Apples! Apples! Apples!

This weekend my Madre, Humphrey and I went apple picking. We headed to Boston Hill Farm in Andover. It was really fun! They have lots of things for kids to do... they have a small petting farm with goats and sheep, they have one of those bouncy things, they have a little stand where you can try your hand at milking a fake cow. While we are only kids at heart, we still managed to have a fun time!

*Nothing says good morning like being attacked with doggie kisses*

*Humphrey helped me choose.*

*We picked a Peck.*

*After all our hard work we treated ourselves to an Apple Cider Donut.*

We had SO much fun. The apple cider donut was TO.DIE.FOR. I didn't even consider not eating it. They were fresh and warm and delicious. I may have to hunt down a recipe for these and give them a whirl.

I'm SO happy fall is here! Now I have an excuse to eat tons of apples... However, I think I might try making this apple upside down cake that was in this month's Cooking Light. I'll post the recipe when I do.

What did y'all do this weekend?!

The Queen and I...

Last weekend PB and I ventured into London to visit the Queen. I mean, I guess we were among hundreds that day visiting Her Majesty... but still. I mean, I should also admit that she was not in residence when we visited, but I'm sure it's simply down to an error with her NOT being notified that we were coming.

Obviously.

We saw the State Rooms the summer before last, but I we decided that since *THE DRESS* was being shown that perhaps we needed a re-do.

PB had booked us "Royal Day Out" tickets which got us into the Dutch Landscapes exhibition in the Gallery, the Royal Mews and the State Rooms. The landscapes were gorgeous! However, there was only so many landscapes I could handle before I wanted to move on.

Although there was some beautiful vases on display... I think they would look gorgeous in our house, no?

Also, all royals need a diamond encrusted sword. I told PB this would be a great addition to my stocking this Christmas...

After exploring the Gallery we moved on to the Royal Mews. This is where all of the Queen's carriages, cars and horses are kept. Interestingly enough, the Queen names every single horse that is part of the Royal Mews. 

We first wandered past all of the State Carriages and finally came upon this beauty. Do you all recognize it?

It is the Rolls Royce that the Duchess took to her wedding! It was gorgeous in person. I apologize for the wonky picture but the display was set up in such a way that it was almost impossible to get a good picture.

We then moved onto the stables. They were absolutely beautiful The aqua tiles were simply stunning...

Unfortunately only 2 horsies were in residence. Too bad I didn't have a carrot or a mint to treat the fuzzy royal to!

After the stables we were able to see the carriage that the Duchess & Prince William took from Westminster back to Buckingham Palace. It was bigger than I expected it to be!

Then we walked passed the macdaddy of carriages. I can't remember, but I *THINK* this was from the Queen's Coronation? Maybe? Regardless, it was HUGE, grand and quite ornate!

 Finally, it was time to hit Buckingham Palace. When you enter the Palace to see the State Rooms they require you to turn your camera off, so no pictures for us! In addition to the State Rooms, a portion of the Queen's Faberge collection was on display. There was one egg literally encrusted with a gazillion diamonds. It was my favorite, naturally!

 We also saw THE DRESS. Let me tell you. It was beautiful in person and you can really tell just how absolutely tiny the Duchess is! It would have maybe fit my left thigh... on a good day. We ended with lunch at the Cafe on the terrace before walking through the gardens to the exit. We were lucky that we stopped to eat when we did because it absolutely POURED the rain and we would have gotten soaked!

After our Royal Day out, we went to check in to the Intercontinental Park Lane. While we only live 40 minutes outside of the city, PB thought it would be fun to make a weekend of it! We have been staying at the Intercontinental since my first trip over 2 years ago. It's a gorgeous hotel in a perfect location. It's only about a 5/10 minute walk to Buckingham Palace and sits adjacent to Hyde Park. We checked in only to find out we had been upgraded! 

We walked in to this entrance... and about collectively peed our pants.

We had a dining room.

Desk & bar area...

Living room with a stunning view over the Park... (the chaise on the left by the window was MY spot.)

Our bedroom was gigantic.

Well appointed bathroom... I mean, a bidet?! Come on, now.

And to top it off we had plush Frette bathrobes waiting to be snuggled into...

We rested (meaning I sat in MY chaise by the window in my fancy bathrobe and read my book while PB did the same on the sofa with his book) and enjoyed our fantastic upgrade before we headed out to dinner in Notting Hill... Stay tuned for the rest of our fabulous mini-staycation in London!

Are you going to visit the Queen before the State Rooms close in October?

Tag- I'm IT!

One of my absolute favorite bloggers, MCW, tagged me for a fun little game of tag. Since I adore her (and am putting off my drafting exercise for Int'l Arbitration) I decided to give it a go.

The rules: MCW gave me 8 questions to answer. I answer them, come up with 8 more, and tag other bloggers to answer MY 8 questions (etc. etc. etc.)

MCW's questions:

1. What were you like in high school?

Hmm. This is a good question! I guess I was a lot like I am now, but a lot less mature. I was a combination of geeky & popular. Geeky because I was in band (marching & concert band... Was section leader and Pres of my Music Dept my senior year. Yes. That's how I roll.) but popular because despite that I had a lot of friends. I wasn't super cool, but I tried to be nice to people and therefore people were nice to me too!

2. If you could bring one clothing style back what would it be?

I would bring back the entire 1950's clothing era. I love the style of clothes, I love the way women looked in the clothes, I love that women had curvy bodies and the clothes reflected it. I also just love the formality of yonder years when women mainly stuck to dresses, cardigans, skirts, and pedal pushers and men to suits and nice sweaters and slacks. PB bought me two dresses this summer and both are 1950's-esq. They are so pretty and flattering... I have NO idea why this style went out but I'm going to single-handedly bring it back if it kills me!

3. Do you have a green thumb?

Yes and No. Generally, yes. I love to grow flowers and have been successful at my mother's abode but for some dang reason I can't seem to keep anything alive in my apartment. I think it is because my apartment is fairly humid and perhaps is a little too warm to grow indoor stuff? No idea. It is so weird!

4. What is one thing you would love to do if you came to NYC?

Well I do come to NYC about 2/3 times a year... BUT one thing I love to do and rarely get a chance to is to go to the Central Park Zoo. It's SO fun and I've only been once. I'd also love to rent bikes and just bike around Central Park and see it all! (And eat lots and lots and lots and lots and LOTS of city-water hot dogs.)

5. One is one thing we would do if I came to visit you?

Just ONE?! We would definitely have to do a Duck Boat Tour. I've been on two and I think they are fantastic for non-native Bostonians. They are fun, interactive and you learn a lot about Boston and the history. You also get to see almost every part of the city!

6. If you HAD to decided between having a beautiful face or an amazing body which would you choose, and why?

Face! 100%. Why? Because I can lose weight and craft an amazing body, but an ugly face is forever. (I mean unless you're willing to do some hardcore plastic surgery... which I most certainly would, but I like my face.) Also I feel like a beautiful face can totally negate a not so hot body but I don't feel like a hot body can negate a heinous face.

7. Are you more like your mom or your dad?

My mom.

8. Is there something about yourself that you hide from people when you first meet them?

I tried to hide my sarcasm and my weird way of speaking. I have the WORST habit of using ghetto-fab slang constantly. I was so proud of myself this summer because I managed to contain it 99% of the time... Except when I taught my barrister what the expression "Flip her shit" means. As in "The judge was so mad I thought she was going to flip her shit at you too!" That conversation was absolutely hilarious!

My 8 questions:

1. If you had a theme song that played whenever you walked into a room, what would it be?

2. George or Brad, and why?

3. If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

4. What is the strangest question you've ever been asked?

5. Where is your favorite place to sit in a movie theater?

6. On a plane- Are you a chatter or do you do everything humanely possible not to have to interact with anyone?

7. If you could bring back one TV show from your childhood, what show would it be?

8. What is the first thing you think people notice about you?

Tagged bloggers: Anyone who is READING THIS! I've gotten into a blog rut and I just keep reading the same blogs over and over. If you are reading this please do it and then leave me a comment so I can find your blog! (Also, if you have any suggestions for fun new blogs, let me know!)

Go ahead. You know you want to play...

DO IT!

Girls, just wanna have fu-uuuun!!

So last night I met up with some of my favorite bloggers for cocktails. Black Lab & Lilly, Pink Maple and KAG were all DELIGHTFUL! We had great cocktails at Marliave and spent some cals on a little welsh rarebit (which was delish). It was a blast! I honestly feel like I have known them forever.

*SO CUTE! PM on the left, BL&L on the right*

*KAG & Me*

(In my defense my dress was tulip shaped and when I sat down it bubbled up. Turns out its not so flattering sitting. Don't judge me people.)

I really had a great time and can't wait until we meet up again!

Thanks girls!

Tomorrow: Review of the Connaught's Tea Room in London!

Wedding Wednesday!

This is clearly the week of themed posts! Since we're almost 6 months away from my wedding, I thought it might be time to throw a little more wedding stuff at y'all.

Topic of today's wedding wednesday?

FOOD.

Which in my opinion is the most important part!

I finally had a call back from my planner at The Ritz and we discussed food options and scheduled the tasting. I have decided that I want a southern theme to the food. My entire family is southern and it no secret that I harbor a deep love for any and all food found south of the Mason Dixon line. Fried chicken, hushpuppies, collard greens, shrimp & grits... You name it, I love it.

Insert ENGLISH fiance.

PB & his family have never tried good ole' southern cookin'. However, since I am bringing 75% of the guests, I figure I get to dictate the menu. We've decided to have passed hors d' oeuvres during the cocktail hour, a starter, main and then wedding cake for dessert. I was talking to the woman and she suggested some appetizers as an example of what they could do... She said "How about pulled pork slider on a cheddar chive biscuit?" UM, YESSS! She then followed it up by saying "And what about fried green tomatoes?" Again, YES!

If the two options off the top of her head are any indication, the food is going to be OUT of this WORLD! We're likely going to have shrimp & grits as an option as a main course because it's my favorite food in the entire world. PB is not a fan, so we'll likely also have a steak option and maybe one more for non-meat eaters. The tasting is October 29th. Mama and I will be flying down to Charlotte and spending the night.

The only thing I didn't like is the scoff I got when I told the wedding planner where our rehearsal dinner is going to be. She asked and I answered: BOJANGLES! I love Bojangles and I NEVER get to have it. I also hate fancy rehearsal dinners. So we're going to walk ourselves down to Bojangles and have us a jolly ole time before the old folks retire and the young folks head off to a honky-tonk bar for the night.

The fancy Ritz lady can scoff all she wants, but this bride will be in heaven with her fried chicken, biscuits and sweet tea a'la Bojangles.

Now, you tell me... What is the best wedding food you've ever had!

Any southern delicacies you think must be included?

Bicycles, ice cream and the biggest sandwiches ever made...

I have posted a few times when we've done cycle trips through the New Forest in England. We absolutely love it. It's so fun! We could barely sit down the next day, but we had a blast. Now that we have a house we can invest in some bikes and start trying for longer distances. We do a 15 mile ride through the forest and usually stop for lunch and ice cream.

We both really want to do a cycling vacation trip in the next year or two so we better get serious about it!

Here are some of the highlights of our last trip...

*Smiling before the pain*

*Adorable horses along the way... I tried to pet but no luck. The baby was scared of me!*

*Mini break to take pics of the scenery and animals*

*Our fav lunch joint*

*LOOK at the size of that BREAD!*

*Unsure if they gave me enough cheese...*

*Aw*

*PB tried to use his fleece as extra padding by pulling it under his butt. Those seats are HARD!*

*I fell off like twice trying to get started again. I was drinking water at lunch. I swear!*

*Cool tree in the Arboretum*

*Moi*

*Shetland pony!!*

*Ice creaaaammmm!*

It was SO much fun. I can't wait until we try it again! I've gotten better at hills and totally beat PB up the one huge hill! I didn't even slow down! WOOOO!

Have any of y'all done a cycling trip? If so what is the best way to train for it?

The Eden Project: Part 1

The weekend before last PB and I wanted to do something fun and spontaneous. We got up and went to WW (I'd gained 1/2lb. Bleh) and then we called British Airways to get on a flight to Edinburgh. PB had checked flights literally 1 day beforehand and the prices had tripled overnight! PB mentioned how he'd always wanted to see The Eden Project so we decided to venture to Cornwall and see it instead of Scotland.

The Eden Project is an educational charity that uses "exhibits, events, workshops, and educational programmes to remind people of our dependence on, and connection to, the natural world." It's located in a vast pit with two huge biomes; the Rainforest biome and the Mediterranean biome. In each of the biomes they grow plants, vegetables, etc and have various exhibits. It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen! Before I get to the pictures and details of the project, let's discuss our trip down.

Saturday we drove down to Plymouth and checked in at a snazzy hotel known by the name of "Holiday Inn." Ohhhh was it stunning! We felt as if we walk straight into 1972. (We both acknowledge that we've become spoiled hotel snobs. But in the world of affordable hotels, in my opinion, Hampton Inn? Yes. Holiday Inn? No. Although because of PB's priority club status we were upgraded to an "executive room." That's right. High rollers, folks.)

After we checked in we ventured out to find dinner. We passed a Mexican restaurant on our way in. I got so excited and made a beeline straight for it. However, after noticing that enchiladas came with "chips" and "prawn cocktail" was on the menu with "potato skins" I decided that perhaps this wasn't a truly Mexican restaurant. I mean really... fries instead of rice and beans?!

A few doors down we noticed a sleek looking Japanese restaurant that looked packed. We ended up at Yukisan and it was literally the best Japanese food either of us had ever eaten. We were taken upstairs and sat on the floor which was so fun! It actually was quite comfortable and we ended up being in this huge room all alone, which was lovely. PB ordered duck spring rolls followed by wasabi steak with wasabi mayonnaise and I ordered the vegetable gyoza followed by the grilled sea bass with sweet ginger sauce. For dessert we were really bad- PB got chocolate pudding (which was really a dark chocolate cake) and I got the deep fried banana rolled in coconut. It was HEAVEN! I know it's unlikely that many of the people reading this blog would venture to Plymouth, but should you find yourself here, you MUST try! (I forgot to take pictures of our dinner because I was too busy eating it!)

*Dining Room*

*My gorgeous fiance. Swoon.*

*Moi*

After dinner we ventured to this fair that was on the ocean. We rode rides, ate cotton candy (aka candy floss) and PB won a pink ball for me at a shooting game. Who knew he was such a good shot?! It was super fun! We headed to bed and the next morning were off to The Eden Project.

Here's a pic of the view on our way in... Stay tuned for a full post on The Eden Project tomorrow!

Pear & Brie Tart

So I was feeling a little creative the other night (inspiration courtesy of one of my favorite foodie bloggers) and decided to try my hand at a homemade tart. We had pears, an onion, and some leftover phyllo dough that needed to be used up.

*Um, I forgot the onion... but trust me. It was present!*

We checked the cooking time on the dough and preheated the oven. PB is a timid cook, so to inspire more confidence (and because I may or may not be lazy) I put him in charge of caramelizing our leftover onion. He did SUCH a good job!

After he had caramelized the onion we unrolled the phyllo dough, I spread a little garlic/herb cheese (oh, hey Philly light) on the phyllo and then layered the onions, followed by the slices of pears and brie cheese. We baked and it ended up being DELICIOUS! I urge you to try this! I only caution that the onions were really strong and somewhat overpowered the taste of the brie and pears.

*Going in the oven... Clearly I almost forgot a picture!*

*Ta-daaaa!*

*Add a little salad and it made such a wonderful dinner!*

What are some creative dinners you all have come up with recently?

Bad, Bad blogger.

Y'all.

I have become the biggest deadbeat blogger!!!

There are a few reasons for this. First, PB's internet and my computer do NOT get along. I tried 3 times last week to upload more pictures and blog post and after waiting 1 1/2 hours each time (NO. I am NOT exaggerating) for the pictures to upload I gave up. Second, we have been SO busy. With purchasing a house, figuring out furniture, paint colors, budget stuff, wedding stuff, and then trying to actually spend time together we have had literally NO free time. Plus I kind of think y'all find my posts on Tea Rooms and british-touristy thing boring. To be honest I don't really have much to blog about other than that!

I'm on a kick where there is almost nothing that I'm jonsin' for materialistically, nothing really I'm feeling all rant-y about, nothing really exciting going on to share...

Y'ALL!!! I AM BORING!

So with my excuses given, I'll shut up and leave you with some pictures... This is what we've been up to lately. Tomorrow I'll share a recipe I came up with for a pear and brie tart. So simple and delicious! GIVE ME UPDATES PEOPLE! I'm going to try to catch up on blogs this week!