Along the road i found Abbey (its the most creative title i could come up with..dont judge me)

Abbey is one of those people I just instantly became friends with..

she e mailed me to say hi,

and bam.

friendship born.

Kinda like how her first little one is going to be born soon.

but not really like that at all.

Because that involves a little more work then an email...

alright then..

********

Top o' the mornin' to all of you lovelies! 

(I'm trying to channel the Irish man candy/British invasion in Meg's life... I'm pretty much obsessed, but which one of us isn't?)

I'm Abbey from Along Abbey Road, where I blog about a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I like to talk about clothes, food, funny stuff, puppies, decor, The Mister, love, family, and random things I think are awesome. 

The Mister and I have been married for 2.5 years and are expecting our first addition, Baby Rod, in January. All I can say is that life is pretty amazing around these parts. 

Let's be friends, okay? Okay.

go be her friend here 

conversations II

me: i want an icrecream cake for my birthday please

S: whats an icecream cake?

me: haha. funny.

S: no really. what is it?

me: it’s an ice cream cake....

S: ive never seen one..

me: its a cake with ice cream like inbetween the slices, instead of frosting or whatever. basically magic in your mouth.

S: we dont have those.

me: then you better take me home to america for my birthday.

::whilst pinteresting:::

S: what is peppermint bark?

me: I dont understand that question

S: seriously...what is it?

me: a chocolate candy that Santa Clause makes in the north pole. obviously.

me: what are you doing?

S: making a sandwhich

me: ........with what?

S: Chips*

me: you are putting fries on a bun...?

S: yes

me: and you judge me for having one vegetable with dinner? really??

S: everyone is skin right now

me: everyone has skin?

S: no everyone is skin

me: did you know skin is the largest organ? Grey’s Anatomy told me.

S: no babe, everyone IS skin..it means tight for cash. 

me: then why dont you just say that?

:::talking about christmas gifts::::

S: no thats too dear.

me: i dont think it is.

S: really? 

me: ya..i mean its cute..but not too cute..

S: what?

me: I dont think something can be too cute to buy ya know? you can never be too cute.

S: that is not what too dear means...

me: ..............

S: it means too expensive

me: oh. totally.

:::at breakfast:::

S: i saved these for you, because i know they are your favorite part

m: saved what for me?

S: the crispy fat part of the bacon

m: i feel so known.

S: cheese puffs and hot cheetos arnt bad, but regular cheetos are not nice

me: you watch your mouth

me: say it

S: no pet.

me: pleaaasee

S: no. its not even right. its southern irish. im from the north.

me: oh pleasee say it.

S: sigh. fine.

me: yes!

S: top of the mornin to ya!

me: hehehehehe

:::comes out of bathroom:::

S: I filled her to the throat!

me: I dont fully know what that means, but im pretty sure its disgusting.

*chips=fries

see part I here

weekend view

It wouldn't be a thanksgiving post unless I mixed in some pictures of "Americandy"

The American candy/snack store my bf discovered in town.

Because Thanksgiving is not a holiday here (obviously)

people don't get Friday off of work..

So instead of cooking Thursday,

I cooked Friday.

Fret not.

I bought some imported canned pumpkin.

and made my favorite Paula Deen Pumpkin cake recipe,

as well as..

Turkey,

stuffing,

candied yams,

cranberry sauce,

Brussels sprouts,

mashed potato's,

gravy,

and mac n cheese.

They were super confused about the candied yams and mac n cheese..

since mac n cheese is not considered a side dish here..

and they were like "where is all the veg?"

and i was like..

"pretty sure there is celery in the stuffing. duh."

The real highlight though was Americandy (yes that's what it is called..i didn't make it up..unfortunately)

Holy poptart and sugar cereal heaven..

sugary cereal is outlawed here in grocery stores

Apparently it makes children all cracked out?

who knew?

After I was done having a full body sweat from the overwhelming american scents

I went to the check out with my cheese puffs and flaming hot cheetos

and in my best american accents was like

"this place is freaking awesome!"

and the scottish guy was all

"ya people think it's totally weird"

What is weird about a giant butterfinger priced at 8pounds ($12.00)?

Roots and Wings

I get really really excited when I find other expats,

or when they find me.

So when Daryl contacted me I was all up in her grill..

and not just because she is a southern california girl..

recently married to a european man..

living in Europe..

ok that's totally why I was up in her business..

harassing her with questions..

It's okay.

she learned to love it.

*******

Hey there readers of Across the Pond! 

Like Megan, I'm a Southern Californian living in beautiful but rainy Europe. 

Also like Megan, I'm living here with the man of my dreams. 

Aren't we lucky ducks?

I blog over at Roots, Wings, and Other Things about our adventures through Europe 

(one country at a time!) 

as well as my trials, errors, and lessons learned as I dive headfirst into this whole homemaker thing 

for the first time...ever. 

My blog is about love, adventure, and finding a way to put down roots AND find your wings. 

Yes, it's totally possible.

I hope you'll stop over for a peek and join in the fun!

******

ugh I love her.

how cute is she?

visit her here

24 thankfuls

1. canned pumpkin from the import store
2. my moms bravery and generosity
3. my little brothers humor
4. my bf’s selfless nature
5. Ireland for producing hot men with accents
6. words like lovely, brilliant, bloody, aye, and cheers that have added to my vocabulary
7. Hunter welly boots
8. care packages and gifts that make me feel loved, thought of, and give me a little taste of home from Ahnika, Emily, Bridget, Chanel, Nicole, Sarah,  Ana, and Chelsea...and for all of those who offer to send me treats.

9. Accessories that help me get through the winter from Leigh and BeeTa 

10. Jewelry that makes me feel pretty from Anna and Barberry and Lace.
11.  Southern California
12. our new flat 

13. cheetos and their cheesy crunchy goodness
14.  upcoming christmas travels and festivities
15.  my completed Masters Degree
16. morning poops
17.  second chances
18. forgiveness
19. my bf’s car
20. saying goodbye to 25 and hello to 26 in 8 days.
21.  making it through my 25th year
22. the UK for saving me
23. the internet (i mean, duh)
24.  and family and friends all over the world. I couldnt feel more loved.

Christmas Preview

I know a lot of people are wondering what my plans are for Christmas this year..

So here is a little sneak peek into what my Christmas is going to look like..

Nottingham, England

London, England

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Glasgow, Scotland

Glasgow, Scotland

Edinburgh, Scotland

Edinburgh, Scotland

Details to come.

**ps**

in case you missed it i was at these lovely ladies blogs yesterday!

go here and here!


that should keep you entertained until next week really..

or the next ten minutes.

Beeta Giveaway

I've decided to basically dress you all for winter,

because it's cold and I'm kind.

Today BeeTa is GENEROUSLY giving away a choice of cowl from her shop.

You can see me wearing her infinity scarf here and here

(kinda obsessed...)

You can also see Sarah from Fairy Tales are True sporting it here

Her stuff is all hand knit,

and comes with the cutest little charm on it..

You have a choice between the Edgewood cowl..

Or the Piedmont Cowl

Edgewood Cowl

Piedmont cowl

To Enter (must be a follow of Across the Pond either via GFC or Bloglovin or goolge reader etc)

1. Visit BeeTas shop and tell me which cowl and which color you would get

2. Favorite BeeTas shop on etsy

3. Follow me on twitter

4. Follow BeeTa on twitter
5. like BeeTa on facebook
6. Tweet about the giveaway

(for three extra entries, purchase something from BeeTas shop and send me the receipt..its a good christmas gift..)

Separate comments for each thing you do.

Also, you will receive free shipping with the code : FREESHIPPING

on anything from her shop up until December 3rd.

*****CLOSED*****


WINNER:

Its that time

Man flu is happening something fierce up in here.

I'm hoping its less dramatic in non-American men.

However he is pouting as i type this..

so really its up in the air.

I have to give him credit though,

because even with man flu he worked a full day and then proceeded to surprise me by getting me brown sugar cinnamon poptarts that he found at an American candy story near his work,

after I tweeted that I missed them.

he said, and I quote, 

"I was so chuffed* when I saw them pet, but I'm so sorry, I totally should have gotten the rootbeer too. I asked for gushers but they didn't have them."

After that, I think I can handle a bit of man flu.

ps.

It is my birthday soon 

:::squeal:::

which basically means i have a legit excuse to buy a new dress.

which one?

 

I want something black,
long sleeved,
classic,
but sexy too...

Should I go with the sparkle fad?
Or get something that I know will last longer then one winter season?
You picked the dress I wore for the Irish/Scottish wedding..

so I figured you can do it again.
My life is in your hands.
No pressure.

*chuffed=excited

all images via asos.com

Eat Yourself Skinny

So when I'm not stuffing my face with bacon and chips and other fried foods

(stop looking at me with your judging eyes)

I like to actually cook healthy things..

okay I do it for my boyfriend..

and sometimes my arteries.

My number one go to blog for healthy food that tastes good is Kelly's. 

You'll see why.

*******

Hello there lovely readers of Across the Pond!
I'm Kelly, a 20-something former sorority girl turned home chef and I write for the blog 

Eat Yourself Skinny
Soo how does one eat themselves skinny you ask??
Well, I love to take super fattening {aka super delicious} recipes and skinnify them so that they are low in fat and calories.
They of course still taste AMAZING because otherwise I would not have this little blog.
I absolutely hate diets and think that they're pointless.
Eating was meant to be enjoyable so why not indulge on things that taste good
instead of only allowing yourself only celery or carrot sticks??
Yeah you know who you are.

I also share my life, my yorkie Oliver {see above} who is literally my child,
as well as my love for wine, sporting events and fun attempts at photography.
Don't judge.
So if you're looking for yummy skinny recipes  or just want to make a new bloggy friend,
please stop on my blog and say hello!

 

You can learn how to make this too.
You're welcome.

XOXO

conversations

This is how you know you are dating someone from America; Southern California to be exact..

me: what do you do with the dog in the winter?

S: I don't know what your asking

me: do you take it to doggy daycare?

S: a kennel?

me: no, a 3000sqft daycare facility fully equipped with jungle gyms, toys, cameras so you can watch them from your warm home, and report cards at the end of the day.

S: you walk the dog in the winter.

me: I don't understand.

me: can we drive to the grocery store?

S: no babe

me: why?

S: because it is down the street

me: your point?

:in grocery store:

me: i need crackers

S: what are crackers? like biscuits*?

me: i am too hungry to try and come up with another word for cracker, take me to the crunchy food.

::in movie theatre::

me: where are the butter pumps?

S: what?

me: the pumps that pump out melted butter for the popcorn

S: that is wrong. You can only get salted or sweet here.

me: what is this place??

S: we need to get another veg for dinner

me: but your making chicken and broccoli casserole..

S: ya i know. but we need another veg for the side..

me: but there is veg IN the dish..

S: you have to have more then one veg with your meal.

me: why?

me: what is that?

S: fajita seasoning

me: but is says BBQ on it..

S: ya its BBQ fajita seasoning..

me: that is not right. not right at all.

*biscuits=cookies

A veryloveleigh giveaway

I feel like for those who have been following me here awhile don't even need me to introduce this girl..

because I have been sporting her cowls since LAST winter.

You can see me wearing her cowls recently here and here

She is the amazing and talented Leigh from very loveleigh.

In addition to her gorgeous cowls and scarves,

she recently added stunning knitted headbands to her shop.

Praise.

Leigh Sporting the Sarah Headband

And today she is giving away a choice of headband to one of you!

It's the perfect winter accessory. 

duh.

You're welcome.

To enter (must be a follower of Across The Pond)

1. visit Leigh's shop and tell me which headband you would choose (one comment)

2. follow Leigh's blog (one comment)

3. follow me on twitter (one comment)

4. Follow Leigh on twitter (one comment)
5. like Leigh on facebook(one comment)

(separate comments for each one you do)

*****CLOSED*****


winner

New Flat

This is a little preview of what our new place looks like...

our flat of sin if you will.

So yes, Stephen and I will be shacking up together.

It's okay..

I got approval from Jesus.

He is giving me permission because i didnt live together with my ex before we got hitched..

and since that turned out so well..

the Lord was like,

"ill give you a pass this time..

just dont get knocked up. "

I thought that was fair.

We move in December 5th.

You all are invited to our housewarming.

Oh, you don't live in Glasgow, Scotland?

its okay, we will still accept your gifts.

When we got the place i was like..

the walls are purple..

and i have to walk up SIX flights of stairs to get to our flat on the top floor..

Im going to die.

I can barely make it around the block without being winded.

but i digress.

I emailed my amazing and talented friend Michelle from the design blog Ten June

to give me some helpful tips on how to decorate the living room..

where the furniture has to stay

(most places come furnished here)

but I can paint.

And she got back to me with the best inspiration board,

I just had to share.

weirdest part?

That sign she included in the upper right hand corner says Dunbarton road..

and our flat is on Dunbarton road..

she had no idea..

creeeepy.

What do you think?

I'm kinda obsessed.

And we are painting the walls a cream color btdubs.

sources:

pillow 

stone wall pic 

rug

Tribeca

grocery store hat, Michael Kors coat, infinity scarf c/o beeTa

you want our babies.

the glory realm.

that seems like a normal size for an omelette

british bacon=less fat. I just don't understand its purpose.

So I mentioned in this post about this NYC style diner placed in Glasgow Scotland's west end.
Then I got a question from a fellow blogger asking me how the food was,
and I was like, handtoforehead, duh. The food is obviously the most important part.
I think I failed to mention it though, because it was a bit disappointing.
But then I was like no, NO, American diner, I'm not letting you go down without a fight just because you don't have actual American style bacon.
Although that does give you a major slap in the face (not on wrist) because bacon is our number one food group. 

obviously.


But, I decided though I needed to go back a second time to give a proper report,
so naturally I sent Stephen a fb message while he was at work saying:

“we need to go back to tribeca and eat because i need to do another blog post dedicated to my feelings about the food there. so its purely work related and not at all about how I'm hungry and want to sit under the American flag again”

So this morning we went back and I ordered the FIVE egg omelette with a bagel and cream cheese (instead of the toast that came with it..clearly the bagel is the better option) AND a side of hashed browns. 

The English waitress looked at me like i was crazy, until she realized what my accent was, and then she was like “oh, alright.”

She didn't say that, but I could tell she thought it.

Stephen got the Eggs Benedict..anything with hollandaise sauce on it should be safe.

 Tribeca totally redeemed itself today, if not on portion size alone.

That omelette is the size of my head.

Do not get the french toast unless you want three giant slabs of doughnuts. Or the big breakfast with eggs, sausage, british bacon, tomato's, mushrooms, hashed browns and toast..

unless you're British.

Then we went and got ice cream cones.

because this is America.

Some Little Miss Action

 Sometimes i follow blogs so I can pretend to have their lives for the 2 minutes it takes me to read a post.
Ok most of the time that's why I follow a blog.
And because I'm a creep.
Don't judge me,
so are you.
stalkers.

Holly is one of the people whose lives I stalk..
and it has nothing to do with the fact that her and her hubby just moved into a brand new house.

.....it kinda does actually.

That, and because her photos are awesome.
See example here

*******

 I'm Holly - But everyone calls me Holls

Which is why I named my blog Little Miss Holls

Not sure where the Little Miss came from - but who cares - I like it!

I live in Portland, Oregon (a city that I'm in love with!!!)

I blog about random things, really.

I share pictures, I share what I do and what I love in my life.

and this is meeeeee.. and what I look like 99% of the time...

Just kidding (kind of, not really)...

Stop by and say HI sometime :)

Weekend view

Hunter wellies, and no, my legs havnt grown since I was 12, and i'm wearing two pairs of leggings here.

Bread box and salt n pepper shakers, 2 pounds thrift store. bargain.

H&M coat,  infinity scarf c/o BeeTa, TopShop sunglasses, Zara Jumper/sweater

Right across the street from my new flat is a New York American style diner.

Fully equipped with a NYPD car,Yellow cab, and pancakes with maple syrup.

This is dangerous for multiple reasons.

The main reason being that someone ends up crying when looking at the American flag.

Hint: that someone is not Irish...

I just realized I am wearing sunglasses, a coat, sweater, scarf, and rain boots.

Nothing about that makes sense.

But let me tell you something,

Hunter rain boots combined with Hunter fleece rain boot socks, is the best thing to happen to me since I had my first cheeto when I was 4 years old.

I am forever changed.