Holiday part 1: Traipsing around London.

For the first few days of my holiday from work, my in-laws decided to visit London. There's not much they haven't done, so I had to do a bit of digging to decide what to do with them.

We walked.

And walked.

And walked.

We took the hour-long train ride out to Windsor Castle.

This flag means the queen was in!

It was really hard to capture the grandeur of the castle with a camera. Maybe with a different lens.

We finished the trip with a visit to my favorite restaurant. Nestled in a nook in The City, this tiny bistro is hidden from view and easy to pass by. But the food is just amazing. Even Andrew's picky parent's loved it.

Next stop: Amsterdam.

Whew.

I'm back after a very long vacation. I had two weeks off from work for the end of term and spent most of it showing the in-laws around London, sightseeing in Amsterdam, or traveling around the Scottish highlands. I took a ton of pictures that I can't wait to post, but for now I'm up to my ears in laundry and other cleaning/organizing tasks around the house. You'd be surprised how much two weeks of laundry for just two people builds up!

Spring and New Beginnings.

I spent this week spring cleaning our flat. In fact, I'm still not finished, but hoping to be done by tomorrow. Don't get me wrong - on Monday and Tuesday I was full of energy and motivation, but by Wednesday I had to blast some music and force myself to do it.

The best part about spring cleaning is they way your space feels after you've finished. After you've dusted, swept, uncluttered, wiped, and dusted some more. It makes me feel light and unburdened. It feels a little like a new beginning, like spring for your home. Everything is the same, but somehow just... better.

I was feeling all proud of my domestic pursuits this week. Then I got a text from my husband around lunch time today:

"there's a needle in my trousers"

In my frenzy of cleaning and organizing, I decided I needed to finally sew up a hole that had formed in Andrew's suit pant leg. When I got his text message, I realized that I left the needle, with the thread still attached, on his trousers. On the inner thigh seam. Oops! I've been laughing about this all day.

Guess I'm not as domestic as I thought. But that's alright.

Daffodils

Sorry to keep posting pictures of daffodils.

But they seem to be everywhere in England this time of the year. It's my first spring in London and I was surprised at how many there are. You'll find them along the roads, in parks, in gardens, and sometimes you'll find a little random daffodil by a tree or along the sidewalk.

Plus, they're super cheap at the grocery store right now.

And taking pictures of them makes me happy. Especially on a gloomy, rainy day.

Hope you enjoy your Tuesday, everyone.

Weekly Gratitude

It's Friday night, just got home from a party, and I have the house to myself. The perfect time to write a gratitude post...

Thank you, Dad, for always being there. Even though you are so busy with other things at home, you helped me find a tax accountant to do my super-confusing ex-pat tax return.

Thank you, immune system. I've only been sick once this year (knock on wood), and that's pretty good considering I am in a new country and in a new school.

Thank you, Friday night work party. I actually had a chance to connect and relate with some of my co-workers, something I had worried I'd never get to do.

Thank you, Sunday yoga class. I look forward to you all week.

Thank you, husband. Sure, you haven't taken the trash out all week ;) but you make me coffee every morning and make me laugh all the time and seeing you is always the best part of my day.

Thank you MAC fluid-line eyeliner. You are the only eyeliner that will stay on for more than a couple of hours. So glad I found you. Sometimes it's just the little things, right?

"Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Recipe: Salt-kissed Peanut Butter Cookies

I can't stop eating....

...these vegan salt-kissed peanut butter chocolate chip cookies from Oh She Glows. Instead of posting (and possibly messing up) the recipe here, I thought I'd let you head over and see the original recipe. I just used whole wheat four, which is what I had on hand, in place of spelt flour. I definitely ate every one of the cookies in the photo after I took it.

If you don't mind a vegan cookie, I would definitely recommend trying these out!

Snapshots from a Weekend

fresh flowers

a walk in the park

and Cleopatra, in honor of Ms. Taylor of course

not pictured: an awesome dinner party, lots of laundry, and homemade miso soup.