Lottie's 5th Birthday Party

A couple of weeks ago, we celebrated my big 5 year old!!  We threw her a party at Conkers.  Conkers is a wonderful place to visit with kids.  I can't wait to go back this summer to try out all of their outdoor activities, ropes courses, etc.  It is in the heart of the National Forest. 

Conkers has an indoor soft play / jungle gym area where Lottie's party took place.  She had the entire place to herself to play with all of her mates from school.  You have no idea how wonderful it is to see her making so many new friends and adapting so incredibly well to her surroundings.  She has truly exceeded my expectations in her ability to adapt in school, home life, socially, etc. since moving to England.  I am so PROUD of the little lady she is becoming.  She is such a special little girl! 

Here are a few photos of Lottie and her mates celebrating her 5th birthday!

Lottie & Evie (her BFF)

(Girls are so sweet!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Lottie, Evie & Lily (she is my neighbor's daughter and a trip, so funny)

Matthew and Stella

Stella was under the weather that day (we almost had to leave her with my in laws b/c she was ill, but I felt bad thinking about her missing her sister's party) She basically said that she wanted to go home the entire time we were there.  Poor babe!

 



 

My big girl!!!  She's so beautiful!!

Vickie, Owen, Me, Stella

Please look at Stella "twirling" her hair!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

The kids had a spread of sandwiches, chicken nuggets, sausage rolls, veggies, breadsticks and cake

Here is a little fun fact for you.........................

In the states, the kids are served cake and is eaten right after the birthday girl or boy blows out the candles.  In England, the kids don't eat cake right after the candles are blown.  Each child gets a piece wrapped up in a napkin and put in their party bag to take home.  I suppose the reason for that is because they all get sweets and little cakes served with their sandwiches, etc.



The kids also do not open any presents at the party.  I suppose it would take too much time away from the actual party itself, so it's done when you get home. 

 

Lottie received lots of nice gifts from her friends.  We are very lucky that we are surrounded by so many wonderful friends in England, both old and new.

 

A big thank you to those that came out and celebrated our big girl! 

 

xxxxxx

Lottie Turns 5!!!!!!!!!!

For Lottie's 5th birthday, we took her to Birmingham, England for a day of shopping, food and getting her ears pierced.  :)

Getting her ears pierced is something that she has never shown any interest in doing.  To be fair, I don't think she would have gotten them done anytime soon had it not been for me telling her that I got mine pierced when I turned five. 

That was all it took.  From then on, all she wanted to do was get them pierced.  She was so brave.  She cried for just a couple of minutes, but soon after she was back to her bubbly, lively self.  

Here is a quick video and a few photos of the day she turned 5!

 

Lunch at Handmade Burger Company

 

Wouldn't be complete without a cone (the ice cream in England is probably the best I have ever tasted in my life!)

 

Both kids fell fast asleep as soon as we got in the car to go home.

 

I still can't wrap my head around the fact that my little Lottie is 5.  She is truly a gift from God.  She is smart, funny, kind, sweet and has a heart of gold.  She is such a great kid.  I am so proud to be her "mum". 

 

 

Stella's First Haircut

About a month ago, I took Stella to get her very first haircut.  I really wanted to wait until she was 3 before I cut it, but I just couldn't take it anymore.  Plus, Stella has developed this terrible bad habit that I call "twirling".  She literally sits all day long twirling the hair on the right side of her head.  She twirls it around and around and around to the point it gets knotted and I have to literally pull her finger out of the twirl.  All day long, I scream, "STOP TWIRLING".  It has gotten to the point to where her hair is breaking off on the right side and falling out.  When I pull her hair back into a ponytail, you can definitely tell where her hair has come out on the right side.  It drives me CRAZY!!! 

Moving on.......... Stella's hair was very uneven.  It was really quite long in the back, but short around the front part of her head.  I thought that with a good trim, it would even her hair out all around.  In fact, it really thickened up her baby hair. 

Lottie got hers trimmed first to show Stella just how easy it was.  She did so great.  She giggled the entire time.  She was super cute. 

Here is a look back at Stella's first haircut. 

Pancake DAY 2016

Our little family celebrated Pancake Day last Tuesday (Fat Tuesday) by making really FAT American pancakes and a broccoli, ham and egg quiche.  Lottie made pancakes the day before at school and was really excited to show me exactly how to make them.  The girls love getting their hands dirty in the kitchen. 

I haven't had pancakes in months!!!!  OMG - they were so delicious! I literally died and went to pancake heaven.  You don't want to know how many times I have thought about those pancakes since we ate them.  I used a recipe I found on All Recipes.  It had something like 8,000 reviews.  I'd kill for one of those pancakes right now! 

Yep, that is sugar free gum in her mouth.  Her appetite is soooooooooooooooooooooo big right now that she has been eating everything in site, especially when she gets out of school.  I've had to start giving her a piece to tie her over until dinner every night.  Otherwise, she would eat from the time she got home from school until the time she ate dinner.  

Did anyone else make pancakes?  Everyone does it here!  I had never done it before on actual Fat Tuesday / Pancake Day.  So glad we did though - it was fun getting in the kitchen with the kiddos!  

Chicken Cabbage Stir Fry

Here is another FAB low carb dish I have made a few times this month.  I found it randomly on Facebook and decided to give it a go since once again I had most ingredients in my pantry. 

- 3 chicken breast halves
- 2 tsp. oil of your liking (I use Sunflower Oil)
- 3 cups of green cabbage, shredded (I usually use 2 bags of green cabbage/leek mixture -so good and cheap.  It also means I don't have to shred the cabbage myself)
- 1 small red pepper, diced
- 1 tbsp. of cornstarch ( I use flour b/c I have a hard time finding corn starch here in England)
- 1/2 tsp. of ground ginger
- 1 tsp. of garlic powder
- 1/2 cup of water
- Soy sauce to taste

1. Dice chicken breasts into strips.
2. Heat 1 tsp. oil in frying pan.
3.  Add chicken strips and stir constantly until done.  Drain.
4. Heat 1 tsp. oil in frying pan.
5.  Add cabbage and red pepper, saute for 2 to 3 minutes until cabbage is crisp tender.
6.  In a small bowl, mix cornstarch, ginger, garlic and water until smooth.
7.  Add chicken back to cabbage mixture.
8.  Pour sauce into chicken / cabbage mixture. 
9.  Cook until sauce has thickened and everything is coated. 
10.  I usually add in a few tbsp. of soy sauce before plating it. 

Enjoy - it really is so good and so easy.  If you fancy adding a carb to it, you can add some cooked spaghetti noodles to make it more of a lo mein type dish.  I've done that before too and it is delicious! 

Again, sorry no photos!!!  It gets devoured as soon as it hits the plate.  :)

Interview With a 5 Year Old - Lottie

1.  What is your favorite color?

Pink

2.  What is your favorite toy?

 Her train set she got for Christmas

3.  What is your favorite fruit?

Strawberries

4.  What is your favorite tv show?

Marsha & The Bear

5.  What is your favorite movie?

Cinderella (2015 edition)

6.  What is your favorite thing to wear?

Dresses

7.  What is your favorite animal?

Cows (because she loves milk)

8.  What is your favorite song?

Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer

9.  What is your favorite book?
Leap Scrubs Up (she loves reading this book to Stella & I)

10.  Who is your best friend?

Evie

11.  What is your favorite snack?

 Apples, Grapes, Crisps

12.  What is your favorite drink?

Water, Milk, Blackcurrant squash

13.  What is your favorite breakfast?

Cheerios

14.  What is your favorite lunch?

Ham sandwich

15.  What is your favorite dinner?

Buttered Noodles, Gammon, White Fish

16.  What is your favorite game?

 Leap Pad - Rapunzel, Guess Who, Operation

17.  What is your favorite thing to play outside?

Swimming, hopscotch

18.  What is your favorite holiday?

Christmas

19.  What do you sleep with at night?

A giant monkey

20.  What do you want to be when you grow up?

 A Teacher

21.  Where is your favorite place to visit?

Evie's house

22.  What do you love best about mommy?

 She lets me use her toilet (LOL), she cooks me fish, she lets me watch tv, she lets me wear her lipstick

23.  What do you love best about daddy?

He lets me have chocolate, he takes me to football, he takes me to McDonalds, he likes my hugs

24.  What do you love best about Stella?

I love playing with her especially pretend games like "moms and dads"

25.  What is your favorite sporting event?

Hockey


In 3 short days, my first born turns 5 years old.  Where does the time go?  We are celebrating her birthday on Sunday at Conkers.  She is so excited to hang with her new friends here in England.  I couldn't have asked for a better kid.  She is truly the sweetest thing and I'm so proud to be her mom.  :)

Here is a look back at the interview we did last year - Interview With a 4 Year Old

These little interviews are so much fun!  She sits with her serious thinking cap on to answer.  

Entry Way Project - Our English Home

It is so hard to believe we have been in our new home for 3 months now.  It feels like we are finally settling in.  I truly love it and can't wait to get cracking on all of the DIY projects I've had my heart set on for the last couple of months.  First on the list (especially during these winter months) was to create an entry way / organized space for our coats, rain boots, bookbags, etc.

I have been busy pinning away on Pinterest to come up with different ideas I wanted for the space.  A big thanks to Steve and his DIY skills for turning it into exactly what I wanted! 

He literally built and painted everything by hand.  I couldn't be more proud of him and feel very lucky to have a man in my life who knows how to put those hands to good use! My dad would be proud!

Steve also painted our half bath downstairs that is right next to the new entryway space. 

While it isn't completely finished (still need to get a new pendant light to hang and new bathroom fixtures), it is nearly there and I love it! 

Here is a look at the before pictures.

 

Our downstairs half bath

 

In the before pictures, the wall color was this sea foam / greenish color.  Although Steve already removed the hooks from the wall, the only thing to hang our coats on was a strip of 4 hooks.  Not nearly enough for our needs.  We also didn't have any storage place for our shoes.  We live next to a lake and when we take the kids for a walk, our wellies get really muddy, so it was important to have a place to store them without tracking mud through the house. 

 

AFTER:

 

I finally found a home for this print Steve and I bought while on a trip to Paris in 2005.  We visited a market along the Seine and picked up several prints that we never got around to framing and hanging up.  I love reflecting upon that time.  It was truly a memorable trip and I can't wait to visit again.

 

I chose Dulux Chic Shadow for the paint color

This is one of my favorite prints now hanging in our house.  Funnily enough, I purchased this watercolor Charlotte skyline print from Coventry, England.  It is now the first thing I see when I walk in the door.

 

Steve's DIY masterpiece!

 

I'd also still like to get a neutral basket to put gloves, scarves, hats, etc. in.

This little space has made our entire downstairs so much more tidier.  More to come soon!  :)