Adult time!

On Thursday I went to a local AWA Mom and Tots dinner to try out another restaurant here in Aberdeen...Royal Thai. It was nice to get out and chat with other moms. We had a great time! 

Jon and I found a babysitter here that we think we really like, so we had her over to watch the boys on Saturday night so that we could have a night on the town for Vanette's birthday. Her hubby was so sweet, he had a decked out pink hummer limo with flashing lights pick us up. Vanette was surprised when we all showed up at her door. We went to a nice steakhouse restaurant called "The Prime Cuts" and it was one of the best meals I've had here in Aberdeen. After that we went to "The Grill Bar" which is one of the oldest pubs here in Aberdeen. It was opened in 1870 as a restaurant and was converted to a pub sometime after. It offers over 500 whiskeys! We also went to "Soul" bar, which is popular here in Aberdeen. We had a great time, Happy Birthday Vanette!

Haggis, Neeps and Tatties (No thanks!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my wonderful husband Jon! He is such a great person inside and out who I love more and more everyday and is a wonderful Daddy to Trent and Landon! We love you! For Jon's birthday I decided I would cook his favorite Texas food: Chicken Fried Steak and Rice with homemade gravy. Lemon Pound Cake for dessert! YUMM! January 25 is also the annual Scottish "Burns Night Supper". We took a pass on this traditional Scottish meal but I did buy some in the grocery store to "look at" lol!

Burns Night Supper is a celebration of the life and poetry of the poet Robert Burns, author of many Scots poems including "Auld Lang Syne," which is generally sung as a folk song at Hogmanay (Scottish for New Year) and other New Year celebrations around the world. The suppers are celebrated with traditional Scottish food, entertainment e.g. pipers’ music, and often a ceilidh which is a traditional Scottish folk dance. A traditional Scottish food for Burns Night includes Haggis, Neeps and Tatties. Neeps are Swedes, a vegetable and Tatties are Mashed Potatoes.

For those who want to read a little more about what Haggis is (and beware)...its like a sausage. It is offered everywhere here in Scotland. Haggis as described in the encyclopedia is : "Haggis is a dish containing sheep's 'pluck' (heart, liver and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally simmered in the animal's stomach for approximately three hours." Yep... I will not be eating any of this!

Scottish Haggis, Neeps and Tatties

Scotland Currency

The currency of Scotland is the GBP Pound (£) and is accepted throughout the United Kingdom. One pound is comprised of 100 pence and coins can be obtained in 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1 and £2 denominations. Bank notes are commonly divided into £5, £10, £20 and £50 amounts. Pounds are also referred to as "Quid". Here is a picture of some of the pounds and pence we use here in Aberdeen.

In this picture you can see the 20, 10 and 5 bank notes front and back.

From left to right: 1 pence, 2 pence, 5 pence

From left to right: 10 pence, 20 pence, and 50 pence

From left to right: 1 Pound, 2 Pounds

Notice that there are no 1 Pound bills like the US 1 Dollar. Here in Aberdeen we use a coin. I have lots of those always floating around in my purse!

On Wednesday the boys and I baked Sugar Cookies from scratch after school and boy did we have a mess in the kitchen, flour was everywhere! They managed to use every single cookie cutter we had too and there are probably 25 of them. It was a lot of cleaning but we had a fun afternoon. Yesterday the boys and I built a "Pirate Ship" with some blocks they received for Christmas. Notice how Trent put the army tank on top! Love these boys and their imaginations.

Union Street

On Wednesday evening my parents stayed with Trent and Landon so that we could have a night out with just  Jon and I. We went to a Brazilian Steakhouse that had just opened here and it was very good. We also went to our first Casino here in Aberdeen and had fun, no winnings though :( It was nice to get out! Trent and Landon enjoyed building a Gingerbread house with Gamma and Gampa.

On Thursday my parents and I walked Union Street in the City Centre of Aberdeen and did some shopping and just looking around. That night we all ate at Malmaison which is a really nice restaurant here in Aberdeen. Friday morning they left on a 6 am flight out of Aberdeen and we were sad to see them go. It had been a great 3 weeks visiting with family and friends back home. Can't wait to see you all again in June!

William Wallace Monument

On Wednesday my parents decided to take the 2 hour train for a day trip to Stirling, Scotland and visit the Wallace Monument and Stirling Castle. They said the town had lots of snow and it was cold and foggy but they enjoyed seeing the sights. I am posting a few pictures from my visit in October along with theirs. It was quite a difference. 

Dunnottar Castle

Monday was Trent and Landon's first day back at school from Holiday so Gamma and Gampa were able to get a tour of their International School. I think they were quite impressed. Each morning that week we would have Lattes and Hot Chocolate in the school cafeteria after dropping them off. On Monday we drive up to Banchory, Scotland (about 20 minutes away) and saw Crathes Castle and the small town of Banchory. It was so pretty with all the snow around it. We had lunch at Mains of Drum, a Garden Centre, which are very popular places around here. It was nice driving through the countryside. I took them by Jon's office to show them where he worked here and we ate at the "Cloggy House". They have had plenty of fish and chips here, steak pies, soups and sandwiches this week. 

On Tuesday we decided to take a short drive to Stonehaven, Scotland (about 20 minutes away) and tour Dunnottar Castle. This is probably one of my favorites so far as it is right along the beautiful coastline. It was very cold and windy but was beautiful to see.

Crathes Castle

Stonehaven

View of Stonehaven

Dunnottar Castle

Visitors in Scotland - Distillery Visit

Saturday afternoon on our way back from Inverness we stopped to tour Glenfiddich Distillery on the Whiskey Trail. There are tons of Scottish Whiskey Distillery's here in Scotland and this was one of the more popular ones. On Sunday we took a train to Edinburgh, Scotland for the day and toured the city, and visited "Dynamic Earth" with the kids. The ride was beautiful because there was snow all in the highlands.