it's snowing!

my sister called me from the hotel this morning

and we screamed like little girls ... it's snowing, it's snowing!!

from our warm, cozy bed, J and I watched the massive, feathery flakes fall in front of our window.

i literally felt like i was living in a snow globe.

then just like it started, it ended quietly.

and all that was left was a big, blue sky.

gotta love christmas in london.

!feliz navidad!

the tree has been trimmed -- our first *married* tree and our first *real* tree! it's a 5-foot noble fir -- very spacious between branches with a yummy smell. it's decked out with our homebase lights and bulbs, plus a few home-grown additions: a lonestar cookie-cutter, a newlywed ornament (from momma scott) and a black, stetson cowboy hat topper. we love it.

stockings are hung on the fake marble mantle with care.

maltesers and mars advent calendars are up to date.

christmas presents are all bought and wrapped. stocking stuffers are hidden in closet, waiting to be stuffed on christmas eve night.

christmas cards are addressed, stamped and ready to go out via *air mail* ... ok, ok, they are more like new year's cards.

the kitchen is stocked with yummy cheese, bread and, most importantly, champagne and wine.

bathroom and towels are clean.

what's the special occasion???

my mom and sister arrive today for the holidays. this is their first international flight across the pond. i am so excited to be the uber-tourist guide for the week. we're doing it all!

trafalgar square, christmas carols at st. martin's, harrod's, hyde park, big ben, the tube, london eye, museums ... and, of course, the creperie in south kensington.

weeeeeeeee ... can't wait!

merry christmas ... happy christmas ... feliz navidad!

we're having a heat wave

according to weather.com it's 50 degrees in london right now ... toasty!

and as i write, it's only 34 degrees in dallas and 38 degrees in tucson.

how crazy is that?!?

i'm worrying about my mom & sister being cold next week when they come to visit us. hah!

brrrr, wish you were here instead.

conveyor belt sushi

i love sushi.

i love conveyor belt sushi even more.

it's genius.

i could sit and watch those spicy tuna and salmon rolls roll by me for hours.

what an amazing concept. see it, grab it, dunk it, yum.

instant gratification.

follow that with a trip to the Natural History Museum. then coffee & sweets with a good friend.

pretty much a perfect afternoon in london.

____________________________________________________

dinner: chicken tikka massala

sudoku completed: none. aren't you proud?

gym: kickboxing - love the stuff!

weather: chilly and a bit drizzly at time

highlight: IM chatting with my sister for an hour

skinny jeans and puffy coats

skinny jeans tucked into funky boots are all the rage in london.

that, and long puffy coats -- preferably in sleek black, snow-bunny white or chocolate brown.

i've got my london coat. two, in fact. one long, black, down puffer and one funky tweed number.

i've yet to acquire the perfect pair of boots. i think all UK size 39 boots were sold in july. now, all you can find are itty bitty or larger sizes. bum deal.

BUT

today i acquired my first pair of skinny minnie jeans. with coaxing from my friend SP, who claims that they suck in the fat and make my bum look good, i walked into miss sixty and bought a pair of "eden ones".

they are much too tight (J really likes them!).

and, they're begging for a great pair of boots.

i've got 14 days to make up my mind. to skinny or not to skinny?

wanted: size 39, kitten heel, pointy-toe boots

____________________________________________________

dinner: strada -- yummy italian on high street kensington

sudoku completed: one (1) very difficult puzzle

gym: n/a

weather: pleasantly cold

highlight: the return of my hubby after a 10-day business trip ... and the welcome-home lovin'

chloe the mouse

no real update on the mouse in the house.

i haven't seen it since the incident.

except, i have decided to name her Chloe.

doesn't seem so icky anymore, right?

cozy cozy gift

my dear sweet meggie sent us a wedding gift today.

the coziest, yummiest afghan/throw blanket

and she knit it herself!

it came with the sweetest note

and the personal, heartfelt gesture of making us a "family" blanket is ...

amazing.

i'm calling dibbs on it.

J will have to use the store bought one :)

thank you so much, meggie.

the rules

i hate the rules of typography. the new rules.

actually, i'm just bitter because i found out that a) i follow old school, typist rules and therefore am old and outdated; b) i have horrible punctation (okay - i already knew that!); c) i overuse and misuse ellipses and hyphens; d) i'm not sure if typography is a career for me.

i'm trying to "find myself" in london. to discover my true career path. i thought typography was going to light the way. instead, it's slamming a door in my abilities and showing me that two spaces after a period (or full-stop, as they call it here) is just WRONG.

well, bugger off. i like two spaces after my periods.

except -- i noticed that blogger always removes my "extra" space and all the pretty white space between sentences is gone. sometimes i go in and force an extra space. but, i realize now that i need to get over it and just follow "the rules." ouch - i feel like an old lady who has to get used to seeing kids with baggy pants and pierced tongues.

pop quiz: which one of these is formatted correctly?

a) P A Baines
b) P.A.Baines
c) P. A. Baines
d) none of the above
e) a + b

one of my favorite adri quotes

"it makes me feel happy ... like waking up in globe with the noisy warm heater and cereal-on-the-brown-couch-curled-up-sniffing-your-knee-kind-of-mornings-happy..."

i think she captured it beautifully.

i do love the smell of a sleepy knee on a saturday morning. especially knees that are tucked under your t-shirt like a big set of twins ...

here's to happy days!

eeeek! i screamed like a girl

but that's okay, cuz i am one.

we have a mouse in our flat!!!

our first london mouse IN the flat.

i'm sitting quietly on the living room couch, doing my homework for tonight's class, and out of the corner of my eye ... i see it!

it sauntered out of the kitchen and into the living room.

as it started taking a leisurely stroll under the dining room table, i screamed.

actually, it more like an "eeeek!" and the lil' bugger ran underneath an arm chair.

i think its more scared than i am.

but, eeeek!

i've already called the residential company. i'm sure they're laughing at the dumb american who can't handle one little london mouse.

these damn mice are everywhere, so it was just a matter of time.

the landlords said they would get right on it. but what does that mean?

i have to leave the flat in an hour. who know's where it'll be when i get home. just waiting to run across my feet or scamper in the dark.

oh, why does my hubby have to be across the world right now?

eeeeeeeeeeek!

relationships, they get better with time

my husband and i have always loved commercials. good commercials.

during college, we used to road trip home for christmas. we'd start in colorado and wind down through new mexico, finally ending up in my hometown in globe, arizona. J would stay a few days, then continue on his way to his family in california. we had the best times on those road trips. we'd be stuck in the car for hours, and we never got tired of each other. we never ran out of things to talk about. we listened to our taped mixes and sang at the top of our lungs. we'd dance in our seats. we mastered the art of being the perfect passenger, dj and fast food feeder. he'd fill the gas tank. i'd wash the windows.

one of our favorite road trip activities was making up commercials. we developed an entire sequence of volvo commercials. the scenery, the characters, the car colors, the script. i loved those days.

J still makes up commercials. it's one of the things i love about him. these days, he records them in his treo/blackberry thingy. the ad execs for miller light need to look him up. he's got some killer beer spots.

they have great commercials on british tv. they are a bit more raw and in your face than american ads. and some are just so damn beautiful.

here's our recent fav from orange mobile. i stole this from my husband's blog -- but it's worthy of repeating:

orange ad

man, i still get chills.
____________________________________________________

breakfast: earl grey, my fav jam, cheese & bread

sudoku completed: 3 from yesterday's evening standard

gym: the treadmill is calling my name

book: the red tent, why did i wait so long to read this?

weather: bouts of sun & cloud, 48 degrees F

highlight: chatting with J on the phone for a few secs

happy turkey days

thanksgiving in london? it was more eventful than you would think. not only was it a true test of my american history -- explaining the beginning and meaning of our turkey holiday -- but we celebrated with 3 different meals over the course of 8 days. that's some serious feasting.

anyhoo ... the celebrations began last weekend. we spent saturday evening with a lovely (yes, i just said a british lovely and meant it) group of britons and americans. we were invited to a fusion night of american thanksgiving and scottish st. andrew's night. there was haggis & turkey, kilts & cowboy boots, and whiskey & pumpkin pie. plus great conversation, funny games, guitar entertainment and singing.

and the week kept getting better.

i experienced a letterpress facility in my design class. hurt my brain in italian class -- i keep mixing things with spanish and i have no idea how to conjugate a verb. finalized my pattern for handbag class -- can't wait to get started on the real thing. then two friends from washington dc arrived on wednesday morning.

they crashed with us for a few days and we just had such a nice time with them. they are the cutest couple. the girl is actually the sister of one of our good college friends. but, i'm happy to say that i think we can officially call them our friends, too. we saw harry potter, ate indian food, caught a soccer match ... oh! and while at borough market on friday afternoon, we ran into Prince Charles and Camilla. it was very cool. my first "celebrity" sighting in london. we couldn't have ordered a more perfect appearance for our american friends.

i made a pumpkin pie for thanksgiving on thursday night. since i don't understand our fan-operated oven quite yet -- or the celsius conversion -- the pie was a bit burnt on the outside (but yummy on the inside). at least my husband pretended to like it :)

oh, and it's freezing here. like, really, really cold. i know, i know, it's london. but, wow, they don't mess around.

on sunday, we officially ended our 8-day thanksgiving celebration. we joined 130 americans from 12 universities for a thanksgiving feast in leicester square. good times. saw a lot of people we recognized (which is nice) from football games at bodean's and met some more lovely people.

and, that brings me to today, monday. i'm not going to lie. i had a nice lie in -- lay in? -- slept in -- whatever. hit the gym and the sainsburys and then tackled a mountain of laundry. i also cleaned out our tiny refrigerator. something had died (actually, i think a jar of olives leaked) and it was nauseating to be in the kitchen. also tidied the flat and powered through my italian homework. io non parlo le italiano molto bene.

my mom & sister will be here in about 3 weeks. cannot wait!

tomorrow: must get some sewing supplies for handbag class, write some thank you notes and do some christmas shopping.

ciao bella!
____________________________________________________

dinner: fish, couscous and green beans. plus, my husband brought home orange tulips (my fav) and a bottle of wine ... mmm

sudoku completed: none, zero, zilch. i think i'm getting over my addiction.

current reading: red tent

gym: body pump

weather: 37 degrees F

highlight: wine & flowers ... and a nice, cozy, tidy flat

in my shoes

wow. i was in some funk last night when i blogged. i had just spent dinner with my hubby's british co-workers trying to validate my life. i know they didn't mean to be rude. in fact, it was pretty entertaining sharing my "spring 2006" handbag collection ideas. it's all about the "brolly pouch" ... just you wait!

so, i think it must have been my own guilt surfacing.

it's weird not to be working. not to have a routine. not to feel needed. not to have my own ca$h.

but, i'm getting over it! :)

so, on to better and brighter things.

i managed to do two - yes two! - loads of laundry today. how, you might ask? well, i started a load of darks around 9am, which were done washing at 11am. half of the load was hung on my drying rack near the living room radiator. the other half was left in the machine and programmed to dry (in the same machine) for two hours. by 1pm, the first load was done. i started the second load of whites and left it to wash for two+ hours (cottons on warm temperature take longer) while i caught a matinee of "In Her Shoes".

i loved it! i'm not going to lie --- i'm a big fan of cameron diaz. she's trashy and endearing at the same time. and toni collette was brilliant. her character reminds me so much of my dear friend nicole. i loved cheering for her and thinking about nicole at the same time. and, i loved watching it by myself. i did call my sister before heading to the theatre and dedicated the viewing to our sisterly love. wish she could have been there with me. but, i sat there and enjoyed my sainbury's sparkling water and special edition kit kat (it was pretty damn good) that i snuck into the theatre. i laughed. i cried. it was a great flick. oh, the matinee price is 6 pounds (about 11 bucks - ouch!).

then, i walked home (.5 miles), hit the market at the tube stop and climbed up the 67 steps to our flat. i made my own version of "homemade" indian food. my hubby actually got home early -- 6:30pm -- and we ate our yummy dinner and watched our 5 free BBC channels.

all in all, it was a good day.

oh, in case you were wondering ... half of the whites went into the dryer for 2 hours around 7pm. the other half went in around 9pm. load #2 will be done any minute now ... how's that for efficient?
_________________________________________

dinner: seeds of change (our favorite new brand) korma curry w/ brown rice. malteasers (another fav new brand) hot chocolate for dessert.

sudoku completed: 1 - but the night is still young ...

gym class: i ditched the gym today.

weather: cold. a high of 45 degrees.

highlight: watching a matinee show of "In Her Shoes" by myself ... so much fun!

i'm sorry

"so, what DO you do with your days???"

I AM SO TIRED OF ANSWERING THIS QUESTION!

i left my job in the states. we moved here with my husband's company. yes, i do have a work permit. no, i'm not working. we're only here for 9 months. this is my opportunity to take time off and explore. explore the city. explore new friends. explore new interests. blah, blah, blah.

sometimes, that answer works and the person kindly nods their head and says, "well, good for you!"

usually, it doesn't.

so, what exactly do you do with your days???

i then explain that i'm taking 3 classes, working out, reading, traveling, shopping, cooking, cleaning ... yes, my life is so very good right now. i have absolutely no complaints. yes, i am very well rested. yes, i am very stress free. yes, i am so very lucky.

and, i'm sorry that it's not you in my shoes, okay?

i'm sorry that i can take daytime and evening courses. i'm sorry that i find typography intersting. i'm sorry that i'm enjoying learning a little italian. i'm sorry that i'm completely fascinated with my handbag design class. i'm sorry that i have time to go to the gym. i'm sorry that i have time to do laundry, go to the grocery store, and make sure the flat is clean & neat. i'm sorry that i enjoy lunch with my friends. i'm sorry that i get to explore the city. and, i'm sorry that that all seems so frivolous and pointless to you.

if it makes you feel better. i only have about 4 months of this lifestyle left and then it's back to the states, back to a job, and back to a truly pointless lifestyle.

i freakin' love living here ... i'm sorry that you don't.
_________________________________________

dinner: fire house pub near waterloo station - bad steak, great chips

sudoku completed: 2

gym class: body combat

weather: sunny, but cold. i need to get a wooly hat. add that to my shopping list!

highlight: babysat my friend's 2-year-old daughter for the afternoon -- she's so cute!

very, very happy day

today is a very, very happy day.

october 15th.

my dear, sweet sister was born on this day in 1984.

that's right -- she's 21 today!!!!

happy, happy birthday.

feliz cumpleanos.

i wish i could be there to buy her her "first" official drink.

seeing as she is 8 hours behind me in arizona, i'm setting my alarm clock for 8am to call her at midnight her time. hah - that's only 6 hours away ...

i'm going to try to get some sleep.

and, my hubby comes home today at noon.

saturday is going to be a much, much better day.

peace out.

sad day

i hate that i haven't blogged all the many wonderful experiences i've been having in london. but i guess i was too busy having too much fun to take the time to sit down and recap them.

until now.

today was not a good day. and i need to work through it to feel better.

i still have jet lag from my recent trip to the states for two friend's weddings. i'm feeling a little under the weather. my husband is still in the states. and i was simply feeling a bit lonely as i rolled out of the wrong side of the bed this morning.

then, i got the phone call from the states. my beloved kitty died last night. my mom was taking care of her for me in arizona. oreo was having a grand time exploring a new home. and my mom was actually learning to love her (this from a woman who could hardly stand to see a cat, much less be in the same room). oreo was the closest thing my mom has to a grandchild, and she took her in with open arms, litterbox and all. apparently oreo went to sleep and never woke up. no clue. it's just so sad to be so far away. and i felt especially sad for my dear mom who had to deal with the guilt of telling me. but, i had a good cry, looked at some old photos and said goodbye to my dear sweet "orey porey". she was a great cat. really.

oh, but it gets better -- i mean, worse.

to cheer myself up, my friend roxi and i decide to go to a pub in notting hill -- meeting up with a lot of her great friends. like all the other girls, i put my purse down in a corner, covered it with my jacket and started to mingle. all of a sudden, i had a bad feeling and decided to check my purse. it was gone. gone.

thankfully -- a big, big thankfully -- i had my wallet in my jean pocket.

the bastards took my old ratty purse, cell phone (kind of sucks), digital camera (really sucks), my favorite lipstick, umbrella and my favorite scarf from my husband. they probably got some old gum and dirty kleenex. hah! but, they didn't get my wallet. they did get the keys to my flat -- i'm praying they don't find my address. and, i'm changing the locks ASAP.

man, it just sucks. but, i was stupid and left it for them.

please send me your cell phone numbers as i've lost them all.

i'm so glad that today is over.

night night.

hiya

it's official. i've got my own a blog spot.

man, i've missed capturing so many precious moments in london.

but, better late than never.

______________________________________________________

dinner: chicken fajitas -- you can take the girl out of texas, but you can't take the texas out of the girl

sudoku completed: 4 (atleast)

gym class: body combat

highlight: met a new friend at gym -- gina from new york

weather: sunny & bright