I used to daydream about the girls being introduced to Harry Potter and instantly falling in love the way I did. As they started growing up, I got antsy that it was never going to happen. Last year, though, Madeline finally started the books and hasn't looked back. I've lost count of how many times she's read all of the books--we had to make a rule that she has to read something new in between rounds of Harry Potter. As she's gotten more and more into this magical world, she's become aware of ... Read More
Scotland
Felt Scotland Flag Bookmark
It's crazy to think that we've lived in Edinburgh for almost a full school year at this point. After hunkering down for the crazy winter, it feels like Scotland is coming alive with flowers and warmth (and tourists!). We're enjoying sightseeing more again now that it's not miserable and one of my favourite sights is seeing the Scotland flag flying over the castle. I can't imagine ever tiring of that view. I still can't quite get over that we live in a city with a castle. I created this super ... Read More
The Halloween Trail at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Edinburgh has no shortage of gorgeous autumn destinations. We've enjoyed spending our weekends puttering around the city--we're still fully into the city being new to us and are feeling the need to explore every corner. We live quite near the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, but hadn't actually visited with the girls before now. Scott and I went during our visit last year when they held the Botanic Lights (check out our Spiked Winter Cider!) and I've been eager to go back ever since. The Garden ... Read More
A Day at Linlithgow Palace
Linlithgow Palace was a huge hit with the girls. It's just a short train ride out of Edinburgh (so short that we didn't bother searching for seats) and makes for a lovely day. We went on a Sunday so a lot of shops in town were closed, but that only makes me want to go back all the sooner because there were craft shops I *need* to see inside. You can see the palace from the train station and walking there only takes about ten minutes if you aren't window-gazing. We made use of our Historic ... Read More
A Day at Craigmillar Castle
One of the first things we did when we arrived in Scotland was buy a Historic Scotland membership for the family. This gives us free access to over 300 historic sites across Scotland and I intend for us to work our way through all of them. Our first excursion with our membership was to Craigmillar Castle. Did you know that there's more than one castle in Edinburgh? You can reach it by bus in less than half an hour from the city center. It is well worth the trip out, is great fun for kids, and ... Read More
Adventures in Scotland: Deanston Distillery
Visiting a distillery is a must-do when you're in Scotland, even if you're not that into scotch. We had wanted to learn more about scotch whisky for a while, but didn't know where to start. We spent our time this trip around Stirling and Edinburgh, and while there are a few distilleries around, we picked a smaller one, the Deanston, for our first ever distillery tour. It's a short distance from Stirling, just outside the charming village of Doune. The Deanston is not only a picturesque ... Read More