Mark Wills - 19 Somethin'

Oh the good 'ole days! :) Enjoy!

Across the Pond with the Loeckens: Royal Ascot

Still haven't had a second to sit and do my own postings...but I just have to share my friend Kate's post with all of you! She attended the Royal Ascot! A "must do" while living here! I am SO excited to join in on the fun next year!! Enjoy her post...it's BRILLIANT! :)


Across the Pond with the Loeckens: Royal Ascot: "The weather report from the BBC: 'A much brighter day with sunny intervals but also showers, some heavy with a risk of hail and thunder, bu..."

Chocolate Macaroon Squares

My name is JoAnn and I suck at blogging! :)

Life got crazy busy and blogging was the last thing on my list. I think about it (blogging) often and yes, I am going to post on my trip into London for the Royal Wedding....someday! I just haven't had the time to sit down and play with the photos or brainstorm anything these days. The kids only have a couple more weeks of school and every day is filled with appointments and most importantly....fun adventures with my friends! :) Being an Expat, we need to make the most of our time with those we meet who are moving back to the States! So....that's what I've been doing! Since the Royal Wedding, I've been home to MN, I've toured Wimbledon, I've been to Shere for a stroll and a pint, or two. Oh my...so much to blog about! I'll be sure to bring my laptop home with me when we got back to MN/SD/ND for the summer! :) Oh...and I' almost forgot....I've been taking driving lessons and have tested!! Oh my....yes...that will be another blog...or two...maybe even three. May was a crazy month for me! :/

So anyway....tonight I'm posting a quick pick of the yummy Chocolate Macaroon Squares that I just made.


I might have baked them just a tad too long. Instead of lightly browned on the top...they got "quite a bit browned"....yet not burnt! :) Is that a word...burnt?! Anyway...it's 1am and I can't think straight right now! :) They are super delish and very rich! YUMMO! Here's the recipe from my friend John Michael! Enjoy.....

Chocolate Macaroon Squares

(American measurements)

1 package chocolate cake mix (18.25oz)

1/3 C. butter or margarine - softened

1 egg - lightly beaten

1 1/4 C. sweetened condensed milk (14 oz can)

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/3 C. flaked sweetened coconut - divided

1 C. chopped pecans

1 C. semi-sweet chocolate morsels (6 ozs)

Combine cake mix, butter and egg in large bowl/ mix with fork until crumbly. Press onto bottom of ungreased 13x9 in. baking pan.

Combine sweetened condensed milk, egg and vanilla extract in medium bowl; beat until well blended. Stir in 1 C. coconut, nuts and morsels. Spread mixture evenly over base; sprinkle with remaining coconut.

Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven for 28 to 30 minutes or until center is almost set (center will firm when cool). Cool in pan on wire rack.

David Cameron ~ Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Here's a quick little speech by David Cameron after he was notified that the AMERICAN ARMED FORCES ~ NAVY SEALS ~ took out Osama bin Laden and KILLED the crazy-ass terrorist! First of all, I just want to say THANK YOU to all the Armed Forces of the United States of America! I'm am SOOO proud to be an American and so proud and thankful of them and all their hard work and never-ending commitment to our great nation!

Secondly, I just want to show you this exciting item I received today! I contacted a couple gals who I have dealt with at the Parliament, and they helped me to attain this wonderful bottle of The House of Commons champagne signed by non other than the Prime Minister himself, Mr. David Cameron! :) I am donating this to the school that my boys attend to be put up for auction at the annual charity event they have each year! Let's hope for a large sum of money for this unique and fantastic item! So awesome to be putting every penny toward the wonderful charities that the school has chosen! And the neatest part of this whole thing TO ME....is that it was signed the week that Will & Kate got married! :) A post regarding my trip into London on April 29, 2011 is to come! Check back every few days! I'll hopefully post it soon! :)

Good times living here in the UK! ♥

Ingrid Seward on the Royal Family

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On April 12, 2011, I attended an American Women of Surrey meeting with Ingrid Seward as the keynote speaker. She is the Editor-In-Chief of MAJESTY ~ The Quality Royal Magazine, and has been since 1983. She told us all kinds of great tidbits about the royal family! Here are a few interesting facts and quotes I jotted down:

• "The Queen is thrilled that Kate is a commoner!"
• "She's (the Queen) concerned that Kate comes from a stable-minded background."
• Ingrid says that Kate's Mum is "very glamorous and glossy"! :)
• "The Queen wishes that she would have established a better rapport with Diana."
• "Charles will NOT abdicate the throne to William, because he would want him to have his freedom before he takes on the responsibility of becoming King."
• Ingrid feels bad for Fergie for not being invited to the wedding and that she believes William did NOT invite her out of respect for his grandfather. Prince Philip does not care for Fergie because of the way she disrespected their family. Fergie was a close friend to Diana and the boys were supposedly quite close to Fergie growing up. Fergie's a "busted flush" ~ not liked by the English people.
• "Will and Kate will cut their wedding cake with a sword (tradition)."
  
• "Harry has a twinkle in his eye like Diana had."
• Will and Kate will live in a 6 bedroom farm house on an island in Wales for two years. When they're in London, they'll live in a small apartment in Kensington Palace.

This is one of the two books she was selling that I purchased.

She signed both of them inside for me. See below for an example.

Majesty magazines photo by me, as are the bottom two of Ingrid's book.

Carrie Underwood - How Great Thou Art - ACM Girls Night Out

Unbelievable performance!

What the hell does BOB'S YOUR UNCLE mean?!

When we were preparing to move to England, we all went through "cultural training". One of our sons noticed a common English phrase in his workbook ~ Bob's Your Uncle. He asked our instructor what it means. She told him it means "and that's all" basically. Well...for some reason, he got a total kick out of this phrase and started to use it all the time. So, when I was trying to come up with a unique title to my blog, Bob's Your Uncle just stuck! :)

On Friday, April 29th, 2011, after William and Kate are united in marriage, they've had their reception, and the sun has set...Buckingham Palace will NOT be leaving their lights on all night long like Westminster Abbey....and Bob's Your Uncle! :)

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Here's another great example of the definition of Bob's Your Uncle: This is a well used phrase. It is added to the end of sentences a bit like and that's it! For example if you are telling someone how to make that fabulous banoffee pie you just served them, you would tell them to boil the condensed milk for three hours, spread it onto a basic cheesecake base, slice bananas on top, add some whipped double cream, another layer of banana and Bob's your uncle!