Thanksgiving (in pictures)

We watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!

We ate turkey!

We napped...rather Aunt B did, and Wiley pretended to until he jumped on Aunt B.

We discovered we have an elf...

...on a shelf. His name is Sam.

And most importantly, we had a great time with our family!

Thank y'all so much for coming "across the pond" for Thanksgiving! We had a great time, and miss you already! We love you!

Gobble, Gobble

happy thanksgiving to you!

i have a turkey breast in the fridge that i am not sure what i am supposed do to about.

i have a pecan pie that wiley stuck dirty pie crust (that he was playing with) in the center and i had to perform a pie graft after realizing his square was much darker and a stranger color than the rest of it.

i have cornbread crumbled and marinating with celery and onion for my grandmother's dressing.

i have 5 sweet potatoes staring at me with their eyes waiting to be boiled and combined with more sugary goodness than should be legal.

i have cans of french green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and french fried onions (imported, thank goodness!) ready to throw together.

i have a recipe for corn pudding that is so good, but i'm just not sure i'm going to get to it.

and i really want some pumpkin bread right now.

but i'm really thankful because i have a 2 sweet boys, one who is working diligently at a desk and one who is working diligently on his cereal and toddler tv. i also have a mom and a dad and a sister who will be in my kitchen very soon.

and who will know what to do with that turkey.

and can mix a casserole.

and peel potatoes.

and maybe even make some corn.

and pumpkin bread.

{that is...after we go to westminster abbey...we are in london, after all!}

what are you thankful for today?

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 118:1

We were those parents...

who had their small child out way past his bedtime...at a huge concert...that was really loud...singing along to...

Taylor Swift!

but let's back it up there before you go saying how children should be in bed and a 3 year old has no business being at a concert.

You see, they go way back. Well, not way back. Maybe just to Portobello Road on a Saturday afternoon.

After Brooke and I snapped a picture with her, Wil and Wiley came so I could get Wiley's picture with her. Wiley loves Taylor Swift. He just started singing her songs in the car this spring and summer, particularly "You Belong to Me." While you can't exactly tell what he is saying, you do hear the words "short skirts" and "t-shirts." (I am that mom who doesn't really have many kids CDs. We like to stick to our country songs, classic oldies, and maybe a little Usher.)

When Wiley came up to her, he said "Hi Taylor Swift. I love your songs."

I think they are discussing music, lyrics, how Wiley would never be like the mean guys she writes about in her songs...you know, the usual.

She asked if she could hold him and of course we said yes!

And while he was too shy to sing one to her...

he was not too shy to give her a kiss.

So. We have had our little 15 minutes of fame. The paparazzi were all around her and snapping pictures. Her bodyguard (wearing a UVA hat) thought Wiley was cute and was actually the one who got Taylor to turn around. After she walked away, a photographer who did not get a good shot I guess asked me if I would send him my pictures. I asked why, and he said "I'll get your kid in a magazine next week in America." "What?" "Yeah, People magazine. He'll be the most popular kid." "Um, I don't think we want him to be in People magazine, but thanks." (Confused look from photographer).

And as if it could not get any more exciting...

Her mom comes back to Wil. Yes. And says that Taylor would love for Wiley to be at the concert on Monday night. Did we have tickets? No. Did we have any plans? Um. Definitely not. How many people will be in Wiley's entourage? 6. So e-mails were given and phone numbers. And Wil continued to joke for the next day about how Taylor really just wanted to go on a date with him.

We hear back from the tour manager that they have 2 tickets, which we ask nicely if they could do 6. And they did. And boy did they come through!

We were sitting on the first row of the side seats, right by the stage. Wiley was able to wave to the guitarist in the band, wave to Taylor, dance in front of us, and lay down on the floor when he was getting tired at the end. The screaming pre-teen girls really left all of our ears ringing. Wil and I felt old when we had to ask who the opening act Justin Bieber was to some young Brits (Who is this? Who? Oh. Is he American?) who assured us that he was relatively new, making us feel a little better.

But that concert. Girl left it all on stage. She rocked that place. She literally gave it everything and I can only imagine that she probably just collapsed at the end of the show. I don't think I have seen that much Girl Power since the Spice Girls. And after seeing T.Swift, I think the Spice Girls version of Girl Power is totally watered down. Plus she doesn't run around in revealing outfits that the 11, 12, 13 year olds who love her would then try to emulate.

And talented? Oh, yes she is.

We had a mild breakdown at the end because Wiley was upset he didn't get to "say goodnight to Taylor Swift." I am pretty sure he thinks she is just another one of his friends, so why wouldn't he be able to give her another hug and say goodbye?

So there it is. We had a wonderful time. Wiley has gone to his first concert. I could go on and on about how great I think Taylor Swift is. But I'll stop here. Hopefully this all fills in the stories and pictures we have been sending yall the past few days!

{pictures from Zimbio and PacificCoastNews.com}

10 Things

i was tagged over at olemissmom for...

10 things that make me happy

1. my 2 boys

2. my family coming to town today! and then more family coming later!

3. manicure and pedicure (don't you feel so good after having your nails done?)

4. my friends back at home who will skype with me, send me funny updates, and send me heartfelt and caring snail mail and e-mails. oh man, i miss y'all!

5. america--everything about it. (ah-mer-i-cuh).

6. flowers

7. coffee (literally, i feel happier after having a grande coffee. is that bad?)

8. reading a book that i cannot put down (recently me and mr. darcy and always, always pat conroy.)

9. the lake (oh to be at the lake!)

10. warm, but crisp october days when the sky is that clear, bright october blue. and maybe with a football game on in the background.

i could go on, and on. but i think this will do!

now, i tag:

mary frances at almost home

liz at little interruptions

molly at lest we forget

ginna at chicken fried meets moose tracks

michal at [insert picture here]

Hi! Over here!

No, not there! HERE!

I am so excited to be a guest blogger at flower magazine! Check out my experience at the Columbia Road Flower Market here in London on their blog.

Columbia Road Flower Market

Thanks for having me, flower international HQ! I'm so honored to be a flower girl!

Oh, and while you are there...a subscription to flower is a mighty fine (or shall I say "proper" as they do here?) gift for your wife, girlfriend, mother, mother-in-law, grandma, neighbor, bride-to-be, friend, teacher, the list goes on. Because who doesn't love reading about (and looking at) beautiful flowers and flowery things in a perfectly approachable and perfectly fantastic magazine? And Christmas is just around the corner....

[cue British accent] I do hope you will hop on over there!

Would you like a complimentary shot?

Two nights ago, Wil and I were out on the town. He found cheap tickets for Billy Elliott (I wish I was a dancer.), and a "Mexican" restaurant around the corner.

Enter man dressed as "Mexican" with Mexican-style blanket, sombrero who seats us.

(this looks promising, albeit weird.)

Enter waitress wearing a yellow shirt with Corona written on it. Repeatedly. Like it was a normal shirt, but with Corona on it over and over again.

(margaritas ordered. queso dip is denied. "yes, we have cheese on these dishes." no. that is not what we are after. at all. unsure now on this place, but margaritas are on the way.)

Enter waitress wearing a yellow shirt with Corona written on it. Repeatedly. Like it was a normal shirt, but with Corona on it over and over again. She asks what we want to drink. I think I'm going crazy. Then I realize it is a different waitress. Just in the same shirt.

(note to self: I don't want to work here. ever. they make you wear these shirts and your boss is wearing a blanket as a poncho.)

Margaritas arrive. Yes. Along with 10 chips, quac, salsa, and sour cream.

(save umbrellas in margaritas because Wiley will love them. they are still in my coat pocket.)

Order Chimichanga and Enchilada.

(can't mess up a chimichanga right? plus, i've never had one, so my expectations will be quite low. actually non-existent. enchilada is a gamble. wil is brave.)

Food arrives.

(mine is good. wil's is so-so. hey, at least we tried. i did like that they used a roast-type of beef for both, very English of them. Read:un-Mexican).

Check arrives.

Waitress #1 says, "Would you like a complimentary shot of tequila?"

(we exchange glances. if you know me, you know i kind-of-sort-of-very-much-so like tequila. and i love free stuff even more. well, sure. thanks!)

Shots arrive.

(we exchange glances again. is this for real? i think, this must be rot-gut. good thing it is only one. we like our hands, salt them, grab our lime, grab our tequila and toast to 4 years of marriage. we are classy like that.)

Ah. Tequila.

(neighboring table turns down free tequila shot. we are puzzled. who does that? should we ask them to take it and then give it to us? joking, joking.)

And on to Billy Elliott. Alcohol units for each: 2 (one margarita and one free tequila shot)

Pseudo Mexican restaurant: You were no La Carretta, Villa Fiesta, Zona Rosa, or that good one I had in Texas, Chuy's. But you did give me a free shot. Maybe to make up for the fact that you knew I was dreaming of the La Carretta patio and margarita pitchers shared with best friends (hubby included).

But. I did see Billy Elliott (amazing). And you can't do that after eating at La Carretta, Villa Fiesta, Zona Rosa, or even Chuy's. So there.

When in Rome...

er, or London. Lock up your "pram" or "buggy" with a lock whilst you go into story time at the local library. Don't have a lock? Don't worry, the library provides them for you.

Pictured here is the Maclaren Volo umbrella stroller, previously known as the lightest and best stroller to lug your 3 1/2 year old around in, on and off buses and the tube, but more recently known as the "I will amputate your child's finger if you don't watch out stroller." After being notified of the recall in the States, and trying to order the parts...I think it is a plastic cover perhaps that goes over the part that does the amputations...to be sent here, I had to call Maclaren UK.

Since they are made here, or at least based here, I figured it would be easy to get the repair part. However, all I got was a speech from an impatient Brit about how the parent or carer should not let children fold up the stroller themselves or stick their digits into folding pieces.

Bottom line, if you are an American, we will send you this part because you obviously are not smart enough to keep wiggling fingers away from hinges and the like. If you are English, however, we will not provide this part because we believe our fellow countrymen to be above the dense Americans who allow fingers to be clipped in strollers. In fact, 7 American children have 1/2 less digit on a hand, compared to the one child in England who has 9.5 fingers.* I'm not sure what this says about us back home.

Moral of the story: I guess I will have the part shipped home, then brought over here, and hopefully I will remember to put it on. (Just keeping it real.) Until then, I will continue to fold the buggy up myself, keeping small digits and my larger digits away from the hinges. I think we should be okay. And I'm pretty sure that the Brits think us to be a bit silly in all of this as I have already read an editorial regarding the recall in a newspaper. Oh, and I will knock on some wood for good effect because I'm worried now I've jinxed my fingers.

*Statistic given by previously mentioned impatient Maclaren representative.