Ooops I Forgot ~

In all my excitement about my fabulous gift yesterday I forgot to include a photo of the gift Maggie selected for me plus the gift she selected for herself :-) Can you guess which is mine and what is hers?

I think the Bambi snowglobe is a perfect addition to my Bambi collection.

Maggie's new bathing suit is adorable...the little skirt is not attached and is basically a little cover up for on the way to the beach/pool.

She can't wait until our trip to Florida to wear it.

How Cool Is This!!

I received this today from Tim and isn't it cool?? I just LOVE it...did I tell you I LOVE it?? It is a weather vane, wind gauge, thermometer and clock. We have it in the corner of the yard for now but may move it later on once we bring the patio furniture back out for the warmer weather.

Vegetarian Anyone?

I will be the first to admit I have NEVER been to a strictly vegetarian restaurant before so when I was told we were going to one I was a bit apprehensive.{I went with some of the moms from the Parents Association at the boys' school} Anyway....can I tell you how GOOD it was. I had a sweet potato, red onion and Gruyere gratin served with red currant jelly, sesame potatoes and celery & walnut salad. I would definately go there again!

First Signs of Spring

Although the official first day of spring is not for another 28 days, the spring flowers are starting to show. The snowdrops are in bloom, daffodils are starting as are a few other random spring flowers. We did not have the weather extremes that many of our friends and family had this past winter {YEAH} but we are ready for the warmer, drier weather.

Indoor Amusement Park

This afternoon we went to the indoor theme park at the large shopping mall about 45 minutes away.

The rides were OK, but it didn't seem to bother Maggie at all {she loved it all}








**edited ~ it is not a religious figure behind Maggie LOL, the theme of the ride was a desert scene so it is a man who tends to camels {whatever they are supposed to look like I guess}**

Shrove Tuesday

Today is the traditional feast day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Lent - the 40 days leading up to Easter was traditionally a time of fasting and on Shrove Tuesday Christians went to confession and were "shriven" (absolved from their sins).

New Orleans has Mardi Gras {Fat Tuesday} ~ undoubtedly one of the largest parties on Earth.

Detroit has Paczki's ~filled dough treats; one pastry alone contains about 420 calories and more than 25 grams of fat.

Here in the UK.....we have PANCAKES!! - In past times it was the last opportunity to use eggs and fats before embarking on the Lenten fast and pancakes were the perfect way of using up these ingredients. The pancake has a very long history and featured in cookbooks as far back as 1439.

The kids are off school this week for their 1/2 term break so we are going to be spending time seeing the sites close to home. This morning the kids and I went to Rievaulx Abbey, located in North Yorkshire {about 45 minutes from our house}.

The abbey was founded by St Bernard of Clairvaux, as part of the missionary effort to reform Christianity in western Europe. Just 12 Clairvaux monks came to Rievaulx in 1132. From these modest beginnings grew one of the wealthiest monasteries of medieval England and the first northern Cistercian monastery.