Things we miss...

John just got home from a week in the States and brought back a bag (literally - a duffle bag) full of loot.  These are some of the random little things that we miss!

- Dawn Dishwashing Liquid (so that I can concoct my favorite homemade stain remover)
- Reduced Fat Skippy (Lane has rejected all of the other peanut butters we've tried!)
- Catalina Dressing (to make Taco Salad & Cranberry Chicken)
- Stove Top Stuffing (for one of John's favorite chicken recipes)
- Jiffy cornbread mix (for Chili Pie)
- Wheat Thins (there is NOTHING like them here)
- TJ's peanut butter pretzels & turkey jerkey!

Seaside Day

Last week was Seaside Day at Ryan's School.  It was really a fantastic all-day presentation for the Year 1 classes where they "went to the seaside" from the comfort of the school auditorium.  These were Ryan's souvenirs...

Carter's Steam Fair

Today, the carnival came to Maidenhead!  It's an old-fashioned steam-carnival.  (Before you get too caught up in how sweet and kitchy and cool that sounds... make sure you take note of the "old" part.  I thought I might lose my life - or at least a few vertabrae - when I went on the bumper cars.  But I digress...)

 Lane had a playdate this afternoon, so Ryan and I went to check out the carnival.   We had a great time and look forward to when the Carter's Steam Fair comes to Holyport in September!

Girls Overnight

Every Spring, Lanie and I go for an overnight away by ourselves.... it's special mommy/daughter time and a tradition that I hope will last, well, for a lifetime.  This year, we made a trip into London and went to see Wicked.  She loved it!  We stayed near the Tower of London and visited there today.  The Beefeater's tour was a bit too much information, so we wandered off by ourselves for the self-guided family tour.  I think that the highlight for both of us was going to see the crown jewels, where they had a video loop of Elizabeth II's coronation for viewing before going to see the actual crown - very cool since we are celebrating the Queen's Diamond Jubilee (commemorating her 60 years of reign) in June.

Off to London!

Wicked

We could see the Tower of London from our hotel.

Jack the Ripper

Beefeater

Ending with ice cream - it didn't matter how chilly it was!