Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland!

It's snowing! And has been for the last couple of days! If there is one thing to boost your holiday cheer and completely get you in the spirits, it has definitely been this white winter so far! The effect that snow has on people is amazing! I have been feeling like such a kid in this snow! My first instinct after walking into it was to immediately catch snowflakes on my tongue--though most people grow out of this silly pastime, I have a bit of catching up to do! Here are a few photos of our gorgeous winter wonderland so far!

The view from our window

Our street

My wellies in action!

Just before our snowball fight, we were getting JP's window!

 Yesterday the snow was heavy, and the roads so icy, that no one could really get to work! So, Peter had the day to spend with me :-) We walked into town, just to get out and play in the snow a little, bought a few things and got a bit of Christmas shopping done, sang a few Christmas songs while chasing each other with snowballs, and then came home to have a snowball fight with JP and Cat. I can definitely tell the difference from when I first got here til now, in terms of my adjusting to the cold. I think I was just learning how to dress appropriately, really. So now I find that I must wear: boots, tights, thick socks, jeans, long sleeve, sweatshirt, coat, gloves, scarf and hat, and then I am okay!

So last week was Thanksgiving. As I am sure everyone already knows, it is not a holiday here, only in America! My friend Freddy had sent me a site: allrecipes.com to inspire me. And it did just that! This site was so helpful, in that it provides how-to-videos along with tons of recipes. I studied the videos and recipes for a few days until I was feeling confident. I created a shopping list, bought the items, along with a few kitchen items as well (a measuring cup, measuring spoons, and an egg slicer), and was ready to make my first Thanksgiving dinner! Here is what we made:

• A salad with mixed greens, walnuts, beets and sliced eggs
• Mashed potatoes, gravy and stuffing (Peter made these)
• Sautéed green beans with sliced almonds
• A sweet potato casserole topped with melted marshmallows
• A roast chicken stuffed with rosemary and lemon wedges
• and for dessert...a pumpkin pie! Baked after cooking a pumpkin to make our pumpkin puree, served with vanilla ice cream and/or whipped cream! 

I knew these were fairly high expectations to have, seeing as how I hardly ever cook, but I was pleasantly surprised with how perfect everything turned out! I think the videos really helped me since I seem to be more of a visual-tactile learner...so I had the videos playing while I did it myself, and it made everything seem so easy! Peter brought home a nice bottle of wine and some pretty fall colored flowers which topped off the perfect evening to our perfect Thanksgiving meal :-) Here is how it turned out:

A few days after Thanksgiving is when the snow started! It was only a light snowfall at first, not like what it is now, so we decided to take a little walk in the forest. It was so pretty, it reminded me so much of Narnia, too!

His parent's garden

On the drive back to Canterbury

Last week also started a slight obsession with going to the driving range. Peter is an avid golfer, and so after trying to convince me for a few days to head up to the driving range, I finally gave in. It had been so cold the evenings we went, and obviously the range is outdoors, but after Peter gave me a few lessons and I was hitting the ball, I was wanting to go every night! First, let me say, Peter is amazing. Like, jaw-dropping, knock my socks off good! :-) So having him teach me and give me pointers has been so much fun, and I love feeling so enchanted watching him.

I have also recently introduced Peter to Scrabble. He's never played before! We picked it up at a Pub while we were drinking our pear ciders and waiting for our burgers, and it was hilarious watching him learn trying to use words going in all directions. So after realizing that he had this game at home, we've had a couple of nights where we'll be playing for hours :-) Another cozy pastime we've found while cuddling up on the sofa having the snow fall outside, is watching Home Alone 1&2. Such great, classic holiday films to get you in the spirit and feeling like a kid again as you start to remember the lines and laugh out loud. Good times so far in Canterbury! I am so excited to continue growing as an individual, and in love! 'Til next time!