another destination to add to the list

montreal convention center

patchwork glass!

my great grandfather was born here and lived here and my mum could claim canadian citizenship if she wanted and they have an underground city 19 miles long full of shops and offices and other consumerist stuff to avoid the harsh winters (and frankly what a great way to hide all that retail nonsense from the beauty of montreal's architecture above ground!)

kung hei fat choi!

our dragon from last year

and how apt as it is year of the dragon

lanterns from grandma all the way from china

garlic soy turkey, mushroom rice, chowmein noodles and prawn crackers

fortunes from our cookies

mummy's at the top

ellie's in the middle

lottie's at the bottom

(we all want lottie's!)

ellie's lantern

(it crashed)

lottie's lantern

(went soaring into the night sky)

sparklers

(to symbolise firecrackers)

chase that devil away ellie!

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR TO YOU!

picture this in white satin, no lace, flowers around the enormous hat and that was my wedding dress

but this is how i SHOULD have done it

exquisite

why were we never shown these tricks?

i just did the parrot fashion thing which i can still recite monotone

st pancras hotel

i first saw an image of the interior of this hotel when i was about 12 and instantly fell in love

it pulled my heart strings, it's architecture blew my mind and it's colour palate was exciting but almost strangely familiar

it has now been lovingly restored after eons of neglect and you can spend the night there for a mere 250pounds sterling

i also found out 2 years ago that st pancras is where my paternal grandfather was born and raised

smores!

we got these in the post!

on sale at the american candy company

heat marshmallows by fire until you have no eyebrows left

sandwich hot sugar items between graham crackers and milk chocolate

enjoy in a ladylike fashion

or a clumsy fashion

or a shove-it-in fashion

not the same as english marshmallows and digestives...worth investing in the proper stuff

kracie popin' cookin part 2!

this pack makes candy noodles and dumplings

yum?

ta da!

is it any wonder why i named my firstborn eleanor?

so much for my lazy day

instead of having a pj day and watching dvds

(i am on holiday and it was raining all day),

i decided to rip up the flooring on the upstairs landing

and there are beautiful floorboards ready to paint white

and just think these floorboards have been walked on for over 100 years

(bet they could tell stories)

and i also painted the lounge

(too much coffee maybe?)

kracie popin'cookin!

lottie found these japanese candy-making kits watching a youtube video

you mix powders to make candy-flavoured sushi

bizarre stuff

this is the most brilliant way of explaining it

(although i would have added that some boys are also too lazy to climb to the top)

good apples...hold out, your tree surgeon will turn up one day!

even though the days of bedwetting are loooonnnng over in our house,

this still makes me laugh

sleep IS more important!

only a perfect person can sit in judgement

perfect people don't exist

ergo: no-one can judge

i don't understand a lot of decisions people make but it's their life not mine

and if it makes them happy, i'm happy that they're happy because i just want everyone to be happy

unless an opinion is asked for, don't offer it

be careful how you behave around them

they notice constant sniping, an obvious dislike of them, the difference in treatment

just because i home-school my child doesn't give anyone free reign to all the above

how would you like having to justify your life constantly?

shall i judge you?

shall i be intolerant of your differences?

should i criticise?

should i just stand by and let my child hear/see this?

NO

paris

i yearn to return

sacre coeur at montmarte

la defense

(i love that it didn't quite line up with l'arc de triomphe!)

musee d'orsay

pompidou centre

and of course the tower of eiffelness

if you've never been...GO!

it rocks

twoo wuv

boo just absolutely loves his grandma

wherever i am, he must be

and considering most afternoons find me flomped in front of the fire, there he is also

stained glass

she made this dragonfly with liquid stained glass paints

took the photo herself too

happy? yep

healthy? yep

good friends? yep

food on table? yep

clothes on back? yep

roof over head? yep

i'm hoping it's just a january thang

hope your passion hasn't abandoned you

apparently sea otters hold hands when they sleep in case they drift away

i think i was an otter in a previous life...

happy puppy

we had roast lamb at grandma's and guess who got the bone?

he has the vet next week and i suspect he's going to be branded a lardy lump

new years fun

went to grandma's and aunty anne's today for new year

had divine food and played old games

the girls have never played scrabble and they loved it

and i used to play this as a girl with my scottish granny

(my mum still has the old set!)

and of course yahtzee!

all these are great maths and english lessons and a little piece of history too

my kids will remember:

my honesty

my silliness

that i gave them a voice and never dismissed their opinion (just because i'm the adult and they are 'merely a child')

my non-conformity and that just because everyone else does things that way doesn't mean i have to

that i explain everything rather than saying 'because i said so'

that i am only their guide..it is their life and as long as they are respectful members of their community, i don't mind what it is that they do

what will your kids remember?