Gives new meaning

...to the term "closet eater"

And...

We're back. Not as in "back" to the States quite yet, but "back" at posting. Well, at least for today.  I have been A-W-F-U-L at posting - you know, only a three and a half month hiatus.  I can't even say that I have been so busy, because frankly, I haven't. The truth is, I'm just lazy. So, to coincide with my laziness, here are the latest happenings (and not necessarily in chronological order... as that would take a lot of effort):

-My parents visited us in March for 10 days. We had a great time, even with the insanely cold weather. I think the highlight was our trip to Ireland, and in particular, the Guinness Storehouse. We also visited the coastal towns of Malahide and Howth, taking in their quaint little villages and a pint or two. We (okay, maybe just I) also ran from a peacock in the beautiful Kew Gardens outside of London and saw the prisons within the the Tower of London.

-Finally took a day trip to Windsor Castle - the opulence is unimaginable. Truly breathtaking, but also a bit sickening when you realize the amount of money trapped within the Queen's weekend home.

-We have now officially been to the London Zoo 15 times. No need for a map, and Charlotte can point you in the direction of the "Lolo's" (aka Gorillas) any day. Thank goodness I bought the yearly membership on our first visit.

-So far this summer, Charlotte has had her first haircut, inhaled her first ice cream cone, was a flower girl in her aunt Meg's wedding (sorry it didn't work out as planned Meg!), and attended her first professional baseball game - lucky girl saw her uncle Timmy pitch at Fenway!

-After a three week trip turned into 4 weeks in the States in which we saw lots of family and friends, we settled back into our routine for five days before flying to Portugal for a few days. What a lovely place! We travelled to Obidos, which is about one hour north of Lisbon. A relaxing and "just what we needed" short holiday. Tim played golf at the course along the coast (says it is right up there in beauty with Ko'olau in Hawaii), Charlotte marvelled at the ocean (after an initial hatred) and I enjoyed a nice glass or two of Sangria. No complaints here in the least!

Easter bunny

Dear Charlotte,

I'm sorry the Easter bunny did not arrive until Tuesday -  from what I hear, he was a bit busy this year...

Phone call

So I received quite an interesting phone call this afternoon. It started with the caller on the other end of the line saying hello and asking me to recite my phone number. "Ummm... Didn't you just ring me" was my second thought. Sadly, my initial thought was "I have no clue what my phone number is... Don't you know they are 11digits long?"  That one extra digit gets me every time. Well, this woman, Julie, began to explain that she used to hold this said phone number and she moved two years ago and hasn't received a call since. Maybe she should check with the phone company... Or reassess her relationships.
Julie then asked if I had received any post (mail)for her. After inquiring as to what her former address was, it was determined that it was in a neighboring town and so I replied that I had not received any post for her. To which she answered, "Well of course you wouldn't receive any post for me as that wouldn't even make sense." Okay, just making sure there wasn't any confusion in our differing English languages. Julie then proceeded to ask me to forward any mail to her former neighbors and friends Joyce or Saygred (lovely German woman who moved to London a number of years ago).  Seriously, am I on Punked? Julie mentioned that she enjoyed my American accent. She has relations in the States ya know - her cousin used to live in Rhode Island (near the snow and earthquakes) but has since passed away. She was only 65, a very tragic death. But her children live there and she hopes to visit one day soon. She owes it to them since their mothers' sad passing.
In asking where I lived now with her old phone number, she said it was a bit more happening than her former residence (mind you, Julie lived in that one residence for over 50 years... So I am assuming she is fairly ancient). She wondered if I had ventured to the Savior parish not far from me... lovely pastor who resides there.
I came away with the conversation with a new phone number for Julie, should I receive any important calls; an 0800 number to pass along to any hoax calls; and one new best friend.

Little miss mullet

Er, I mean, little miss muffin. Sort of.

I know she won't remember, but the pictures will remain. She is total "business in the front and party in the back". We flip-flop from "I'm cutting her hair myself right now" to "let's wait, the front has to catch up soon, right?". Charlotte has been blessed with my straight, thin and somewhat stringy hair. Poor girl... For now, I have come up with a temporary solution - pigtails. These sometimes last 30 mins and on other days, 30 seconds. At least she can't be mistaken for a little boy with her pigtails... right?

before

after

blood pudding

I vowed NEVER to eat blood pudding, blood sausage, anything with a head (or feet) still attached - mystery meat of any kind while here in the UK. Well... I've gone against my word yet again. And to be truthful, it was a pleasant surprise.

Tim and I went out with friends of ours, Sarah and Lloyd, this past weekend (sans children). We visited a great tapas restaurant in Soho and since Lloyd is English, he had some insider info into a few of the English (with a Spanish twist) "meat" dishes that we had never been brave enough to order in the past. The blood pudding was more than tolerable, it actually had a lovely smokey quality to it. Almost made me forget I was eating congealed pig's blood. Almost. The second dish that piqued our interest was pork belly. I hear all about this latter delightful treat on the food network and the travel channel, but had never had the nerve to try it personally. Unfortunately, this might be a new addiction. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Though I swear my pants tightened the second this delectable treat hit my lips.

So while Tim and I dipped our toes into the English delicacy pool, Charlotte had her own adventurous moment. Well, an American experience would be a better way to describe it. She had... ready for it?... Pancakes! With maple syrup and berries! She ate an entire kid's portion yesterday. Perhaps not that impressive... but being in the 9th percentile for weight, this little stinker can sure hold her own at 18 lbs 9 oz.

Future Rocket Scientist?

For sure...

Wow - I love walking blindly into walls. That is, until it hurts and I cry.

Mom, did you know that banging your head on the cabinets is more fun while wearing a colander?