Lake District Road Trip

We bought a car, woohoo! Though I realize the photo above is of a sailboat not a car... getting to that. It's a pretty big deal since we've not had a car for almost 6 years, and with two children, I'm amazed we made it that long without one. Granted our neighborhood has just about everything we need on our doorstep: butcher, baker, candlestick maker (not really that last one but I couldn't resist adding it because I'm a goof), fishmonger, wine shop, school, doctor, playgrounds, parks, all of these things within a 15 minute walk and a few of them a one minute walk, just around the corner really. We order our bulky groceries online (laundry soap, paper towels--you know, the boring stuff) and the rest we get locally, so that part of life without a car is pretty easy for us. Sometimes, though, it's been a royal pain! I have been reduced to tears on more than one occasion, standing at a bus stop in the freezing rain with two equally wet, freezing children and thought, this is nuts! We'll still take the bus to many places, but I'm really happy we finally decided to buy a car. It will make some short trips in the neighborhood easier, like picking up a very tired Lois from playdates after school rather than having to practically drag her home walking. And it means more road trips! We usually rent a car when we want to take a road trip, but that gets really expensive and is a bit of a hassle. Gotta go get the car, do the paperwork, pay the deposit, hear the sales pitch about insurance and whatnot, install the carseats each time, etc. I'm still not completely comfortable driving on the other side of the car and road, but I'm getting there. So, for our first road trip, we decided to go to the Lake District.

Snapshots from Cornwall

I've been so busy lately that our holiday in Cornwall with friends almost seems like a distant memory. The days just seem to rush by and it's hard for me to keep up with everything that I need and want to do. I imagine many people feel the same way, juggling the responsibilities of housework, kids, work and play. (I feel like I say that all the time!) It was great to have a break from our regular routine, though, and I wouldn't mind being back there now. The weather this week there is amazing. Unfortunately the weather wasn't great most of the time we were there, but we all had a wonderful time anyway. Our girls played with their friends from morning till night and had so much fun together. We went on some lovely short hikes, went to the beach, went to the Eden Project, Rick Stein's fish and chips, we cooked, played in the garden at the house, had an Easter egg hunt, and had a relaxing time just lounging around. The house we stayed in was amazing. I highly recommend it if you're looking for a place to stay near Bude. Here's a look at our holiday in Cornwall though instagram.

Snapshots from New York

I had a GREAT time with my mom and sister in New York! Four days with no kids (as much as we love our kids, it's nice to have a break!), just shopping, eating, drinking and exploring.  I couldn't have asked for a better girls' trip! And New York during the holidays, well, it's just magical, isn't it?

Workshop Update

I've only just realized how long it's been since I wrote a blog post! But here I am again now. We've packed a lot into these last weeks of summer. After my mom's visit, we went to Cornwall for a week, then after coming home just a few days, we went to San Francisco for two weeks and Baltimore for one week. I also managed to do a good bit of sewing before we left to go to the US. I made another pair of trousers and two dresses. But more on all those subjects later! Before it's a distant memory, I wanted to share some photos from the food styling and photography I assisted Béatrice Peltre with at Hawthbush Farm in June. We had a wonderful time, and all the students did as well. We could not have asked for better weather! I was soooo happy the weather was beautiful. And Hawthbush Farm is amazing. It's a beautiful glamping destination on an organic farm about an hour and a half from London in East Sussex.

A Few Days In Marrakesh

Last February, to help keep our minds off the cold, grey days, we decided to pick out a warm, fairly exotic place to go in spring. We have a long list of places we'd like to visit while we're living on this side of the world, and Marrakesh is just one of them. It's always good to have something to look forward to, especially a holiday! So earlier this week we spent a few days in Marrakesh. We stayed at a beautiful place called Jnane Tamsna 15 minutes outside the medina, which I read about on Mr. and Mrs. Smith. We needed no further persuading after reading more about them on their web site and reading many good reviews.

A Weekend at Hawthbush Farm

This past weekend we went to Hawthbush farm for a few days and had a really nice time. It's an organic farm in East Sussex that I read about last year when trying to find a shepherds' hut to stay in. How amazing are their shepherds' huts? So cozy! I wanted to stay there, but they were all booked up when I inquired. So I decided to plan ahead for a visit there this year. The farm looked so pretty and I also really liked the look of one of their cottages called the cowshed. The amazing light-filled kitchen in the cowshed is one of the reasons we chose it for the upcoming photography workshop I'm helping to host with Beatrice Peltre. I'm glad we were able to make time to stay at Hawthbush Farm this month for a weekend and explore the property and surrounding area, which turned out to be really lovely.

We stayed in the piggery, which is a one bedroom, charming cottage. Though it's small, it was just enough space for a weekend away with two little ones. 

Amsterdam!

We're just back from a short trip to Amsterdam. I love Amsterdam! I've only been once before, but it's a top city on my list. It's cozy but doesn't feel too small (not to me as an outsider anyway); it's classy but laid back; it's edgy without falling off a cliff; it has a great mix of old a new, and it's just so pretty! I love the architecture of the houses and how the canals make their way between them. If you've read my blog a while you'll know I love them so much I made this, which is also one of my favorite things I've ever made.

Gone Glamping

For this past bank holiday weekend we went glamping in East Sussex. It was so much fun! (Okay, well, we are a family traveling with kids, so naturally it included a few tantrums, whining, spills, and general disagreements, but I imagine that's a given. But the weekend tilted on the fun side of the scale.) I had been looking around on the Cool Camping web site for a few weeks to try to find something that suited all our needs, mainly to be fairly close to London, near a train station, and with things to do in walking distance. It's not easy to find glamping sites that meet those requirements and are available on a holiday weekend with fairly short notice (I started looking about 3 weeks before the holiday weekend). But I happened to get a booking with The Original Hut Company because they had a cancelation. Lucky us!

Hotel Rex

So I mentioned that I loved our hotel. Well, if you're in San Francisco you might want to consider the Joie de Vivre hotel group. I can really only speak for Hotel Rex, but it was really great. It has a 20's-30's vibe and a library theme. In the lounge of the library bar are plenty of books, not just for show, but for anyone to take to their room for a bit of reading quiet time. They also have some antique library reading tables, book quotes on some feature walls, and book pages cover the walls of the hotel elevator. And the library bar lounge features a wall of lady portraits, which I really liked too. And you can borrow a few vintage bikes if you're brave enough to take on the San Francisco hills. The rooms are fairly simple, no fancy marble in the bathrooms, but you have everything you need and the bed and pillows were great. I also liked our shower curtain a lot. It was a fun vintage beach print. I can't remember ever especially liking a shower curtain in a hotel. The artwork throughout the hotel, outside of the main salon, was really nice as well. And the staff were super friendly. Lois woke up very early every day and we were downstairs for coffee before the sunrise, so I got to know a few staff members pretty well. The coffee is really great as well as the breakfast, which we had on our last day. I'd definitely choose this hotel again! Oh and I almost forgot, they have complimentary wine hour each night, and the wine was great.

Inspire Me Tea

We're back from our vacation, and I think I'm experiencing post vacation depression disorder! I wonder if there really is such a thing. I'm really just in a little bit of a post-vacation funk. It was so much fun that it's hard to come down from such a great time. Today I'm doing things around the house, laundry and whatnot, but also thinking of some fun London places to visit. One place on my list is afternoon tea at the Haymarket Hotel. A friend told me about tea at the hotel and said it's sort of like having tea inside an Anthropologie. I could handle that. It does look inspiring, doesn't it? I wonder if they have high chairs for the wee tea drinkers.

The Fun We Had

Woah, long time no post! I was so busy with my mom that I didn't realize how many days have gone by since I last wrote on my blog. I'm sad to say my mom flew home yesterday (and made it back safe and sound), but we had so much fun the few days she was here. I'm sure she probably feels like she needs a vacation from her vacation because I think I wore her out! I wanted her to see so many things and go so many places that we didn't dillydally too much, and we barely scratched the surface. Poor mom, so excited, with her eyes wide and mouth hanging to the ground, most of the time I was saying, "mom, come on, we have to keep moving!" She could have spent days instead of hours in the few places we went. So what did we do, you ask? Well, here are the highlights. Her first day we went to the Thursday Spitalfields antique market, went to Caravan, walked around Brick Lane and had a great lunch at Leila's. I forgot the camera battery on the charger that day, so I don't have picutres, but it was so much fun. Mom loved the antique market.

On Friday we went to Liberty. Mom loved it! We spent most of our time in the fabric, notions, and yarn section where we looked through craft books and picked out some fabric and yarn for a few projects. Then we had afternoon tea in the cafe. It was soooo delicious--equal parts sweets to sandwiches, just the way we like it. Lois liked the cupcake best.

On Saturday we went to Portobello Road. I thought mom would flip, but then again I could say that about everything she saw everyday she was here. She had such a good time looking at everything. Antiques and vintage treasures, second-hand junk, handmade wares, food, flowers, people watching--it's all at the Saturday market on Portobello Road. As touristy as it is, it's filled eye candy and makes for a very entertaining morning. If you go, definitely go in the morning! The crowds are crazy by 11am.



Later on Saturday we did the touristy bit and rode the London Eye and wandered around The Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and the Thames. I thought I'd be sick on the London Eye. It made my knees weak, but Lois loved it. She had her head right up against the window the whole time.


Sunday may have been our favorite day. We went to the Columbia Road flower market and wandered around the shops on Columbia road. We stared with a yummy breakfast at Campaina.

Mom, who is a great gardener, loved seeing all the plants and flowers.


We had so much fun in Jessie and Buddug's shop, where mom bought this crow headband for me. I wore it for a while, and she wore it for a while. We looked ridiculous, but it was really fun. I think we ate 9 of those cupcakes too. My mom hates seeing pictures of herself. I can just hear her when she sees this, "Leigh! Why did you post that picture!" Sorry mom, I like it.

On Monday we went to Painswick. I really wanted mom to see the countryside and stay at Jill and Brett's B&B. She thought it was just as beautiful as I did and loved being there. We spent most of our time in the house looking through Jill's stacks and stacks of decorating and craft books. Why leave when you have all those books and the view looks like this?


But we did get outside on Tuesday. We had a great lunch at the local bistro and two of the best desserts (puddings here) that we've ever had, banoffee pie and bread and butter pudding.

We walked around the town, and took the footpath to the stream. I wanted mom to see everything I saw before.

And that was it. The sun set on mom's short visit, and after one night at Byfield House, she had to go back home. On Tuesday afternoon we took the train back to London and then mom left Wednesday morning. I wish she could have stayed longer, but it was so much fun! Love you mom! See you again soon.

Footpath This Way: Painswick, England

When we weren't spending time in our comfy room at Byfield house, we were out exploring the area. It was overcast a lot of the time, so my pictures aren't nearly as pretty as these, but it was still so beautiful in person. Jill and Brett told us about the Stroud farmer's market (the larger town near Painswick), so we started Saturday morning there. The farmer's market was great and packed with people. We walked the winding streets, popped into a few shops, and grabbed some bread, cheese, and fruit to have later on our walk.

I thought this bouquet was so pretty. A florist at the market was making it, and she said it was for a bride's wedding later that day. Obviously it's upside down here, but it was so pretty. I wonder what the bride looked like holding it.

Saturday afternoon and Sunday we spent our time walking around Painswick. Jill and Brett gave us a map and pointed out some nice walks. We started by going down into the valley and found a footpath that led us through pastures, along streams, and through some of the local's gardens. On our walks the air was crisp and cool and smelled like a mixture of fresh cut grass, fire smoke, and with all those animals around, manure! But the combination was a perfect match for the scenery. I think Andrew got a little tired of me singing, or I should say shouting, "the hills are alive with the sound of music" over and over again! I know, wrong country. But I couldn't help it. Lets stroll, shall we?








On Sunday we also went to the Rococo gardens, which was wonderful too and just a few minutes walk from the town center, but I'd probably recommend just sticking to walks through town and the immediate areas. There's an entrance fee for the Rococo gardens, and you get to see a lot more for free just walking on your own through Painswick.

Both Friday and Saturday nights we ate dinner at a few of the local restaurants. Both had highchairs (whew) and were open early enough for us to bring Lois, so it was perfect. Painswick and Stroud were very family friendly towns. One restaurant in Stroud even advertised a playroom with wooden toys for the little ones. And our view with the sun setting each night was better than dessert.


Where should we go for our next weekend getaway? Maybe Marseille in a few weeks!

Portland

We had a great time in Portland! We packed a lot into one long weekend--too much to tell you about in one post, so I'll start with one of our favorite parts of the weekend, which happened to be the hotel itself, and later this week I'll post more from our trip. The McMenamins Kennedy School Hotel was one of our top favorite places we've ever stayed. We love places that feel homey, and we usually prefer B&B type lodgings over your typical hotel. The Kennedy School felt much more like a B&B than a hotel. Not only are the rooms large, cozy and comfortable, but they're unique in that each was once a classroom and even has the original blackboards. The hotel also has a courtyard heated pool surrounded by lush plants, a few pubs, a movie theater (which is in the old auditorium ), and a great restaurant with yummy casual food. Oh, yeah, and there's a brewery in the hotel as well. The McMenamins brothers are known for their craft brewed beer. They even have their own brand of coffee as well, which is really tasty. If you go to Portland, we'd highly recommend staying at the Kennedy School Hotel. I imagine their other hotels are just as great and worth checking out as well.

The grounds around the school were beautiful. Gardens surrounded the entire building.

I love the lighting in the restaurant. All kinds of pendant lamps hang from the ceiling in various styles and colors. This is one I especially liked.

There are no TVs in the rooms, which we thought was refreshing. It pretty much forces you to relax. They had a good selection of books in the bookcase. Andrew almost finished a whole book in the short time we actually spent in the room.

We loved the blackboard panels and the way they opened up to a long closet with kid height coat hooks in the closet.

Nice, soft bedside lighting.

I loved our headboard! It has all the colors I'm always drawn to--red, green, yellow and blue. I wanted to take it home with us.

The theater is amazing! It's really intimate and cozy with random miss-matched sofas for seating. They have a popcorn and drink stand where you can order beer and food as well. We saw a really good movie one night called In Bruges.

The halls are lined with huge, beautiful old windows, and the walls are covered in artwork, most of which has something to do with the history of the school.


Some of the art.

More from our trip later this week!