Kitsch-I-Like!!

And only 2pounds sterling! (That's $4.50, I believe)... A great store. A great name.

And they had Gnome tealight candles.

Bravo, Exeter!

Packing is Finding Even More!

In order to be a Varsity cheerleader in Central Square, clearly one needed an Ogilvie Home Perm!

Packing is Finding Again!

From Venice to London to Philly ...

we don't have to take our clothes off to have a good time!

Packing is Finding! Or... Halloween (part quatro!!)

Back in 1984, I went all out for Halloween in a very Cyndi direction! Take note not just of the purple tights and the shellac we used to make my hair red but of the salmon on the wall of my parents living room! Feel free to also clock the orange and brown shag and the paneled walls!

Good Times!

Day 6...

...nothing. Fingers crossed for tomorrow, people!!... Apartment hunting. Sucks like bathing suit shopping. It's only the 6th.... If Katie Holmes can run the marathon, well, then I can find an apartment!

Aidan!

Saturday night, I slept over in Nannyland. Boring. It was time for a new and exciting place to sleep over and thank goodness Jenny invited me!! What this girl needed was some cuddle time with one, cute baby!! And Aidan is a snuggle bug! In an effort to let a tired Jenny catch some Zs, Aidan and I took to the couch and watched BBC America until the wee small hours! Well, I watched and he snuggled in and caught some Zs of his own! And I am more than a little bit in love....

It is only the 5th...

So, for those of you who don't know, I handed in my notice on the 1st! Finally.... I can get an apartment with cable, with more room, maybe even closer to the subway! And at long last, I can be rid of the crazy people who run this joint! There was drama (and shouting) after handing in the notice so... I am trying not to let the doorknob hit me on the way out!!

Of course, this is Day 2 of no apartments to see. Not freaking out. Not freaking out. Not freaking out.

Because we all have Feelings...

Poor Willow....

Yep, the kitten has a name! Just in time for Eli to strangle it apparently...

Halloween... All in a day's work!

From homemade pasties to an ass to die for... Just doing our jobs!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! (part tres!)

I simply could not resist sharing this stunning picture of Jake.

Does he look like a Halloween ad or what???

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! (part deux)

As my mother was mildly horrified by me and my pumpkins...

I thought a Halloween, Part Deux was in order!!

What a scary dragon!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

(this one's for you, Mom! )

Awww...

This little angel is Gabriel! He is Matt's new nephew!! How cute is he?? At 11 days old... he clearly had us all enraptured!! His Dad, Terrance, has recreated his own version of the womb, as you can see... and Gabriel just loved it!! I wonder if my Dad has a sweatshirt big enough??

And on the shopping day, they rested.

Oh, there was shopping... loads and loads and loads of shopping. (Matt asked, as he dropped me at the train station, "what will you do besides shop?". Besides?? I swear sometimes boys just don't get it!) But there was also lattes and chocolates and blue boy statues. Exeter is a funny town!

The funniest thing?? Upon leaving the train station, we saw twelve grown men dressed as Smurfs. Blue body paint, white hats... One was Smurfette. She waved to us. And as we pulled away, we saw Papa Smurf coming out of the station hotel. Not entirely sure as to the whys or the wheres of this gaggle but there were a lot of laughs.

1, 2, 3 o'clock, 4 o'clock Rock...

People of the West... Here in Britain, have already fallen back! America doesn't fall back until next week, I believe! I don't pretend to understand daylight savings but what it has created for one week this year (as opposed to two- which is normal) is a weird shift in time zones! Me and the good folks on New York are currently only 4 hours apart!! Wacky Stuff! This is also why I am up, by the way... my UK phone does not reset itself. Stupid phone.

Mole, Glorious Mole!

I stumbled upon this book many moons ago and for a long time could not recall the name of the author! And then, oh happy day, I found it in a Barnes and Noble!! Quite by accident, as it was. In America, the book is titled The Little Mole Who Goes in Search of A Whodunit,

but it is the exact same book! (Why, the renaming?? Why?!)

Anyway, it is the charming tale of a Little Mole, who upon sticking his head out of his hole to welcome the day, finds himself poo'd upon! He proceeds to go around to all the farm animals in search of Whodunit! As each animal poos for him, the Little Mole finds no clues as to Whodunit. Thankfully, the flies come along and give the poo on his head a nibble and let him know... (spoiler alert)... it was the dog! At which point, in a fine lesson for children, the Little Mole poos on the dog's head and satisfied, returns home. So much for turn the other cheek... whichever end is up! The book was on the bestseller list in its home country of Germany for many years

after it was released in 1989.

At long last, for all our enjoyment, they have released a "Plop Up" edition! Complete with things to pull and turn and enjoy!! It is as wrong as it sounds. Matt and I love it! (Well, Matt loves it because I said so... So, perhaps "love" is too strong a word for him...) I have purchased several copies! Can anyone else say... Christmas?! Of course, when you open it you will know Whodunit-

even without the poo!!

Have Pail, Will Travel!

Tragic. The whole damn thing.

So, the news of the moment here in Britain is still Madeline McCann. I assume that the World Cup took over for that particular weekend,when I signed on to aol.co.uk this AM, I was greeted with a sketch from an unnamed artist of what the kidnapper might have looked like had anyone seen anything. Apparently, a friend who dined with the McCanns the evening that they gave their children Calpol (like children's Tylenol) in excess and went to dinner out of the building and didn't have a babysitter or even a monitor and drank several bottles of wine with their 6 other pals- saw a man walking away from the McCann's apartment at some point. The friend said she didn't know the significance of what she was seeing at the time... or any time since until now apparently. I'm sorry... you saw a "greasy, straggly haired man striding away" from an apartment carrying a sleeping, blonde child and didn't think about it?!?!

OK... obviously, I have an opinion on this case. I don't believe sleeping children should be left alone. EVER! And that statement gets stronger the younger the children get. 3 sleeping toddlers? EVER! I don't believe that intentionally giving a child a larger dose of a medicine will ever excuse leaving them. I don't believe that 7 or 8 drunk adults had the wherewithal to check on the children they left alone, in a room, in Portugal every 15 minutes. And I think that there are hundreds of thousands of missing children out there (that have gone missing before and after Madeline) that are being left alone because they are not adorable and from wealth. How fast can you say JonBenet Ramsey?? The first thing I discussed with the three children I am a major influence on was a) how sad and scary and b) how we need to take responsibility for those things that should be most precious to us by NEVER leaving them alone.

For the record, if my child was missing, I would be rabid in my attempts to get that child back. My life would serve no other purpose. I get that. What upsets me is societies ability to latch onto a project as if to redeem itself from those projects that have been shelved. Which is fine if we are talking about cross stitch. And to place a sketch of what a nondescript man would look like carrying a child in her pajamas... How is this helpful? To anyone. Least of all that lovely little missing child? There is a giant lesson in this case and it isn't the danger lurking from nondescript men in foreign countries. And I only hope that the McCanns realize it before their twins get any older.

Hopefully...

...mono also adds 10 lbs because that plus the camera's 10 still does nothing to excuse this fine photo! I love the Treehouse Shakers but I do NOT love this picture!!

(although, please to note the return of the tooth!)