Favorite Things

• Mini glitter pegs
• Going to the library 
• The Great British Bake Off
• Lace
• Happy YouTube videos {here}
• Sleeping in
• Autumn leaves
• Lindsey Stirling {here}
• Having my parents home
• New scarves

My Cheery Abode

   I love decorating. Before we even got to Cambridge I was dreaming up ideas of how to decorate my room to make it happy. I've done a lot to it since I last wrote about it here. I'm quite please with how it's turned out! 

   I've mentioned a couple of times how I was sewing a bunting. Well I'm pleased to say I finally finished it this past Monday! It's been in the works for like, three months. In my defense, I sewed it all by hand. This is no wimpy bunting either, I'll be able to take it home with me. It was a labor of love, but worth it. It adds so much lovely color! 

   One of the reasons why I wanted to sew a bunting was because it would be a cheap & easy way to add lots of color! Well it turned out to be neither cheap or easy, but it was worth it in the end.

   Another new addition to my room is my Favorite Things wall! I'm hanging photos, cards, & anything I find inspirational or cute there. This project was much easier and cheaper than my bunting (no offense bunting). All you need are:

• A few thumbtacks
• Some string
• Mini clothespins
• Stuff to hang up! 

   It makes me so happy. I plan on adding another string & changing out the cards & photos often.

   Also, my seriously awesome dad bought me this beautiful comforter! It's pretty much my favorite. I'll be able to take it back home too, since it's just a duvet cover.

   Aaaaaand he also bought me twinkle lights! You remember my sob story about my twinkle lights I brought from home & burned up? Yeah, well dad was sweet & got me some new ones. (I'm slightly obsessed with twinkle lights, in case you haven't figured that out.) 

I have seriously awesome friends who send me owl post and hedgehog cards. Mah fave. 

Flowers are always a good idea. Especially zinnias. 

   I'm super happy how cheery my room looks now! Doing DIY projects is my fave. Here are a few other DIYs I'm thinking about trying out!

• This cute Book Page Bunting
• Fluffy Pom Pom Push Pins
• Happy Scrap Fabric Tassels
• Pretty Fabric Hoops

   Are there any brilliant decorating DIY projects that you've done in the past or are dying to try out? 

Please Sir, Can I Have Some S'more?

   I'm going to tell you something that will shock my American readers and confuse some of my British readers. I was talking with Hannah, one of my European friends, & I learned that she had never heard of a S'more. If you're American you are now probably thinking something along the lines of, (to quote my friend Emily) "They aren't universal?!" And if you're British you're probably thinking, "What's all the fuss about?" This is what all the fuss is about.

   Well, not technically. But this is the best I can do while I'm in England. When I learned Hannah had never had a S'more, I decided to do something about it. It's not her fault she's been deprived all her life. 

   First of all, they don't have gram crackers over here. I had to explain what a gram cracker is! It's surprisingly difficult to do. Basically, it's like a slightly sweet bread cracker. With a distinct taste. That I can't describe. 

   So I looked up a gram cracker recipe, picked this one, & we got together & made S'mores!  

   What makes gram crackers gram crackers is the gram flour that goes in them. That's probably something even my American friends didn't know. Now everyone does. I feel so accomplished. Anyway, there's a certain kind of flour that's called gram flour. And you use it to make gram crackers. Makes sense, right? 

   The gram crackers turned out more like a cookie. Like a gram cracker, a snickerdoodle, & a molasses cookie had a baby. (You might tell me three cookies can't have a baby, but I'm telling you no cookies can have a baby, so I do what I want.) I've named them Gramdoodles. My mum loves them. 

   To make the gramdoodles into S'mores we, of course, needed chocolate & marshmallows. We only had mini marshmallows and we had to toast (really just heat) them in the oven. (Normally you toast big marshmallows over a fire and they get all crispy on the outside & gooey on the inside.) Then we scrapped them onto a gramdoodle with a piece of chocolate on it & added another gramdoodle on top! And there you have it, a European S'more! =) 

   They definitely didn't taste like the S'more I know & love, but they were still quite delicious! And now Hannah has been introduced to the wonders of S'mores! (Thanks for being willing to try my strange American food.) =P And I hope that any of you readers who are British will try out this scrummy American staple!

P.S. Don't forget to enter The Cambridge Scarf Giveaway! Tomorrow is your last day to enter! 

The Cambridge Scarf Giveaway!

   I'm still exploring my own style & I'm loving many aspects of British fashion. For me, a comfy sweater, knee high socks, a skirt, & a scarf is always a winning combination!

   Speaking of winning, I'm giving away this lovely scarf to one lovely reader! I just want to say thank you to each one of you who has followed me on my adventures! As a writer, I love knowing that people enjoy reading my work (which some of you obviously must, since you keep coming back). As Autumn floats down on us, this scarf would make a beautiful & warm accessory in your wardrobe.

How To Enter

1. Follow Loquacious Wanderer

2. Leave a comment on this post telling me where in England you would most like to visit & why! It can be a place I've been to, or better yet, somewhere I've never heard of!

3. Please include your email address if it's not linked to your profile

   This giveaway will be open till September 29th, 2013, midnight, London time. The winner will be drawn at random & I'll contact them via email!

Rules

   In order to enter this giveaway you must be a resident of the United States or the United Kingdom. No duplicate comments please. If you have any questions please feel free to email me!

P.S. Thank you Zuzana for taking all these lovely pictures!

Stunning (The Lake District)

   I've been looking forward to writing this post ever since I started snapping these pictures. On September 8th my parents & started back to Cambridge, but we stopped by the Lake District for two days. My parents are going back in about three weeks for their 25th wedding anniversary. Of course I won't be going then, so they kindly gave me these two days so I could get a taste of The Lakes. 

   Our first day was spent shopping & resting in Windermere. It was an overcast day & we were pretty worn out from over a week of traveling. It wasn't until the next day when we got out in the hills that we saw how stunning the Lake District is.

   On the 9th we rode a ferry across lake Windermere to the town of Ambleside. It was gorgeous. There's really no way I can describe the beauty of the mountains, mists & woods to you. So here are some pictures to give you a tiny taste of the beautiful Lake District.

Mostly I just looked around & hummed Misty Mountains to myself. 

Can I have one of these houses, please?

   The tiny town of Ambleside was so cute! We visited St. Mary's Parish Church where Charlotte Mason is buried. She lived during the 19th century & revolutionized education in England. She fostered a love of learning in children in a day where children were punished & ignored most of the time. My mum has always been inspired by her & was really touched to see her grave.

   We then set off through the hills to Wordsworth's house. William Wordsworth was an English Romantic poet who lived during the late 1700s & early 1800s. When I was about eight a Union student named Ashely taught Joshua & me a little poetry class. One of the poems we had to memorize was William Wordsworth's "Daffodils".

I wander'd lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host of golden daffodils,

Beside the lake, beneath the trees

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky way,

They stretch'd in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee: -

A poet could not but be gay

In such a jocund company!

I gazed - and gazed - but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought.

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills

And dances with the daffodils.

Via

   No, I can't say it from memory any more (sorry Ashley), but I do remember memorizing it. That counts for something, doesn't it?

   As we traipsed up through the hills to his house I remember thinking, "No wonder he was a poet! Anyone could be a poet if they lived here!" It was absolutely stunning. We were blessed with beautiful weather which I'm beyond thankful for. Walking through these hills was the final favorite experience of my top four favorite experiences from this trip.

Photo Credit: Dad

   We did get to see Wordsworth's house, but I couldn't get a very good picture of it. I'll say one thing though, he had a great view.

   The next day we rode the train back to Cambridge. We made some great memories & saw some beautiful sights on this trip & I'm so thankful I got to go! But by the end we were quite ready to be back home in Cambridge. I've settled back into my routine of studying, walking, reading, Skyping, & (of course) blogging! I'm so glad to be back!

P.S. Make sure to check back tomorrow, I've got a treat for you!