This is Halloween!

So, the England family threw a stellar Halloween party for their kids! They invited over the children of some family friends and carved pumpkins, made Halloween cupcakes, lit and flew paper lanterns, had a donut-eating contest and watched 'The Corpse Bride'. They even decorated their house spectacularly! They put up false cobwebs, blood-spatter and skeletons! It was a great party.

…it's coming…

Today, I visited my new friend Gail for lunch. It was really nice. We sat for, like 3 hours and just talked and talked. I really needed that after my bout of homesickness last night. Honestly, if you asked me last night, I would have been ready to pack up all my stuff and fly home (just in time for a certain Halloween party). But now, after spending a few hours chatting with Gail I feel much better. She's new to Birmingham, too. And she's definitely spent a lot of time abroad, so she knows how I feel. It is things like this that let me know that God is really taking care of me. I was seriously upset last night and today I was able to get some reassurance from someone whom I can really identify with. (God's pretty sneaky. I was actually supposed to have lunch with Gail on Wednesday, but I think this timing was much better.) Maybe I'm homesick for a reason…maybe my being homesick is helping me reach out to my new friends here. Anyways, I am really Thankful that even though I feel alone, He's here.

Do you ever read into a song, deciding on it's meaning without knowing the songwriter's intention? Or do you ever give meaning to a song that is completely different from what the lyrics are meant to say? It happens to me quite a lot. My absolute, number one, favourite musician of life is Jonny Lang. He has 2 beautiful songs on his first album that have always held a lot of meaning for me, but their actual meaning and  lyrics are pretty straightforward. Check out 'When I Come To You' and 'Missing Your Love' (my top song). What do YOU think they mean?

Tomorrow is Halloween… and I have yet to put together a costume. *gasp!* I know, sooo strange. Normally I am all set weeks in advance! And I mean, come on, I am KNOWN for my fabulous Halloween costumes. Remember that Poison Ivy costume from '08… or the Strawberry Shortcake one from '06? 

And come on, I dress up in costumes as often as possible, have you seen me at camp?!

 I need to get my act together. Unfortunately, Brits are not really as into Halloween as Canadians and Americans, so even second-hand clothes with potential are difficult to find. I'll have to get up early tomorrow to hit the charity shops! Maybe I can save myself with some make-up…


Anyways, big part tomorrow for the kiddies! Lots to do!

May be surrounded by, A million people I, Still feel all alone, I just wanna go home…

I'm feeling a bit homesick tonight.

Today, The Mum was home again with Middle and Youngest and The Dad went to get Oldest from Grandma's house. I went to Oxfam to spend a nice relaxing day in my giant closet. I mean, it's like someone else's closet, since most of the clothes are 2 sizes 2 small for me, but still. I really like being there, everyone that volunteers there is so friendly and weirdly appreciative of any work I do. I even found a couple of things for myself!

But when I came home in the evening, I was feeling a little bit detached and lonely. I've been having trouble getting to sleep at night because my mind fills with worry and my heart pounds in my chest as if it's trying to escape. I've tried deep breathing and it helps a little bit. I think I'm so anxious because I'm still a bit awkward and uneasy about what exactly I should be doing in the house at any given time… whether I'm doing things properly or whether The Mum and The Dad are happy with me as their au pair… and as I mentioned before, I'm a little homesick. It's hard not being able to talk to all the people I love at home whenever I want. The people I used to talk to about my day are far away and I don't feel close enough with any of my new friends to unload on them. I know that it will just take time… and I'm not homesick often, so I'll be okay. But right now, I can't wait to come home for Christmas!

What to Wear Wednesday

Helloo! I woke up with a headache today… grrr…

Today, after my daily chores, I took the Middle and Youngest to 'Hickory Dickory's' (the giant indoor playground that I took an ill and home-from-school Youngest to a few weeks ago). This time was nice; I got to relax while Middle entertained Youngest in the maze. It was busy today (how busy? CRAZY busy… yeah, I'll stop doing that eventually) because it's half-term, so all the kids are off school.

After lunch, I had some time to myself, so I made a cape for Middle's Halloween costume. She is going to be a lovely princess. It's essentially one layer of polar-fleece, so I fancied it up a bit, with an extra layer around the collar, with some nice embroidery and silky ribbon. She likes it, I think. I also attempted a tiara made of cardboard and glitter… but that didn't work out so well. I should have brought my tiara from camp! It's just one of the things I should have packed but didn't!

At dinner, The Mum, Dad and I had a mini quiz with Middle. We just asked her random questions, it was fun to teach eachother useless facts. However, the questions got harder and harder to answer… probably because I took some ibuprofen for my headache… and then had a couple of glasses of champagne and then this cocktail that The Dad made.

The parents have gone out to the cinema and the kids are in bed! So, what have I done with my evening alone? Well, so far, I have discovered how many outfits I can make out of my American Apparel bandeau dress (14 dresses, 2 skirts and 2 tops).  And now… I think I will enjoy a nice film. Ta!

The Countdown to COSTUMES!

Today, I took Middle shopping for some Halloween costume materials at the Rag Market! Tomorrow, I will make her a nice little cape to go with her princess costume. We also searched high and low for rubber snakes (I wanted to be Medusa), but the United Kingdom seems to be fresh out. Seriously, where is a Dollarama when you need one? I will have to slap together a different costume somehow. Any suggestions?

I also carved a gorgeous jack o' lantern today. Feast your eyes on this! I put a lot of time in effort into this pumpkin (mostly because I wanted to keep up with my designer friend, Tom! His terrifying and skillfully-carved creation is featured below.) What do you think?

Aussie and I tried our hand at the quiz again tonight! We actually did much better than last time (points-wise), but we still lost. Oh, well. I'm sure our collective knowledge of British pop-culture will increase in the weeks to come.

Only a 4 more days until Halloween! I'll have to rent 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' or 'Hocus Pocus' or 'Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin'. I'm sure there will be some classics on TV.

Salut. Goodbye. A bien tot. See you soon.

Weekend-wiki-Links

I finally got myself a bank account this weekend! (Now I can start saving money, haha!)

So, Saturday night, Aussie invited me to go downtown with her to see her housemate's band play. We went into the city a bit earlier to grab some food before the show. We went out for dinner at this awesome burger restaurant (not the 'Mash House'… it may look like that's where we went, but it's not. I'm sure it's nice too, but we had burgers elsewhere). It was nice to have a nice, thick patty of beef. I haven't had beef in a while, they eat a lot of chicken here, and when my family do eat beef, it's like ground beef in pasta sauce or lasagna or something. After that, we went to 'Café Rouge', which is this lovely chain of French cafés. Jordan, you would LOVE the decor and advertisements, everything is done in Art Nouveau, very Alphonse Mucha. Anyways, I didn't know what to expect from the band; all I knew about the band is that they play ska music. I do like ska, so I thought I would enjoy it, but I had no idea how fantastic they were. They are called 360 and they put on an amazing show! I hope they are playing in Birmingham again soon. My only issue with the show was that the bar was so full that I had no room to skank (a form of dancing practiced in the reggae and ska music scenes… not acting promiscuously.)

I also spent a considerable amount of time this weekend catching up on 'The IT Crowd', which is among my very favourite television shows. Seriously. It's up there with 'Quantum Leap'.

It is currently half-term break, so Oldest is off to Grandma's in Devon and Middle and Youngest are at home all week! We are going to spend some time getting ready for the England family's Halloween party! We need to do costumes and decorations and fairy cakes (cupcakes) and jack o' lanterns… *sigh* it's the most wonderful time of the year…

Tanked

Today, I took Middle and Youngest to 'Thinktank', which is a children's science centre. It's pretty cool. They have sections about cities, space, wildlife and the human body. The coolest thing I saw was this thing where you 'help' this doctor in a video perform a hip-surgery. It was disgusting, but really cool. I'll have to go back another time to check out all of the exhibits I missed.

Also, The Mum had asked me to make lasagna for tea. So, I made a yummy sauce with courgettes (zuccini) and onions and tomato sauce and I made a cheese sauce and I layered it all up in a pan and baked it. It turned out really well. But, when The Mum got home, she showed me the frozen lasagna she had defrosted in the fridge!! Man, that would have been so much easier to make. (How much easier? 20x easier.) Oh well. She had tried some of my lasagna and thought 'wow, Marks & Spencer makes a good lasagna' before realizing it was mine. That really made me feel good about my cooking ability.

I had small group tonight! I am really enjoying small group. Not only am I learning more about the Bible and God, but I am making some great friends! I am so thankful that I have an evening like this one to look forward to every week.

Anyways, it is exceedingly late in the evening, or quite early in the morn, so I'm off to the old bedchamber! Fare thee well.

Lookin' out For Me

Okay, so those of you who know me really well will probably have this reaction after reading the following story: You'll roll your eyes, sigh, and say 'that's classic absent-minded Sarah' (or something to that effect.'

The truth is… I'm a loser… as in, I lose things. A lot. I just get daydreaming about my unknown future, or distracted by things around me and things get dropped, left behind and lost.

On Monday, I was jogging in the park. I had my keys in the pocket of my jumper (sweatshirt) and my iPod in my hand. At the end of my run, I made my way up the drive to the front door of our house… and I didn't have any keys. So, I turned around and headed back to the park. I retraced my steps, going all around the park, kicking leaves out of the way and scanning the path for any sign of my keys. After I had looked everywhere I could think of, I headed to the Ranger's station and lo and behold, some lovely Brummie had turned in my keys to the lost and found!!

Then, this afternoon, I went jogging again. I had to pick up some paper for The Mum, so I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone and jog into Moseley Village to the post office. But, when I arrived at my predetermined destination… I had no wallet. So, just like on Monday, I retraced my steps… twice. But my wallet was nowhere to be found. It was gone. When I arrived home, The Dad was there, eating some lunch. He suggested I report my lost wallet to the local police. I left my information with the police and about an hour later, I got a call saying that my wallet had been found!!! The police gave me the number of the woman who picked up my wallet. I called her up and stopped by (she lives just around the corner). I am SO thankful to have my wallet back. I mean, I canceled my credit card, so I still have to go through the trouble of getting a new one, but I am RELIEVED! Plus, the actual wallet holds sentimental value, I got it in Cuba with some of my friends of the beloved Posse.

So, thank you to the model citizens who helped me to recover my stuff! And praise the Lord for looking out for my dreamy, forgetful and absent-minded self. He's taking care of me!

P.S. Watch St. Trinians ASAP! It's good stuff.

Tuesday is Quiz Night

Tonight, I went to one of the local pubs' 'Tuesday Quiz Night' with my friend, Aussie. Neither of us had been to this quiz before, so we didn't know what it would be like. We ended up with a terrible score (I think it was 43/80), but we laughed a lot and had tons of fun. When we didn't know the answers, we just made stuff up, which was hilarious to us. The 'quiz-master' felt bad that we were doing so poorly, so he gave us a pity prize: a beach ball and a travel mug. It was nice of him. He knew we were both foreign (our team name was 'The Foreigners'). We bet our joker (which gets you double the points) on the 'US Television' round. We were so cocky, but the questions were all about really old t.v. shows and we only knew 5 answers. How were we supposed to know that H.M. stood for 'Howling Mad'? Later, we wished we had saved our joker for a round that we did better on. Oh well! We are planning to go back every week in the future and get better and better until we are the pub trivia champions of Moseley. We'll have to study, especially our sports personalities (we got 0 points on that round).

I love trivia and convoys.

 

Mop-Day #5

Today, Oldest's bad behaviour reached it's climax. I went in to her room in the morning to wake her up and she pretty much screamed at me! She woke up both her parents and her Dad came up to see what all the ruckus was about. The rest of the morning continued with similar outbursts of emotion from Oldest. She tied herself into her room with the sash of her dressing gown and carried on about not wanting to go to school. Eventually, her Mom stepped in to get her ready to go. As The Mum was staying home from work today, she decided to drive them to school to 'give me some rest.' When she got back home, she apologized for Oldest's behaviour and gave me a couple tips for dealing with her. She also gave me some punishing power to back up my arguments a bit. I am now allowed to deprive Oldest of her t.v. watching or send her to bed earlier if she fails to listen. The Mum also had a good heart-to-heart with Oldest after school to encourage her to behave better. I kind of feel bad for her, because I know she is super stressed out with preparations for her 11+ exams. But I'm really glad that The Mum stepped in. She said that it's not fair for her kids to shout at me and talk to me like that and that it's not part of my job description.

Tonight was the finale of my new favourite show over here. 'Grease: The School Musical' is the account of a competition in which high schools competed in order to have the opportunity to perform 'Grease' on a West End stage. They did a pretty good job— especially the kids that played Rizzo, Danny (adorable) and Sandy. Check it out on You Tube in a few days (it's not up online yet).

Weekend in Warwickshire

What's this? Sarah went away to Warwickshire for the weekend? Well… actually Warwickshire is the county that you would say Birmingham is a part of. Except for nowadays, people just say 'Birmingham, West Midlands'. But I'm using the historical name of 'Warwickshire' not only for the wonderful alliteration it creates when paired with 'weekend', but because I spent some time this weekend getting to know the historical Birmingham.

I didn't have any plans yesterday, so, on a whim, I went to check out Soho House. Soho House is one of Birmingham's many free museums (score) and it houses a museum about Matthew Bolton, his famed manufactory and his buddies, the Lunar Society. It was pretty cool (although the house itself is a little spare… I think maybe there's another Matthew Boulton exhibit going on somewhere else in the city at the moment). Matthew Boulton worked with a whole bunch of different partners over the years to improve goods (buttons, belt buckles, tea services, decorative vases for rich people) and their manufacturing processes. He also worked with James Watt, to perfect the Scotsman's steam engine. At one time, Boulton's manufactory employed around 700 people and included a foundry and a mint.


Also, Boulton's friends in the Lunar Society were pretty sweet. They met on every full moon to discuss many areas of interest. However, their group seemed to revolve around science. Some of the members include Erasmus Darwin (father of Charles Darwin), Josiah Wedgewood (maker of English porcelain), Joseph Priestly (who discovered oxygen and proved that water was made of 2 elements) and Dr. William Small, a professor of Thomas Jefferson's. Many of the society's members were interested in improving society. They were very strong supporters of the abolition of slavery.

Today, I visited Aston Hall. Aston Hall is a truly magnificent manor house, built in the early 1600's by Sir Thomas Holte, a wealthy Baronet. If you ever visit Birmingham, go see this place! It was free to get in and today they had a special event going on, with actors dressed in costume wandering around the house and grounds. The original plaster ceiling and friezes show detailed reliefs of unicorns, lions and many other mythical creatures as well as biblical heroes and other great men. All the furniture and wood paneling gives the massive house a warm feeling, even though many of the ceilings are cavernous. The gardens are gorgeous, too. They are laid out in geometric patterns with a fountain and everything. But, this awesome manor house also gives a bit of a glimpse into the lives of the servants of the place. You can see the servants' staircases as you pass in some of the hallways, and you can see the servants' dining hall as well as the kitchen.

..............................

Last night, I also went to an Eid party. Now, I know what you might be thinking: "What's a Christian girl doing at a Muslim celebration?" Well, here's your answer: First of all, I was hired by the woman organizing the party to do balloon animals for all the kids. Second of all, I went with the family I live with, who are also non-Muslim. Thirdly, I was a little curious. It was nice. First, I did balloons for the kids and then an Imam got up to speak about what Eid is and what Ramadan is and why they are celebrated. Islam has always been a bit of a mystery to me, so it was interesting to hear about. I knew already that Islam has similar roots to the Judeo-Christian tradition, in that Muslims learn about Adam and Eve, Noah and Abraham, but that's all I know. Many of the things the Imam said made sense to me. For instance, the reason for the month of Ramadan, he said, is to fast in order to focus on God (he said Allah, but that means God, right?) I would like to do some more research about Islam because I wonder how and why it is broken off from the Judaism and Christianity and why it is viewed as being so different. What does the Koran even say? Do Muslims worship the same God as me, or their own version of Him? (and if so, why don't they believe that Jesus is the Son of God or that he died from our sins and rose from the dead?)

Anyways, maybe I'll go to the library this week to check it out. Shalom!

Schmursday, Schmoctober the Schmifteenth

I had my first day at Oxfam today! I really liked it, actually. It's in this little shop in Moseley. The first floor is the store front and a kitchen and a sorting room and the top 2 floors house all the clothing, housewares and books! Today, I sorted through clothing (really awesome clothing), priced it and put it out in the store! It's really awesome that I get to do some of the sorting. I found some really great clothes today… most of them were not my size, but it was still fun to look. I think that because the store is in an affluent area, the clothing that gets donated is a little nicer than usual. Many of the items are from stores such as Marks & Spencer, Warehouse and TopShop. I met a few of the people who volunteer regularly. Most of them are retired, but a few of them just wanted to donate some of their free time. I am excited to go back!

Later this evening, I went to my small group, where we read the book of Jonah. For some reason, we found it hysterical! The translation I read from, NLT, has a really funny way of saying some of the phrases that are quite serious in NIV. Anyways, in this particular book, God asks Jonah to go to this big city of Ninevah and preach to the people, saying that God will judge their city because of their wickedness. Instead of obeying God, Jonah goes in the exact opposite direction of Ninevah. He gets on a boat with a bunch of sailors. God created a storm on the ocean and the sailors, who knew Jonah was running from his God, sacrificed Jonah by throwing him into the sea. God caused Jonah to be swallowed by a giant fish and after three days, he was 'vomited' back onto dry land. Now, instead of finding someone else to preach to Ninevah, God gave Jonah another chance. He told him again to go preach to the city. Jonah was still reluctant, but he obeyed this time. The story goes on to explain some more incredible things about God's grace and love… but the thing I was stuck on about this story was how God pursued Jonah; God still wanted to use Jonah, even though Jonah just wanted to ignore Him. God was patient with Jonah and gave him another chance.

I really like the way Eugene Peterson has interpreted this verse from John 6: "Every person the Father gives me eventually comes running to me. And once that person is with me, I hold on and don't let go." Pretty much, it says that once someone has decided to start following Jesus, Jesus will never give up on them. So, for me, even if I try to ignore God, or what he wants for me, He will always be patient with me. He will invite me back with open arms. Even if I want to run away from Him, God will always be there, showing Himself to me and asking me to return. In fact, God will be thrilled when I come back to Him. As in the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15), even though his son rejected him and went away to live a destructive life, the father welcomed him back home with hugs and kisses and a big party to celebrate his return. He wont punish me for my behaviour, or demand that I complete a certain task to absolve myself. As my Mom wrote in my journal "God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you do or don't do." That's grace (unmerited favour). That's why my God is awesome.

(P.S. The reason Jonah ran in the first place was because he knew that if he told the people of Ninevah that they would be destroyed for their wickedness that they would mourn and turn away from their ways of life. He knew that God would forgive them and extend his love and grace to them, too. These people weren't even part of the nation of Israel. They were actually the enemies of God's chosen people. But he loved them anyways.)

Childcare

Oh man. After the past few days, I don't think I want kids anymore. These children have been driving me insane! Youngest doesn't want to go to school in the mornings and in the afternoon when I pick him up, he alternates between loud and embarrassing crocodile tears and laughing hysterically while running away from me as fast as he can. When I take him to pick up the girls, he throws a tantrum if I leave him in the car and runs around like a maniac if I take him with me. The parents at the girls' school must think I'm a horrible au pair for the amount he shouts and screams. Middle and Oldest have been fighting like only sisters can the past couple of days… and not just with their words. Other than putting them in two different rooms, I have NO idea how to solve their problems. And neither of them will listen to me when I ask them to do something or tell them 'no' to English muffins before bedtime. I am exhausted from running after a 3-year-old and my voice is hoarse from asking the girls to do everything. I am tired and frustrated and, honestly, I want to hire a babysitter and take a vacation… but I've only been here a month.

Needless to say, I am in desperate for prayers for patience. I mean, these kids aren't bad. They're smart and funny and sometimes, they're even cute. This afternoon, I made fortune-tellers with Middle and watched Youngest draw a picture with the Halloween pencil I gave him. Man, childcare is NOT easy. I raise my glass to mothers and nannies everywhere.

P.S. Check out Cheth Studios

Hey there. So, one of the 'blogs of note' this week is http://chethstudios.blogspot.com. The awesome designers at Cheth Studios have posted a bunch of html tutorials and tips. They have also put up a whole bunch of really awesome blog templates. I've tried a few of them out and they look sooo cool. The only problem is that I am impaired at anything related to interactive media design and I have no idea how to edit my blog once I've changed the template. So, once I figure that out, I'll be using one of them!

(I've officially been here for 5 weeks— what?!)

Internet, I Love You
(inspired by Ken Nesbitt's 'Homework, I love you'. Middle had to learn a poem to recite in class and she learned Nesbitt's comical gibe at homework.)

Internet, I love you. You're just mighty fine!
I can watch Canadian shows online.
Erica strange, every week, makes a change
to all her regrets (is she sane or deranged?)

Internet, I love you. I think that you're neat.
Keeping in touch is no far-fetched feat.
I think you're the bomb, because when I am gone,
You can help me to talk to my Dad and my mom.

Internet, I love you. You help me consume.
I can buy stuff while laying in bed in my room.
When I order online, it all turns out fine,
And all of my packages get here on time.

Internet, I love you. You help me to write.
With you, my hobby's a perfect delight.
I can write every day, you just publish away,
One and all can read every word that I say!

__________

Yesterday, I got a call from Revenue and Customs! They told me that I could pick up my suitcase finally!!!

So, I drove to the airport today to pick it up! It was excited to unzip my case and root through all my stuff to see what I had packed. Some things I was surprised and happy to see were: my alarm clock/iPod dock, a collection of books (like my giant CS Lewis anthology and my UK Eyewitness Guide), my mocassins and a sewing kit! Although, I hadn't packed my balloons, so I will have to order some tomorrow. Strangely, the thing I was most excited to unpack was my dressing gown (house coat). I am wearing it now. It is white and fuzzy and gorgeously warm. —oh, and my flannel pyjama bottoms with airplanes on them! —oh, and my long-sleeved camp shirts! Yay for unpacking stuff!!!

*yawn* time to turn in! καληνύχτα

Thankful I was able to pull it off!

Today is Thanksgiving at home in Canada! So, I made a Thanksgiving dinner for the England family! I've never cooked so much in one day! We had pumpkin pie…

I made a crust from scratch. I didn't have a pie pan, but this cake pan worked just fine.


The filling was easy, too. I found pumpkin puree in one of the nicer grocery stores and it happened to be 'made in Canada'!


I had too much filling for one pie, so I made two. They turned out to be very delicious, just like my Mom's pie!

I made my favourite veggies too! I roasted beets and parsnips in some oil and oregano.


One my favourite Thanksgiving foods that one of my aunts always makes is this yummy turnip. I didn't have a recipe, but it turned out just fine! I boiled a turnip (for hours) and mashed it with butter and some nutmeg.

I made delicious homemade stuffing, too!

I didn't make a turkey (too much meat for just the 6 of us), but I made a nice roast chicken!



I'm pretty proud that I made this whole meal by myself. I've never done that much cooking in one day. The Mum and Dad really enjoyed my meal! They especially liked the stuffing and the pie!

Thanksgiving isn't just for yummy food, though. It's a day set aside to give thanks for what we have. I mean, really, we should thank God every day for the blessings he's given us, but I guess this is just an extra-special day of thanks. I'm definitely thankful for A LOT lately. I'm thankful for my friends and family back home who are doing such a great job of keeping in touch. I'm thankful for my new friends here who are helping me settle in. I am thankful for the family here who has welcomed me into their home!

Anyways, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Canadians Invade Birmingham

Yesterday was a lovely Saturday here in Brum. The sun was shining, the autumn leaves were falling and my old friend Stefania came to visit me! I'm sure anyone reading this has a friend or two like Stef; you all have a friend that you are at ease with no matter how much time you have spent apart. Apart from the occasional email or letter, Stef and I have had no contact since last year, and yet, I can just talk to her like any of my close friends. Honestly, sometimes our conversation revolved around mundane things like what books we'd been reading and what Canadian foods you can buy in the UK.But I guess that's because we go way back.

We decided to forgo seeing any of the sights, really, and just spend our day catching up. We took a walk around the Bull Ring, had a coffee at Starbucks and took a stroll through the farmer's market to buy some beets and parsnips for my Thanksgiving meal. Then, I took her back to the house for a tour and some lunch and we had time to go for a walk on the High St. I am excited for our next rendez-vous, when I can visit her in London!

Today, I slept in really late. There was no morning service for church because the roads are all blocked off for the half-marathon. So, I took my time getting up and just spent the day hanging around the house with the family. I showed the Mum my Martha Stewart Halloween magazines and now she's decided we're having a party! I've dog-eared a bunch of the pages with the ideas I like best.

I am reading 'The Six Wives of Henry VIII' by Alison Weir. It is more of a history book than a novel, but I am really enjoying it, so far. Henry VIII was pretty scandalous, so it's pretty interesting. It's especially cool to read the descriptions of all the ornate clothing and elaborate pageants and banquets that went on. If you like Western History, pick it up!

Tomorrow, I will make Thanksgiving dinner for the England family. Turkey, stuffing, turnip, potatoes, roasted veggies, pumpkin pie (if I can find the filling) and apple crisp. I might have to save my mopping for Tuesday so I have enough time to cook all this tomorrow. Wish me luck!

TGIF

Today was a nice and relaxing. Fridays usually are. I'm off for the day as soon as I'm done mopping and ironing. So, today, I ran some errands, checked in on my application at Oxfam (it's in the works) and took a walk on the King's Heath High St. A few of the more fashionable stores were having fabulous sales, so I took a look at their footwear. My shoe choices are a bit limited: white chucks, black trainers (running shoes), gladiator sandals, black heels and my wellies. I really liked all the cute little short boots that Dorothy Perkins had on sale, but they didn't have ANY that fit me. So, I went to Evans (yeah… I know it's plus size, but in UK sizes, I'm a 14-16) and found some great boots.

I also got to talk to one of the many friends that I miss so dearly, Meghan! It was awesome to hear about what she's been up to. She's a very talented sculptor and when we were roommates (so long ago, it seems *sigh*), I always loved hearing about her latest piece. It was great to hear about all the awesome textile casting she's experimenting with! I miss you, Meg!

Tonight, I went to see Zombieland with Hungary. It was WAY bloodier than I thought it would be, but I still liked it! If you have a hankering to go to the cinema, see this one! Unfortunatley, it was not to Hungary's taste, so I promised that next time we go to the movies, we'll see a good ol' RomCom. The only thing I didn't like were the previews. There was a seriously disturbing trailer for a scary sci-fi movie (The Fourth Kind) that just creeped me right out.

I'm really excited to see my friend, Stef, tomorrow! She is coming to visit me for the day!