Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Team Teal Tuesday ~ A Strawberry at Buckingham Palace

Oh, friends, my mom loved British royalty!
So when Carrie and I thought about places to leave
strawberries during our time in England, we knew
that Buckingham Palace had to be one of them.


Carrie and I had planned to visit Buckingham Palace to see the Changing of the Guard. We went. We waited - but about 15 minutes before the ceremony was supposed to take place, someone came out with a sandwich board sign that read "No changing of the guard today." Boo.


I originally put this strawberry on the fence in front of the palace, but it didn't feel right to leave it there. {There were lots of people around there, and...I don't know...it just didn't feel right.} So after taking photos of a strawberry bouncing around in the wind with guards in the background, we walked over to the grassy area near the palace and hung it from a tree.


I love looking at this photo and thinking of my mom. She would have loved that we left a strawberry at Strawberry Field in Liverpool. She would have loved the ones we left at the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe. But this one? At Buckingham Palace? I really think this would have been her favorite.

and bless my mom.
To read all of my posts about
{click here}

Monday, April 29, 2013

This weekend at camp we...

...slept in tents.

...washed dishes outside.

...took naps.

...had our own camping chairs.

...took senior pictures and spent time with our pups.

 ...used gentle hands.

...doted on a sweet baby.

...painted rocks.

...took long walks.

...woke up to this view.

...and fell asleep to this one.
 ~sigh~

We had such a great weekend camping near Young, Arizona with friends and family. Here's hoping that each of you got to spend a little happy time in the company of people you love.

Friday, April 26, 2013

Just a Quote for Friday


"Joy is what happens to us when
we allow ourselves to recognize
how good things really are."

~ Marianne Williamson

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Our England Trip ~ Day 7 ~ London

From my travel journal: "After spending a whirlwind day in Paris yesterday, we were a little slow moving this morning. Our feet/ankles/legs were so sore {turns out that walking on cobblestone takes some getting used to} and we were just plain worn out. I knew we had a lot of ground to cover today, so I insisted that we get up and moving early! There will be plenty of time for resting when we get home."


Even though this was day #7, we hadn't really seen a whole lot around London. Our hotel was only a couple of blocks from Trafalgar Square, so we headed there first.



Oooh...did you see that? A little peek at blue sky?!?! We enjoyed that while it lasted, and then saw falling snow later in the day. ~sigh~



Ooooohhhh it was cold! As in, ice beard cold:


Next up was Buckingham Palace, so we figured out our route and started walking.


We made it to Buckingham Palace in plenty of time to see the Changing of the Guard at 11:30. But, after waiting for about 15 minutes at a sweet spot right up at the fence, someone came out with a sign that read, "No Changing of the Guard Today." ~sigh~ Really? Ok...so we dropped a strawberry off and headed toward Westminster Abbey for our next sight-seeing adventure.


Friends, Westminster Abbey is one of the coolest places I've seen in my whole life! The architecture was simply breathtaking, and the inside of the cathedral just blew our minds! We were both disappointed to learn that photos were not allowed inside - there was so much to see in there. We lit a candle for my mom, and I slipped and said a bad word as I set it back in its spot and burned my thumb. {oops! sorry, Mom. and God.} And there was a little brat boy standing there blowing the candles out and fanning them with a brochure, even after I sternly told him not to. Where was his mother?!?!


It was totally cool to come out of Westminster Abbey and hear Big Ben chiming. It was magical and very surreal. We headed out from the abbey, both of us getting a little grumpy and short tempered - it was lunch time and we needed food.


I found a cute little pub nearby that looked fine, but Carrie wanted to press on. She was on a mission to get us back to Hard Rock Cafe {where we'd already been once} because she knew she could get a good burger there. Turns out, there was a wait at HRC so we ended up around the corner in a pub with a menu that looked exactly like the one we originally passed up.

Using the GPS on Carrie's phone had been really convenient, but for whatever reason we couldn't connect to the pub's free wifi, so we spread out the paper map. We got our bearings and planned our next stop, then folded up the map.


At this point Carrie said, "Hey, where's my phone?" and we spent the next 30 minutes looking in every pocket and bag we had with us. We each emptied our purses twice, and it finally dawned on us that her phone had been stolen. {~sigh~ We are so naive sometimes!} It was difficult to fathom - we'd been sitting right there, looking slightly to the side as we searched the map, and we never even saw anyone walk by our table, much less snatch Carrie's phone {a new iPhone5!!!} that was maybe 3" from her elbow! {See above photo, taken just minutes before that phone was taken. Crazy, right?}

I have to say that I was very proud of the way Carrie handled this bump in the road. She was really upset about her phone, but she took practical measures to take care of things. Using my phone, she was able to "find" hers {tracked to one mile from the pub where we'd last seen it}, remotely lock it, erase its contents, and later completed a police report with all the pertinent information. Even though it was upsetting, ultimately it was just a phone, and we still had two more days in ENGLAND. There would be other phones in her future...

{Another proud moment: Even in her upset state, she still had the presence
of mind to ask me to take her photo, being sad about her phone. That's my girl!}

Our final full day in London had been really fun, up until Carrie's phone was stolen right out from under our noses. We were trying to shake it off, but I'll admit that it did take the wind out of our sails a bit. We decided to head back to our hotel room for a while, get warm, freshen up, and then go back out.

It didn't take us long to regroup, and we set our sights on a trip to Harrods - a large swanky department store in London. Oh.My.Goodness. What a great place to forget about a stolen phone! And we both really wished we had more time to spend, as there was a LOT to see there. So very posh in so many ways! All kinds of departments, all very elegant and beautifully arranged.


And when we came across the Godiva Cafe at Harrod's, it was a hands-down no-brainer that we'd wait for a table and share an order of chocolate fondue. Yum!!!



Travel journal: "All except for the phone issue, our day exploring London was fantastic. And it's amazing what chocolate fondue can do for your spirits! We loved sight-seeing in London so much, and we have a big day planned for tomorrow..."

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Cate's Bloggy-baby Shower

Our blog friend Cate {Life Behind the Purple Door}
is expecting a baby girl this summer, and I thought it
would be fun to do something special for her.

Since Cate lives in Australia and I'm in the US, it would be a bit tricky {if not impossible} for me to host an actual baby shower in her honor. And since we have been blog friends for over three years now, it kind of makes more sense to do it the bloggy way.

You're all invited ~ and you don't necessarily have to have a blog to join in the fun!

There are a few different ways you can participate:

Create an 8"x 8" scrapbook page to be included in a scrapbook for Cate.
Photograph the layout and create a blog post to publish on Wednesday, May 29, 2013.
Link to my Bloggy-baby Shower blog post on that day and join the party!
(I will provide more specific details as that date gets closer.)

or

Create a baby-blog post to publish on May 29, 2013 and link to mine.
Your post should include something mommy-baby related.
Ideas include: helpful tips/advice, a game you've played at a
baby shower, baby photos of yourself or family members...
basically anything random and baby-ish.

or

If you don't have a blog but still want to create a layout for
Cate's scrapbook, you are more than welcome to do that as well.

♥ ♥ ♥

Scrapbook layout specifics ~ Are you ready for a challenge?
In order to have some sort of cohesiveness throughout
Cate's baby album, please use the following guidelines:

The base must be a white, 8"x 8" piece of cardstock. You can use textured or flat, you can embellish it like crazy, but please start with white.
Please leave space on your layout for a 4"x 6" photo that Cate can add later on.
Cate loves the color purple {They don't call her PurpleCrazyMum for nothin'!} so please use purple in your layout, and feel free to incorporate other colors as you see fit. I'm planning to use pink and purple on mine.
If you plan to use a specific theme {i.e. bath time, Daddy time, a nursery rhyme} please let me know before you begin designing your page. I will keep a list of specific page themes so that we don't end up with duplicate subject matters.
When your layout is complete, mail it to me. I will gather all of the pages in a scrapbook to send to Cate. If you plan to do a blog post and link to my blog on the day of the shower {Wednesday, May 29}, photograph your layout before sending it my way. :o)
Please RSVP for the bloggy-baby shower by leaving a comment on this post. Make sure that your comment provides a way for me to contact you {either by way of a link to your blog or an email address}.

I will remind you of this fun event over the course of the next five weeks, but until then, I will leave you to your creative thinking process!

I've tried to cover all the bases, but I'm sure there's something I've left out!
Please leave a comment and let me know if you have any questions,
and also let me know if you plan to "attend" Cate's Bloggy-baby shower.

Ooooh...I'm so excited for us to do this for Cate!
Hooray for baby girls!
{and blog-friend-moms!}

PS: My email address is djturtle {at} cox {dot} net if you need to contact me. :o)

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Team Teal Tuesday ~ A Strawberry at Arc de Triomphe

I wasn’t really prepared for how fascinated I would be with the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. It was massive in size, intricate in design, and I hadn’t even known that its purpose serves as a war memorial.


I mentioned in a post last week that my mom had been to Paris several years ago - she visited the Arc de Triomphe while she was there. As I stood under that amazing arc, I wasn’t struck by the size or the design or the purpose of its structure. Instead, I was struck by the fact that my mom had stood under it too - in all its glory - and I know she appreciated it on the exact same level that I was appreciating it that day.


As I prepared this blog post and searched for links to include in my text, I clicked on a link to this site and immediately noticed a link on the left that read, “Honoring the Brave.” How appropriate, I thought, that Carrie and I left a strawberry at a place that honors courage. No, my mom wasn’t a hero in a political war, but she was a hero in her fight against ovarian cancer. Truly, my mom is one of the bravest women I’ve ever known.


So we left a strawberry for my mom at the Arc de Triomphe. Feeling extra sentimental, we called Doug from there, and also left a voice message for Papa Rod.
{Carrie's Photo}

I know in my heart that my mom would be pleased.

Monday, April 22, 2013

The weekend, an apron, and a boy.

~sigh~
Monday morning.

It was a fun and busy weekend around these parts, and I have a few photos to share today. I attended a bridal shower on Saturday for a sweet young lady who might as well be our niece - Doug has known Allison since before she was born. I made an apron to give as a gift, and I just loved working with this fabric. Check it out:

Blue and white polka dots with an apple shape here and there. Love!

Allison's sister and bridesmaids did a lovely job with her bridal shower set up. The theme was "Something Blue" and they had this sweet little candy bar for party favors.


There were babies in the mix, and I did take a few photos, but today I'm only sharing the photos I took of this little man. He's Allison's nephew and he has the cutest personality. He was busy showing me toys, and asking me to take photos of each item.

"Take a picture of this one! Take a picture of this! Hey...what's your name again?"


He's just so cute. I've seen him a few times a year since he was born, but never often enough that he remembers who I am. But he always warms up to me so quickly, and I love that he loves to have his picture taken. :o)

And, oh yeah, the apron...


I've used this pattern three times now, and every time I make it I swear I won't do the ruffle part again. It's tedious, there's a lot to gather, and it's time consuming. But, really? The end result is worth it. I think the ruffle makes this apron.


And the apron is even better wrapped around a beautiful bride-to-be!

Our weekend was filled with running here and there for this and that. A hair appointment for me Saturday morning, Allison's shower in the afternoon, breakfast with my father-in-law yesterday morning, and then a few hours setting up QuickBooks for Doug's business accounting. Phew - what a project that was! But we worked well together and I think we're on the right track.

This week proves to be another busy one as we take care of the normal junk and get ready for a family camping trip next weekend {yay!!!}. Here's wishing each of you a lovely week!

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Our England {France} Trip ~ Day 6 ~ Paris

Paris!
We went to Paris!

When we started planning our trip, Carrie was looking at a map and made it known that she wanted to go to Paris for a day. Actually, she wanted to go to Paris and spend a night or two, but time would not allow for that on this trip.


We settled on taking a day trip, so we booked tickets for the Eurostar - a train that leaves from London, goes under the English Channel, and arrives in Paris after a two and half hour trip. We took the first train out - leaving at 5:40 a.m. - and the second-to-the-last train back to London - leaving around 8:00 p.m.

From my travel journal:  "Our alarm went off at 4:00 a.m. and we were up and running. We got ready quickly, and by 4:45 a.m. our hotel doorman was hailing a cab for us. When we got to the Eurostar station I realized I didn't have our ticket voucher in my purse! The voucher I had grabbed in my sleepy-stupor was for our Spice Girls evening the night before. After what seemed like several minutes, I finally convinced the ticket ticket lady to search by our last names, and she was able to print our tickets that way. A little stress to start the day...here we go!"

Fortunately, we slept most of the way there, and I missed the whole our-train-is-in-a-tunnel-under-the-water event. When I woke up and looked out the window, I knew we were in France! It was different and it was beautiful.


When we got off the train in Paris we were both a bit overwhelmed. New country, new language, new bearings. Carrie's three years of high school French really paid off, and one of my favorite things about our day in Paris was hearing her speak French. She was so natural with it ~ and she's such a sweetheart anyway. It warmed my heart to see how the people in Paris responded to her as she spoke.


The only thing on my list of things-I-wanted-to-do-in-Paris was go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Carrie pretended like she didn't want to, but we were there! It was a chance of a lifetime and I was determined to get to the top.


Well, one of the lifts to the top of the tower was under construction, so all tourists were directed to the one operating lift. We stood in line, in the cold morning Paris air, for two hours to purchase tickets. Two hours of precious time...two hours of security guards in camouflage with fingers on the triggers of large machine guns walking around the crowd...two hours of people with no concept of our "personal space"...two hours. Then! When we got our tickets, there was MORE waiting for our turn on the lift, and then MORE waiting at the second level to take the other lift to the top...and then MORE waiting to take the lift back down so we could get the heck out of there and see some other stuff in Paris!


But! We can both say we have been to the top of the Eiffel Tower. It was awesome. It was freezing cold. We took pictures. ~sigh~

After we left the tower we started our long day of walking. Walking. Walking. More walking. We found a sweet Italian restaurant on our way to the Arc de Triomphe and had the most delicious lunch.


We were using Carrie's iPhone as our GPS that day, but her battery was fading so we took some time to figure out how to use the antiquated paper map. Great invention, those paper maps! We followed the map, and we were really happy to see the Arc de Triomphe in the distance.


Wow - I hadn't been prepared for how amazing that Arc is. It was spectacular! I could have spent a long time there, marveling at all the tiles and carvings.

From there we walked down the Avenue des Champe-Elysees and went into a shop or two along the way. We were mostly focused on continuing to walk to our next destination: Notre Dame Cathedral.


Wow - by then we were tired and cold and a little fussy. We were both very relieved to see the cathedral in the distance, and that place did not disappoint! It was amazing to be there - to experience the energy in a cathedral that old and beautiful. We lit candles for my mom there.


After Notre Dame, I think we were both getting a little antsy about getting back to the train station on time. Even though we had a couple of hours, it made sense to start making our way back there. When we asked a cab driver to take us there and he said no, we really got nervous about the thought of having to walk all the way back to the station. We weren't sure there was enough time!

We finally found a cab to take us, and that made us early enough so there was time for a drink and a snack before we caught our train. We shared an order of the most amazing fries - and I loved the mayonnaise/horseradish dipping sauce that came with our order.


It makes me smile now, thinking of how we ate our way around Paris! There were several must-tries on our food list: crepes, croissants, macaroons, baguettes, croque monsieur, {French} fries, and chocolate. We covered all bases!

Travel journal:  "Back in London, both happily exhausted, we ordered late night room service and called it a day. Tomorrow we'd have time to see the sights in London. Wow - what an amazing trip we are having!!!"
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...