans that God has for each of them.

May it be so. Confused citizenship and all. ;)

We Temporarily Interrupt This Blog...

...For our last round of visitors.

Be back soon!

A Convincing Argument

Trying to prove that she is "big-girl-scissor-worthy", my two year old said:

"But I can. And I a pwin-CESS!"

Perhaps she is a princess, but does that really justify flagrant use of sharp objects that can leave one with a very lopsided hairdo? Don't think so.

But it was a really valiant effort.

Yummy Chicken Dish

I found this yummy recipe at Menus4Moms in May. Our family has really been enoying it here, since it is chicken and not beef based. Enjoy!

Chicken in Basil Cream Sauce
1/4 c. milk
1/4 c. bread crumbs
4-6 chicken breasts
3 T butter
1 T olive oil
1/2 c. chicken broth
1 c. heavy cream
1 4 oz jar pimentos (I can't find these here, so I don't use them)
1/2 c. grated parmesean
1/4 c fresh minced basil (or more!)
1 t. cornstarch (if necessary)
pasta

Preheat oven to 350. Put bread crumbs & milk in separate shallow bowls. Dip chicken in milk and then coat with crumbs. In skillet over meadium heat, brown chicken on both sides in butter and olive oil. Remove and place in oven to keep warm. Add broth to skillet. Bring to boil over medium heat and stir to loosen bits on bottom of pan. Stir in cream and pimentoes. Boil and stir one minute. Reduce heat. Stir in parmesean, basil, and pepper until heated through. If needed, add cornstarch to thicken. Pour over chicken and serve over cooked pasta.

Let me know if you decide to try this recipe out. I'd love to hear what you think of it. And stay tuned for London Lesson Number Three coming up tomorrow!