Tea Parties are Fun!

Amy opted for a party this year instead of getting spending money for her birthday.  I was so happy that she wanted a tea party!  I love going to a beautiful tea service with friends!

 I got so caught up serving and preparing the food that I forgot to take pictures, but they started with  cucumber sandwiches and prosciutto rolls.  Second course was scones with cream and jam and custard tarts.  For dessert there were chocolate strawberries, lemon cookies, strawberry cupcakes and cupcake chocolates with berry herbal tea.  Amy said the food was her favorite part!  Yay! 

 After tea we took pictures with some props...

 played musical chairs...

 and the telephone game.  What is a tea party without some gossip?  They also tried to throw tea bags into the top of the tea pot and played a game like Pictionary by making pictures in tea leaves for their team to guess.

 Happy 11th Birthday, Amy!  

One Christmas Photo is Better Than None!

We did have a nice Christmas this year and I did decorate the house.  We even had a normal sized tree that I found at the second hand store for $15.  I just didn't take a lot of pictures.  Oops.  And I didn't build a gingerbread house from scratch, but the girls put together one from target!  

Thanksgiving Rocks!

There's no pressure to give the perfect present or the stress of Christmas shopping.  You just get to relax, eat, and be grateful for what you have.

Grandma and Amy

 Khanya and Elli

 Adam 

We had a marble game tournament, so Brandy, Elise, and I brought our marble boards.  We split into teams.  Your place at the table had a figure that matched someone else's.  

 Nell and Brandy were the turkeys.  Brandy just had surgery the day before and wasn't feeling 100%.

 Gregory and Khanya were the corn.  (It took a million tries to get a photo of Gregory with his eyes open!  He looks asleep in ALL the others!)

 Chelsea and Elli were pies.

Amy and Elise were pumpkins.  

Grandma and Adam were pilgrim hats I think and 

Joel and Steve were a team but I can't remember what they were.

I think Brandy and Nell won.  People kind of pooped out towards the end.  Lots of slow movers (kids) make the games take a long time.

Next year will be here before you know it!

There Are No Small Renovations

It wasn't until after we moved in that I noticed a pee smell in the carpet by the piano.  I was the only one who could smell it, but it was surely there!  This awful smell eventually led to new flooring.  We decided the best time to do it was over Christmas break when the kids would be with their dad.  We tore up the carpet and old laminate one day and then had new laminate and dura-ceramic tile put down over the next few days.  I thought it would be quite simple; move some furniture, floors out, floors in, and move it back.  Not so!  There were layers under layers and hundreds of staples to remove, baseboards to paint, dust everywhere!  It was almost like moving again.  But the results were worth it!  Almost like moving into a new home!  I love it!

Here are some photos to compare from before we even bought the house, to now.  

Joel put up bead board to cover that burgundy paint.  

Notice that crazy crooked line of carpet and laminate; GONE!

Little changes here and there add up to one great big difference!

BEFORE

AFTER

                                     

BEFORE

AFTER

My favorite is the kitchen.  I love the butcher block, the pot rack, and the floor!
We also replaced the black dishwasher with white a while ago after it was leaking.

AFTER

Belgium is the Perfect Getaway!

 And my sister, Elise, is the perfect travel companion!

 I was supposed to be taking classes this summer, but when plans changed, I was able to accompany Elise on her trip to Belgium, thanks to my mother's help.

 I saw  beautiful architecture and art work, walked thru great parks, and tasted the sweetest treats.

 I got to escape the pressures of home and meander down cobblestone streets without a worry in my head.

 I saw world famous places at the peak of the the World Cup! (That's the Manneken Pis sporting a Belgium uniform, in Brussels) 

Most memorable though, was getting to travel and see it all with a seasoned traveler who let me tag along and soak up the romance of this great country.  Thanks Elise!  Some highlights follow.

Belgium is Delicious!

We usually grabbed some fruit for a late breakfast and then saved our appetite for a hearty dinner.  There was a variety of cuisine, from Italian to Greek, but we tried to savor the home flavors of Belgium as much as we could.  

 This was Chez Leon, which was recommended by our travel brochure.  Good luck finding them on the crazy, twisted roads!  Elise ordered the traditional Waterzooi soup.  Yum!

 We found this restaurant in Ghent, hidden, meaty and famous for the best ribs.  The sauce on the baked potato was lovely.  I ordered shrimp and was served the WHOLE shrimp.  Hello, little fella!  I somehow ordered a whole fish (head, skin, and bones included),  smoked salmon (that I thought was raw at first, but now have an affinity for), and rabbit with organs included ( I think I ate a lung).  We did pretty well considering the menus we had to translate.

 This was Elise's birthday.  The waiter took about 2 hours to serve us that day.  No one was in a hurry.  The fries are served everywhere.  People eat them dipped in mayo.  Lots of creamy mayo.

 Some days, we stopped for an afternoon appetizer after all the walking we did.  Soup was perfect!

 My favorite was to sample the treats along the way.  The little shops were plentiful and fabulous!  Here we found a macaron shop.  They were fresh, delicate, and unforgettable!  Another great quick bite was the gyro from the Greek street off Le Grand Plaza in Brussels!

 Here's the famous Belgium waffle!  Topped with strawberries, bananas, and whipped cream.  Of course we had to come home with traditional recipe books.  So far I've made the waffles and waterzooi, and I know Elise has made the rabbit.

This was a multi course fare from a middle eastern restaurant.  Fabulicious!  I ate more treats and more food than I had in years!  Good thing we walked as much as we did.  Too tempting to resist.  After dinner, we would trade the goodies we had bought throughout the day.  We picked our favorites, then went back on the last day to purchase more of them for gifts.  It took me a couple of weeks to get out of the habit of indulging like that after we got home.  Too many pictures of sweets to put up.  Or maybe I'm too embarrassed to show how much we ate!

Even the Doors are Exquisite!

 Everywhere we went we saw the most unique doors that were begging to be photographed!

 Some were entrances to museums.

 Some were doors to cathedrals.

But some were just on the side of buildings we passed by.