the Mama-bird Bakery

When Brooke was here at Thanksgiving, she fell in love with the Hummingbird Bakery's Red Velvet Cupcakes. I mean, we all kind of did. I think mainly it had to do with the cream cheese icing.

But if you step back from the cute box and the amazing icing, the cake part itself I thought was a little lacking. {gasp!} Blasphemy, I know. Maybe it was because we got them on a busy day and quality was down in lieu of quantity. However, it was nonetheless a little dry.

When Brooke came back in February, in honor of her birthday (21) that she had just celebrated, I decided I would try my hand at Red Velvet cupcakes. First of all, who knew that there was cocoa in them? I knew the red was from food coloring, but I really thought it was like a yellow cake mix with red food coloring. So using, Paula Deen's recipe for Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing, I made roughly 30 cupcakes. (If you use this recipe, half it, unless you are making them for a big crowd or you want to gain 20 pounds by eating cupcakes for weeks.) I was able to give some to our neighbor, and the rest, well...20 pounds.

I made so much icing (I over mixed/beat it I think which made it too runny and had to add powdered (or as they call it here, icing) sugar to thicken it up) that I had tons left over. Of course, not wanting it to go to waste, I decided to make carrot cake for Wil.

carrot cake cupcake with cream cheese icing

I've never made a carrot cake, nor really ever been a fan of it. Carrot and cake do not go together in my chocolate-brain self. However, I'm sold. I ended up doing cupcakes...I'm in a cupcake phase, I decided. And they have turned out really well. I used Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa)'s recipe. I was surprised to see it call for 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt (and I may be wrong about this, but is a bit stronger than table salt, I guess because the crystals are larger? And maybe salt is normal in baking, I can't remember, but I don't think it usually calls for Kosher) which seemed like a lot for a cake. But I think that kind of makes it. Maybe I'm over-tasting, but it seems to really seal the deal for me. Oh, I also used pecans instead of walnuts since that's what I already had.

this is waiting for wil!

My next project I'd love to do is to bake Dewey's Pink Lemonade Cake...into cupcakes, duh. Anyone have their actual recipe? I know there are other pink lemonade cake recipes, but if you've tasted Dewey's you know why I want it. On second thought, I think I may need to wait a couple weeks before I bake again if I want to fit in my clothes.

(oh, and I'm not a great chef or a great photographer, and I realize there are much better people at that out there in blog world than me, so excuse the not so pretty pictures)

at the Tower

Who knew that a sunny day and slightly warmer temperatures would start to bring out the tourists at the Tower of London?

with Tower Bridge in the background

note that the sunglasses were out. as Wil's co-worker and friend, Grant, says, there are only 30 days out of the year you get to wear your shades (or in his case, drive his convertible with the top down), so you must take advantage.

Wiley and me

We visited the Aquarium in London yesterday. During Half-term. Which is kind of crazy. But we went with a friend from school and his nanny, so it was fun to be with someone else! They had some sweet sharks, but I have to say, the Georgia Aquarium might be better. Sorry London. But if I had to compare. And if you were coming here with a child, and you can got to Georgia Aquarium too, I might say you should skip this, save your money and go back to Atlanta's. London's was very guided, there is only one way to process through the aquarium, and it is pretty narrow compared to GA. This is probably due to space constraints, after all, we are in a huge city. Not a lot of space to build a brand new aquarium...Nonetheless, since we live here, it was something different and a great activity. It was also a beautiful day, and it is always fun to see the landmarks of London. It is such a neat reminder of how cool of a place we are living in.

Wiley and Bruce the Shark

On Golden Jubilee Bridge with St. Paul's and The City behind us.

With Parliament behind us.

Visitors!

Brooke and her friend Cameron were in town this week before they headed to Verona, Italy to begin their study-abroad adventure. Once they got to London, we immediately headed to the Victoria and Albert Museum (that I've been wanting to go to since October). It was great. The fashion exhibit was so much fun. And I even go to see Ali Carroll there! I thought there would be more home design stuff there (famous wallpaper prints, furniture, etc.) but I couldn't figure out where they might be. Maybe I was in the wrong museum. Here are some highlights from their trip. (Not including when Brooke got sick.)

Probably the most amazing item on display at the V&A.

This bustle was for Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. It had a music box in it that played God Save the Queen. Every.Time.The.Wearer.Sat.Down.

Obviously, I don't need a bustle for my back end, it comes naturally. However, a music box might be pretty amazing. What would I have it play though? Sweet Home Alabama?

Spotted in "Leisure Wear" at the V&A. No, your eyes don't deceive you. It's a Juicy Couture Tracksuit. Sure, they look comfy. Sure, I might think of NJ when I see one. Sure, I kind of want one just to travel home in. ( Just the pants) But, V&A worthy? I'm not so sure.

Choose Juicy...for a spot in the V&A fashion exhibit?

The Theatre and Performance area provided plenty of entertainment...including dress up!

Elton John's bicycle-inspired costume. Did you notice the reflectors down the side of his legs? What about the shoes? Wow.

Mick Jagger's Onesie with lace-up detail that goes much too low. Thank goodness this is locked up in a museum, thus keeping him from wearing it again!

I don't know what this is. But it's a chicken from some theatre production.

The next day, we took it easy around our little neighborhood. The girls had a great time playing on the playground, as did Wiley.

Crossing Abbey Road: Fail. Try again later.

(Did you hear that Abbey Road Studios is up for sale? For a cool 10M GBP.)

And if you made it this far, I have a hypothetical question for you: If you had a bustle with a music box, what would you have it play every time you sat down? Ignore the fact that this would be really awkward to wear in real life, and really disrupting, socially, and you would probably lose all friends and respect if you tucked a music box in your bustle. Or wore a bustle in general. Would you start a dance party by playing Beyonce, Usher or Akon when you sat down? Perhaps a little patriotic Star Spangled Banner? Speak up!

Just some manners for y'all

The other week, Rachel and I went to Kensington Palace where you can see some of Princess Diana's dresses. I thought that exhibit would be a little more substantial, but perhaps some of them were on loan...It still was pretty amazing to see her fashion, although it was a bit "80's" with velvet and bows. I didn't realize how tall she was. It told you where she wore each dress as well, which was really neat in imagining what the event was like.

Some of Princess Diana's dresses

They also had another exhibit called The Last Debutantes. It was amazing. I think that Rachel and I really appreciated it more than any other visitor there. We sat down at the beginning on this cute pink sofa and listened to videos of women who were in the last deb season (1958). It was interesting to hear some of them talk negatively about how it was out-dated and others talk about the fun and friendships made. One aspect that was especially interesting was that there were only 3-4 debs that were in university, and they were kind of like a different breed to the other debs. One of the university debs pointed out as well that very few people went to university at all, so to be a woman and go then was rare. The women also had to go through finishing school classes that basically taught them how to be a homemaker. I'm not going to lie, some of those classes would really come in handy.

So through the interviews, the dresses, the make-up and dressing routine, I would say we were pretty happy. I kept thinking how foreign this exhibit must be to so many people and wondered how crazy they thought it all was. These debs actually got to meet the Queen. It was way intense.

This shows all the invitations of one of the debutantes for the season. This is not even half of them. It was crazy! That is a lot of RSVP-ing.

Deb dresses on display...

Here are a few etiquette tips for you...as if you really need them, you know being Southern and all...

Here we are practicing our curtsey. They had a video of a lady showing you how to do it above the mirror.

2 things

that make me really happy today...

(and it's even a "london day" with a little rain and lots of clouds.)

...eating lunch with Rachel today at Whole Foods. We roamed both floors of food like kids in a candy store before settling down at a table upstairs for lunch. The handwriting on the signs is even the same as at home! Whole Foods was really good not only for my tummy today, but also for my soul.

Whole Foods in Kensington

...grocery shopping today at the Waitrose. I normally do online shopping, but I haven't in a while for one reason or another. We haven't been cooking much lately because we've been sick, so I desperately needed some stuff to make Taziki's Friday Night Special and Chicken Divan for the weekend. I was dreading taking the bus with Wiley (and stroller) to the Waitrose up the road. But when we got in there and Wiley was all to happy to sit in the seat in the grocery cart (do you think he has missed this too?) my heart felt so happy.

Do you talk to your child(ren) when you grocery shop? Because I do. Face to face, cruising the grocery aisles, we just have some of the silliest, most relaxed conversations. He did have to stop me from singing a tune (I'm not exaggerating) twice. (Wiley does not appreciate my vocal talent.) It just felt like home for a bit there. I had a laugh in the liquor aisle about the price of kahlua with a stockman and had the nicest checkout man (did you know that in grocery stores, the checkout people sit down?). What is it about grocery shopping that is strangely soothing for me? I was even happy packing my goods into these cute bags below and cramming them into the stroller. The euphora even lasted on the crowded bus and walking home.

EnVbags (thank you Mom!)

I think you can get these at Please Reply in Crestline. They fold up and you can put them in the little bag, or just fold them up and carry them in your purse to the store.

So today, I am feeling so thankful for some wonderful time spent with Rachel this morning (We went to Kensington Palace...a post within itself...particularly when you get two Southern Belles in a Last of the Debutantes exhibit.) and then a really normal-feeling afternoon at the Waitrose.

I might even be feeling so euphoric that I won't get overwhelmed with the piles of folded laundry on the sofa, or the piles of towels waiting to be washed...after I fold the sheets in the dryer...and after I cook dinner...are you wondering what I'm on?

{all of this may or may not be related to the fact that I had my first cup of coffee in almost a week this afternoon. and is it bad that both things revolved around food?}

It makes me realize how un-thankful I am. It's so easy to find the bad, the wrong, the frustrating in life (and really, really easy to do so here), so I think I need to memorize this verse and repeat it over and over and over again. Maybe even tattoo it in an easily read spot (just kidding). Lord, write this on my heart:

"in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Henley on Thames

Last Friday, Wil surprised me with a trip to Henley on Thames for the night. His Dad was in town, so he was able to keep Wiley. (Thanks!) It was our first time to really be alone for an extended amount of time without Wiley since we left the States. I felt like I was forgetting something, well really, someone, for all of the train ride there!

He wouldn't tell me where we were going until we got to Paddington Station and got on our train. I definitely overpacked, but what can you do when you have no idea what you need to be prepared for! Henley on Thames was so picturesque and nice. I don't think it is as rural as the Cotswolds might be, but it definitely had a small village (they actually call small towns villages.) feel which was so refreshing. We had a delicious dinner at a Spanish tapas restaurant, and we stayed at the Red Lion Hotel with a view of the Thames. We saw crew teams practicing in the morning. I should have taken a picture, but I didn't do a good job of that on our getaway. The hotel has a lot of history and a lot of antiques.

Old leather chair. I think I could live with this one.

They must have known we were American...These walls reminded me of our flag. I walked in and thought it was a bit loud and bold. Then, I thought, I wonder if this will be cute maybe in a lake house. However, when I woke up in the middle of the night and saw the walls, I decided they made me dizzy. So, maybe don't do bold red stripes in view of your bed.

View of Henley on Thames, after having a Starbucks and chocolate croissant. This is before our massages!

It was so much fun just to walk around the shops there. I found a fabulous Mulberry purse and a Theory sweater, but alas, they weren't giving those away that day. I liked the quirky antiques shop that felt like we were walking in someone's grandparents' attic. We found a little print of Henley on Thames and its bridge at an art shop, and while the town may be very simple, it will be a reminder to me of how refreshing that trip was. And how thankful I am that I have such a thoughtful husband!

Travel Notes: Easy train ride from London; We should have checked our return train times because we missed one train by 10 minutes and had to wait another 45 for the next one; Henley on Thames is host to the Royal Regatta in July (for rowing), and I really hope to get down there and see it; it seems like it would be so lovely to walk along the river in the warmer months; did not feel touristy, seemed like it would be very family friendly as we saw tons of local families. We spent one night there and most of Saturday, and I think that was a perfect amount of time. Wonderful town!

Wiley's Favorite London Things

I asked Wiley what he liked about London. This is what he said.

1. The Queen's House

2. The Guards (He then proceeded to do an impression of them screaming to get in line.)

3. St. Paul's (He said he wants to feed the birds there.)

4. Big Ben

5. Peter Pan

4 month update

Today marks 4 months since we've moved to London! It is a bit hard to believe, and it does seem like it has gone fast, and that so much has happened and changed since moving here.

I hope this won't bore you, but I wanted to selfishly get down on paper, er blog world, where we are after 4 months. While right now it seems mundane, I think it will be neat to look back on what we were doing. And since lists are quite easy...here we go!

-Wiley has adjusted beautifully. Maybe it was the fact that he was back and forth between Wake and Birmingham from the start between holidays and summers, but he just hit the ground running...of course, once we got the time change sorted out.

-Speaking of the initial time change with Wiley (and children in general). It was awful. Having a child who you could always count on to sleep well suddenly waking up at 2 a.m. wide awake was totally unnerving, and led me to post Bible verses throughout the flat we were staying in as well as memorizing them. In particular: Psalm 26:3.

-Wiley goes to school 5 days a week, and while at first it seemed like a lot (especially since I'm not working), it has been amazing for both of us. I'm still trying to figure out what to be doing during that time, but I think I'm on the right path. The routine of school each day has been so good for Wiley. And when he loves the school and is playing with wonderful children and sweet teachers, you can't ask for more.

-Turns out, I still haven't been to the V&A and that was one of my first things I wanted to do upon moving here. Maybe I'll get to it in the next 4 months.

-Routine is so good for families. I want to be flexible, but the difference in our life at home in December (3 days/week then holiday) and in January was pretty remarkable. Maybe it is just something about a fresh new year, new calendar, new routine...I feel better when I know how my days will be happening, and looking back on the past few months, I am going to go out on a limb and say that this is the first time we've been in a routine since before graduation. (Love summer so much, but not the best time to get a routine down pat when one is able to go to the lake! :-) )

-I am really quite excited about the opportunity to travel here. I met a girl this weekend who was telling me that she and her husband had travelled to just about every place that she really wanted to visit. It was the primary purpose of their move to London--to travel--and now that they have literally checked off the majority of their list (she said they keep it on the fridge), they are going to be heading back home in the fall...that is after they do a final trip around the world. While all of that is not possible for a variety of reasons, namely traveling with a child, it is pretty inspiring how they have seen the world and taken advantage of their location. I'm going to work on our list now, of "must visits."

-On a related note: There is a reason the flights to Eastern Europe are cheap in January. It is bloody cold there.

-It is true that London weather is miserable. It really does rain a lot. This is not an exaggeration. And I can count on one and a half hands the number of full days of sunshine we've had since being here.

-We may speak the same language (sort of), but American and British cultures are very different.

-Celebrity sightings are fun! Especially when it's Taylor Swift!

-Efficient the Brits are not.

-Bubba is better at customer service/installations/repairs than James/Adair/other name that you cannot pronounce due to thick Scottish accent or out-sourced accent.

-Free museums are a genius idea...rather, brilliant!

-I heart grocery delivery.

-It is perfectly acceptable to ask a neighbor over for tea. What would you do if I asked you to come over for tea in the States? I am pretty sure you would either ask: are you 6? or Sweet tea?

-NHS: You get what you pay for.

-It's not entertaining to see a paycheck, and then how much the government took from it. See above.

-London can do a park. The playgrounds are so good, and not boring at all. Many have a zip line! Exercising in a huge park is also pretty freeing in a big city.

-Homesickness is not fun. I can say that I didn't have it at camp, college, etc. but London, yes.

-Guy Fawkes Day here (in November) is like our 4th of July with the fireworks. Serious fireworks happen on this night.

-I'm thankful for the Pilgrims.

-Finding a church right off the bat was such a blessing. In those first few weeks there were loads of unknowns (where to live? school?), but at least we could rely on having church each Sunday and a Women's Bible Study for me. Thank you All Souls.

-It really is a very secular country here. Quite different from the "Bible belt."

-Snail mail is wonderful, as are skype dates, gmail chat, and blogs, for keeping in touch across the pond.

-Wil has some really great co-workers. Hi Grant!

-The expat community here is so helpful...Turns out we are not the first family to move abroad! They understand that you don't know where to get your haircut, and they will help you! They understand that you don't know where to grocery shop, they'll show you! It's a neat little community...It makes you feel less alone when you find yourself thousands of miles from home.

-When you find yourself thousands of miles from home with only your husband to depend on (yes, the 3 year old is here, but I wouldn't say he is dependable...except to make us laugh and pull out our hair), that relationship will deepen and grow exponentially. Literally. Imagine that graph from Trig or Calculus or both, I don't really know which, where it starts out in the left hand corner then just multiplies so fast to the upper right hand corner. (Maddie, are you aghast at my math analogy?) Yeah, so that is how we have grown. We have so much fun together (right, Wil?), and it is just like we have bonded so much more since moving here. That is a lame way to put it. But the visual in my head is from the Bible verse, Ecclesiastes 4:12, "A cord of 3 strands is not easily broken." We have both had to rely on and trust God first and foremost, and then one another.

-The past four months have had their ups and their downs. Maybe more downs than ups. I've been told that it takes 2 years to adjust to a new place which is not so reassuring given our time frame, but I am hoping that 6 months will make us more comfortable here.

-So with the hard, I am so thankful for the good, namely what this move has done for my relationship with my God, my husband, and my little family. I feel as though we are laying a firm foundation for whatever is to come next in our journey.

For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness

Psalm 26:3