Viking Tea Party

Shop Talk

Hmm, I'm posting using the Typepad app which only let's you post plain text with no easy way to add HTML so I'm adding it the old fashioned way and it doesn't seem to like it much. That said, pardon the mess in my last post!

Bears and Books

So much to catch up on!

Back in the fall, after I finished Emmett's enormous race track rug (another post for another day), I decided it was time to make something for myself and I wanted a bear. Although I think he kind of looks like a sad alien rather than a bear, I do love him. He crocheted up in no time since he's made from double crochets and I might eventually make another one for Emmett in shades of blue or purple. Right now the only stuffed animal he has any interest in is a hand me down otter that came from his cousins so there's no hurry. Ironic, considering Emmett the Otter is probably one of the more famous Emmetts (but <i>not</i> the reason we picked the name).

Thanks to my Kindle, I've been doing quite a bit of reading, too. Not much to shout about but I did read Stephen King's latest <i>11.23.63</i> and loved it. Like some of my other favorite King novels (specifically <i>Misery</i>), the scary isn't supernatural or anything else that goes bump in the night. I actually read a real, paper book recently, too - bought because it was only £2.99 if you bought the Times and we were doing that already. It's <i>The Sisters Brothers</i> by Patrick DeWitt - also excellent! It got a bit wacky toward the end but the rest of it so good it's easy to shrug that off. One of the reviews used the words "If Cormac McCarthy had a sense of humor" and I think that's about right.

What are you reading these days? Has anyone read <i>A Discovery of Witches</i> by Deborah Harkness? The reviews are good but the sample chapter I read didn't make me rush to read it. I preordered <i>Legend</i> by Marie Lu as it's already gotten good reviews from the states and is supposed to be a bit like <i>The Hunger Games</i>. Anyone heard or it or read it?

Ravelry link for bear pattern: <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/happyberry-bear-dotty-in-christmas-colours">Happybeary Bear</a>

Becoming British

The week before Christmas, we dropped Emmett off at Matt's mum's and drove to
a nice little town - the name of which completely escapes me - where I took my Life in UK test.

I'd been cramming for a week or two - taking test quizzes and going over my flash cards whenever I had a moment. I felt fairly confident but had to stop in Boots for something to cure my nervous heartburn.

The test questions are a mixed bag of difficult things like how the government is structured to ridiculous questions like what holiday is on February 14th. Seriously. I can only remember one of my questions and it asked what time pubs without special licenses were supposed to close. You know, because knowing they close at eleven pm is incredibly important and proves that you're British. Ridiculous.

Anyhow, I passed, thankfully, and spent all day on December 23rd gathering the dozens of things the settlement application requires, including filling out my debit card information so that they could charge me an outrageous fee of £972. Ouch. Strangely, there's nothing on the application about any children you and your partner might have. They want mail addressed to you over the two years you've resided together to prove you live under the same roof but nothing about the flesh and blood that proves you're not a green card couple. So I included some family photos, Emmett's birth certificate and a letter.

I packaged it all up along with our passports (yikes), mailed it off, came home and opened a bottle of Buck's Fizz (like a mimosa). Now we have to wait for up to six months for the verdict. I'm not too worried but it is quite scary....

Time Flies

Last week I sat down with a pen and a blank piece of paper. In the middle of the paper I wrote "In 2012 I Will Try to..." and then filled it with things like "bake and cook from scratch more often" because I've found that it makes me happy, "take Emmett to more play groups," "think happy thoughts as I fall asleep" and make our home homier."

The one I'm most excited about is "find (re-find) my blog voice." I'm not sure who I am now but I do miss this blog and have so many things to share that have happened over the past few months. Unfortunately, I think the hard drive on my laptop has died. We have a desktop computer but it's currently hooked up to the television for Skype chats and can only be used as a computer when Emmett is elsewhere because he's computer crazy. I'm actually posting this via the Typepad app. I'm going to figure something out soon, though so watch this space. :)