Well besides being a stepmom, daughter, sister, aunt, wife, stepsister and friend....
I have become a lass, m8 (mate), chick, bird, pet and feel as if I have made more true friends.
Not that I didn't feel as I had friends before but wow the circle is growing and everyone is so lovely.
I do have to admit it takes some work getting used to being called chick and pet and I am Prince Charming's bird. Well for one I don't belong in the zoo but they are terms of affection really.
I am proud to be one of the lasses and a mate. I think being American helps me as I will talk to anyone which seems to work for me and I have gained some very cool mates. Of course it takes time but if you aren't willing to put yourself out there, you will never know right?
Somedays I reflect on all the people I know from all the years of my life and I am truely blessed to realise I have wonderful friendships spanning all cultures, states, countries and honestly couldn't ask for me...
*Ok I could ask for more but not in the friendship areana but I didn't want to sounds greedy and start in on the bathrooms again ;-)
snow white
Monday, 27 June 2011
Monday, 20 June 2011
Bathroom NO Bathrooms!
Have I been spoiled my whole life? No I don't think so.
I can't recall a time in my life where I didn't have more then one bathroom - seriously I can't.
Even as a child I am pretty sure we always had one downstairs and at LEAST one upstairs. I am having a problem wrapping my head around looking for a new house and everything is one bathroom. They call it the "family bathroom" WTH I don't want to share my bathroom and hand towels with the family. My bathroom should be a peaceful adult space where you can go and its always clean and fresh with no toys, no shampoo across the tiles of the shower or toothpaste left in the sink.
I think I am looked at weird when I put my foot down and say I will not move until I get my own bathroom umm sorry en suite. There are priorities and that is one of them - call me weird. Prince charming keeps saying well we just don't do it that way. My reply - we will do it that way. I can't imagine 20 years sharing a bathroom, I just can't haha
Call me weird - its cool, I am just an American living in a new world and some things I can't let go.
1. En suite
2. Grass in my back yard (not my garden but I do want a garden to grow things in)
3. Open plan kitchen and living room
4. Oh and proper sheets not the 200 thread crap they call luxury here.
(You will notice a theme in my blog about bathrooms/linens - it has become a slight obsession with me.)
Do you share? Do you want to share?
snow wife
"Oh he is just someone I met in the bathroom!"
I can't recall a time in my life where I didn't have more then one bathroom - seriously I can't.
Even as a child I am pretty sure we always had one downstairs and at LEAST one upstairs. I am having a problem wrapping my head around looking for a new house and everything is one bathroom. They call it the "family bathroom" WTH I don't want to share my bathroom and hand towels with the family. My bathroom should be a peaceful adult space where you can go and its always clean and fresh with no toys, no shampoo across the tiles of the shower or toothpaste left in the sink.
I think I am looked at weird when I put my foot down and say I will not move until I get my own bathroom umm sorry en suite. There are priorities and that is one of them - call me weird. Prince charming keeps saying well we just don't do it that way. My reply - we will do it that way. I can't imagine 20 years sharing a bathroom, I just can't haha
Call me weird - its cool, I am just an American living in a new world and some things I can't let go.
1. En suite
2. Grass in my back yard (not my garden but I do want a garden to grow things in)
3. Open plan kitchen and living room
4. Oh and proper sheets not the 200 thread crap they call luxury here.
(You will notice a theme in my blog about bathrooms/linens - it has become a slight obsession with me.)
Do you share? Do you want to share?
snow wife
"Oh he is just someone I met in the bathroom!"
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
I left school years ago...
I always had decent grades and thought I understood things pretty well then WHAM you land in another country.
Let's just say I now have major brain farts on certain phrases and spelling of words. I always thought oh that won't be me, I have lived so many years with US phrases and words engraved in my brain but it has happened.
Few randoms happenings:
Snow Wife
Let's just say I now have major brain farts on certain phrases and spelling of words. I always thought oh that won't be me, I have lived so many years with US phrases and words engraved in my brain but it has happened.
Few randoms happenings:
- I couldn't remember what what a car park was called for a brief moment duh parking lot
- I actually used the UK 1st floor correctly and then had to think if it was right because here the 1st floor is the second floor because the 1st floor is the ground floor here. (see how you can confuse yourself?)
- The Z and S conundrum - organize/organise OR apologize/apologise I randomly do it both ways now!
- Doubling the "L" - I see it and it looks right but US programs tell me I am wrong so it's another one I use both obviously travelling/traveling OR fuelling/fueling
- Using "pissed" this is common in our neck of the woods - He was pissed like...That is a full sentence. It means woah was he drunk and it isn't like anything. The like is just an add-on like a valley girl would say but with a Geordie accent.
Snow Wife
"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one."
C.S. Lewis
C.S. Lewis
Monday, 6 June 2011
18 to drink?
We all know what we were like as dwarfs, we wanted to be grown ups and get there as soon as possible. right?
We dressed older? We might have had fake ID's? We were scoring cheap beer or crap alcohol just to drink because we were cool.
Obviously this still happens but it seems here in the UK its younger and younger. Maybe because the drinking age is 18 so parents start letting dwarfs drink at home earlier (from my own experience) to take the "edge" off going out and drinking or sneaking around.
I am not sure how I feel about this...I am not sure when it's ok to let your dwarfs have a drink or try a type of alcohol. I would let the dwarfs taste something sure but when is the age you let them actually have a drink? When do you start looking out for the signs of your dwarfs going out and drinking at someone else's house? How do you feel about parents of your dwarfs friends buying alcohol for dwarfs and letting them drink without your permission?
We don't want to be the hard core crazy parents because we know it will happen but we want it to be handled in a calm and respectful manor. We want the dwarfs to realise the outcome of drinking and what can happen to them not just the fun side of feeling everything is funny and you and your friends are having a grand old time.
At the age of 16 here as well as the US seems to be an appropriate age to allow your dwarf to have a liquid beverage in your presence. Now I said "a liquid beverage" I didn't say get shitfaced drunk. We have a few cocktails in front of the kids or when out to dinner or even around friends. It shows responsible drinking as one of us is always driving - we try to set by example. So to allow them to "try" a sip in our presence seems like a better idea then to go drink god knows what, with god knows what's been put in it with "friends."
I know the law is 18 to purchase alcohol but the age to consume is alcohol is 5 years old in the private house with parental consent (WTH) and at 16 they can drink when having a meal with with a parent (fair enough). It boggles my mind as I know I was no princess and I sure as hell didn't drink in front of my parents until I was 17 but I was a senior in high school (starting college/university the next year).
So how do you handle it? What if they are 12,13,14, 15 ?
snow wife
I began drinking alcohol at the age of thirteen and gave it up in my fifty sixth year; it was like going straight from puberty to a mid-life crisis.
George Montgomery
We dressed older? We might have had fake ID's? We were scoring cheap beer or crap alcohol just to drink because we were cool.
Obviously this still happens but it seems here in the UK its younger and younger. Maybe because the drinking age is 18 so parents start letting dwarfs drink at home earlier (from my own experience) to take the "edge" off going out and drinking or sneaking around.
I am not sure how I feel about this...I am not sure when it's ok to let your dwarfs have a drink or try a type of alcohol. I would let the dwarfs taste something sure but when is the age you let them actually have a drink? When do you start looking out for the signs of your dwarfs going out and drinking at someone else's house? How do you feel about parents of your dwarfs friends buying alcohol for dwarfs and letting them drink without your permission?
We don't want to be the hard core crazy parents because we know it will happen but we want it to be handled in a calm and respectful manor. We want the dwarfs to realise the outcome of drinking and what can happen to them not just the fun side of feeling everything is funny and you and your friends are having a grand old time.
At the age of 16 here as well as the US seems to be an appropriate age to allow your dwarf to have a liquid beverage in your presence. Now I said "a liquid beverage" I didn't say get shitfaced drunk. We have a few cocktails in front of the kids or when out to dinner or even around friends. It shows responsible drinking as one of us is always driving - we try to set by example. So to allow them to "try" a sip in our presence seems like a better idea then to go drink god knows what, with god knows what's been put in it with "friends."
I know the law is 18 to purchase alcohol but the age to consume is alcohol is 5 years old in the private house with parental consent (WTH) and at 16 they can drink when having a meal with with a parent (fair enough). It boggles my mind as I know I was no princess and I sure as hell didn't drink in front of my parents until I was 17 but I was a senior in high school (starting college/university the next year).
So how do you handle it? What if they are 12,13,14, 15 ?
snow wife
I began drinking alcohol at the age of thirteen and gave it up in my fifty sixth year; it was like going straight from puberty to a mid-life crisis.
George Montgomery
Saturday, 28 May 2011
Fashion & Shopping
Living in the UK I have realised the shopping is pants crap in my opinion. Let me give you a quick run down on a few of the stores. Believe it or not the grocery stores have clothing sections and they are quite popular.
Grocery Stores
ASDA - This is owned by Walmart so the clothing line is by George. (Someone said he used to work for Next haha)
I do own a few things from ASDA such asjoggers sweatpants for working out and a few tops and they aren't that bad but obviously aren't the best quality.
Tesco - They carry the Cherokee line which I believe Target carried as well. I think the selection is crap but I did get a bathingcostume suit there and I kinda dig it and it wasn't insanely expensive like the states.
Sainsbury's - They have more of a selection the the above grocery store in my opinion. Nice selection ofjumpers sweater, casual dresses, tops and I do love my PJ's from there. I am still unsure of the quality but only time will tell.
Other Stores
Next - Everyone raves about this store but honestly I wonder how old you need to be to wear some of this stuff? The smart casual line isn't bad but it is really hit or miss for me, I think most store in the US or UK are like that for me. I will say I think the website is better then the actual store.
River Island - Good lord - I have NEVER ever found anything I would wear in this store. It's like a hoochie store on wheels to me but then again maybe I am to "old" for this store. I always give this place a chance and walk in, do the tour and walk out.
Matalan - This store I do like for some reason maybe because it is like a mini Kohl's. Except they carry the papaya brand in normal people sizes unlike that store in the states. Also the rural romance collection is fab.
Peacock's - Varied styles, decent prices and kind of reminds me of a baby version of forever 21. I own a few things from here as well.
Primark - This is throw away clothes central. You buy it cheap and it falls apart after you wash it. The lines are insane most of the time and crap is thrown everywhere in the store, no I have never seen a tidy Primark.
Also some prices here are insane. Example I went into the Guess store to check out a pair of jeans and they wanted 90 quid - can you say holy crap! Don't covert that or you might puke. Where as in the states I can get 2 pairs of Guess jeans for 50 bucks. You can bet I didn't buy them here.
The fashion is totally different since never in my life would I think I would wear leggings or jeggings (again) but here I am loving it. So it's not all bad...just different. I would just love a Kohl's to come to town or even a Target but even if they did, it would not be the same. Those stores would need to succumb to British standards and fashion to make it and that would defeat the point. So I will just buy when I see something I fancy or just wait to hit the states and stock up on Kohl's, Macy's and Old Navy.
Of course I am no fashion guru but I do like a decent top and a good pair of jeans. I won't even get started with what shoes come into fashion in both countries because honestly I giggle too much.
So where is your favourite place to shop? Best deals to be had?
snow wife
I always say shopping is cheaper than a psychiatrist.
-- Tammy Faye Bakker
Grocery Stores
ASDA - This is owned by Walmart so the clothing line is by George. (Someone said he used to work for Next haha)
I do own a few things from ASDA such as
Tesco - They carry the Cherokee line which I believe Target carried as well. I think the selection is crap but I did get a bathing
Sainsbury's - They have more of a selection the the above grocery store in my opinion. Nice selection of
Other Stores
Next - Everyone raves about this store but honestly I wonder how old you need to be to wear some of this stuff? The smart casual line isn't bad but it is really hit or miss for me, I think most store in the US or UK are like that for me. I will say I think the website is better then the actual store.
River Island - Good lord - I have NEVER ever found anything I would wear in this store. It's like a hoochie store on wheels to me but then again maybe I am to "old" for this store. I always give this place a chance and walk in, do the tour and walk out.
Matalan - This store I do like for some reason maybe because it is like a mini Kohl's. Except they carry the papaya brand in normal people sizes unlike that store in the states. Also the rural romance collection is fab.
Peacock's - Varied styles, decent prices and kind of reminds me of a baby version of forever 21. I own a few things from here as well.
Primark - This is throw away clothes central. You buy it cheap and it falls apart after you wash it. The lines are insane most of the time and crap is thrown everywhere in the store, no I have never seen a tidy Primark.
Also some prices here are insane. Example I went into the Guess store to check out a pair of jeans and they wanted 90 quid - can you say holy crap! Don't covert that or you might puke. Where as in the states I can get 2 pairs of Guess jeans for 50 bucks. You can bet I didn't buy them here.
The fashion is totally different since never in my life would I think I would wear leggings or jeggings (again) but here I am loving it. So it's not all bad...just different. I would just love a Kohl's to come to town or even a Target but even if they did, it would not be the same. Those stores would need to succumb to British standards and fashion to make it and that would defeat the point. So I will just buy when I see something I fancy or just wait to hit the states and stock up on Kohl's, Macy's and Old Navy.
Of course I am no fashion guru but I do like a decent top and a good pair of jeans. I won't even get started with what shoes come into fashion in both countries because honestly I giggle too much.
So where is your favourite place to shop? Best deals to be had?
snow wife
I always say shopping is cheaper than a psychiatrist.
-- Tammy Faye Bakker
Monday, 23 May 2011
Advice on making new friends
So here you are in a foreign country and you left all your friends and are starting over. Where do you start? I am quite lucky I have some very good friends I met threw Prince Charming and they have been my saving grace since moving here and I love them to pieces. Sometimes I do wish I had my own click and own friends so everything wasn't so intertwined.
This requires me to get out and meet people for goodness sake.
Where do you go?
Won't you feel like the pimple face 12 year old just starting a new school and trying to say hi to someone?
You don't want to be psycho and ask for someones number and have them guffaw do you?
Moving to a new country can almost be worse then starting a new school because a new country has different cultures and etiquette that some of us are obviously not aware of so you need to learn the rules first. No one wants to be that crazy foreigner as its hard enough having someone rip your culture apart. I love a bit of banter about how somethings I find crazy in this country and then hear how they find XYZ crazy about mine. It's all good in the hood when it's banter.
So meeting new friends is like dating and I thought I was done dating once I got married...not so much.
So getting out and joining a club or taking a class to meet people should be what I am doing but it's always easier said then done. I hate being the new person with the accent. Full Stop.
Maybe I will make it a goal of mine to take one class on ANYTHING just to say I went and it wasn't that bad. The problem isn't here, it's anywhere I hate showing up alone to a class where everyone already has a click because it reminds me so much of all the new schools I went to over my life. Being the new person sucks but as someone once said, " get over it" so maybe I should. I can dish out the advice but taking it is so much harder.
There is a great site called http://www.meetup.com/ which is worldwide (well at least in the US and the UK) but of course for me its a little farther away then would like hmmm maybe I will create my own!
snow wife
"Without friends no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods."
- Aristotle
This requires me to get out and meet people for goodness sake.
Where do you go?
Won't you feel like the pimple face 12 year old just starting a new school and trying to say hi to someone?
You don't want to be psycho and ask for someones number and have them guffaw do you?
Moving to a new country can almost be worse then starting a new school because a new country has different cultures and etiquette that some of us are obviously not aware of so you need to learn the rules first. No one wants to be that crazy foreigner as its hard enough having someone rip your culture apart. I love a bit of banter about how somethings I find crazy in this country and then hear how they find XYZ crazy about mine. It's all good in the hood when it's banter.
So meeting new friends is like dating and I thought I was done dating once I got married...not so much.
So getting out and joining a club or taking a class to meet people should be what I am doing but it's always easier said then done. I hate being the new person with the accent. Full Stop.
Maybe I will make it a goal of mine to take one class on ANYTHING just to say I went and it wasn't that bad. The problem isn't here, it's anywhere I hate showing up alone to a class where everyone already has a click because it reminds me so much of all the new schools I went to over my life. Being the new person sucks but as someone once said, " get over it" so maybe I should. I can dish out the advice but taking it is so much harder.
There is a great site called http://www.meetup.com/ which is worldwide (well at least in the US and the UK) but of course for me its a little farther away then would like hmmm maybe I will create my own!
snow wife
"Without friends no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods."
- Aristotle
Monday, 16 May 2011
You can't pick your family...
Everyone has heard that old saying, " You can pick your friends but you can't pick your family." Wow nothing rings truer then that.
Family is a funny thing since these are people who are either family by blood or love. These are people who should tell you when you are wrong, pick you up when you fall or hug you when you feel down. right?
Nope some live in a world, I guess I haven't had the privilege to visit - its called lala land. Where the world revolves around them, man I wish I had a pass to that theme park. Not everyone will see eye to eye but you should always respect a person for being a human being. You don't have to agree with everything but you do need to keep the attitude in check.
I would hope my family would tell me if I was acting crazy, help me get the best bang for my buck, give advice when it would make my life better. I do also wish that family would learn to know when to shut up and when to butt out. In this world you have one life and it is the longest thing you will ever do so you better enjoy it. This means staying positive and enjoying life. Life is not always rainbows and kittens but it is what you make it - so choose wisely.
Everyone I don't care who you are or what culture you are from should use basic manners such as:
Please - adverb (used as a polite addition to requests, commands, etc.) if you would be so obliging; kindly: Please come here. Will you please turn the radio off?
Thank you - adjective expressing one's gratitude or thanks: a thank-you note
I am not one for airing dirty laundry on the internet but little reminders to the rest of the world to be polite and live life doesn't hurt. Get up and dance, learn to cook what you want, snuggle with your dwarfs and significant other, plan romantic things even if it involves a candle and a frozen pizza and most of all smile. Never let people walk on your or treat you like, don't get taken advantage of and favours work like a two way street.
Smile on people ;-)
snow wife
“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”
Family is a funny thing since these are people who are either family by blood or love. These are people who should tell you when you are wrong, pick you up when you fall or hug you when you feel down. right?
Nope some live in a world, I guess I haven't had the privilege to visit - its called lala land. Where the world revolves around them, man I wish I had a pass to that theme park. Not everyone will see eye to eye but you should always respect a person for being a human being. You don't have to agree with everything but you do need to keep the attitude in check.
I would hope my family would tell me if I was acting crazy, help me get the best bang for my buck, give advice when it would make my life better. I do also wish that family would learn to know when to shut up and when to butt out. In this world you have one life and it is the longest thing you will ever do so you better enjoy it. This means staying positive and enjoying life. Life is not always rainbows and kittens but it is what you make it - so choose wisely.
Everyone I don't care who you are or what culture you are from should use basic manners such as:
Please - adverb (used as a polite addition to requests, commands, etc.) if you would be so obliging; kindly: Please come here. Will you please turn the radio off?
Thank you - adjective expressing one's gratitude or thanks: a thank-you note
I am not one for airing dirty laundry on the internet but little reminders to the rest of the world to be polite and live life doesn't hurt. Get up and dance, learn to cook what you want, snuggle with your dwarfs and significant other, plan romantic things even if it involves a candle and a frozen pizza and most of all smile. Never let people walk on your or treat you like, don't get taken advantage of and favours work like a two way street.
Smile on people ;-)
snow wife
“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”
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