Something I never thought I'd say...

...we are gardeners! My sister Margaret and her bf were given a tomato plant as a gift a couple months ago. They live in an amazing flat on the third floor of an old building right by the Edinburgh castle- perfect for listening to the delightful sounds of bagpipers, watching the fireworks every night of the festival and spying on tourists strolling the Royal Mile below. It is not, however, the ideal location for horticulture (had to google the definition to make sure it somewhat made sense ha).

Their flat is cool and cozy but doesn't have a garden (yard) so there was nothing they could do when the tomato plant grew too big for it's pot. Enter: The Kay/Kearns household. We gladly (once I found out I wouldn't really have to weed it) took the tomato plant in, transferred it to a bigger pot, and put it in our back garden. We bought a duck watering can at the pound store and have been out there at least twice a day lately (it's been HOT!) to water it.

Now, it must be said, that I used to hate hate HATE weeding and doing pretty much anything along those lines in the garden when I was a kid/teen. My siblings and I still talk about the time we had to disperse a giant pile of dirt throughout the landscaping in the backyard. I think it took an entire summer. At least. Weeding was by far the worst though- getting dirt caked under your fingernails and having to constantly check left and right to make sure no spiders (my biggest fear) were coming at me was not my idea of a fun Saturday afternoon.

That being said, Freddie LOVES going to water the tomato plant. He is understanding so much more these days and the second I ask if he wants to get his duck and go water the plant, he grabs it and heads for the door. He also likes watering the grass and his toes. So, I have been trying to get over my fear of spiders in their natural habitat and encourage him to enjoy the gardening experience. At least it doesn't involve any weeding (yet).

As you can tell by the pics, the tomato plant is a little crispy in places and has shown no signs of sprouting any actual tomatoes but we will persevere and see how it goes. I might be making homemade pasta sauce with our huge crop soon so stay tuned!

Photo of the week- the most Irish-looking toddler ever

Just a quick post to show off this guy's charming Irish face and bright red hair. His hair actually seems to be getting a little blonder with this heat wave we're having but overall, he's as leprechaun as they come.

Happy 4th of July from Freddie!

Freddie had a blast celebrating the Fourth of July this year. It was also the day before his fourteen-month birthday so it was a double celebration for the little lad. This is how we professed our American pride while living abroad.


1. We had an American-themed breakfast. Oatmeal with strawberries and blueberries. Delish!

 2. We dressed in our red, white and blue.
















3. We made a playlist of American songs on youtube (including this classic) and danced around the living room.

4. We made a flag cake! This is something my family (and many others) have done for years so it only felt right to continue the tradition with Freddie. It was also his first time (of many, I'm sure) to taste cake batter. Mmmmmm. Can't beat it (no pun intended).

I hope we'll be able to spend the 4th in Seattle one year in the near future so he can attend an event that holds some of my favorite memories as a child (and teen, I'm afraid to say) and that is to participate in a 4th of July parade. My sisters Francie, Margaret and a few cousins of mine (you know who you are) loved dressing up in bizarre costumes (not necessarily anything patriotic) and walking in the Edmond's kids' 4th of July parade.

We dressed as Top Ramen one year (complete with a human knife and fork), gals from the '60s another year (all you need is a scarf over your hair and a pair of old glasses) and, my personal favorite, prairie girls with a covered wagon (aka wheelbarrow). One of those brilliant ideas led to us receiving an Honorable Mention prize and I want to say it was the covered wagon. I mean, how could it not.

Hope you all had fun on the 4th (or, if you're a Brit, hope you had a good day Thursday and glad we've managed to patch things up since the 1700s)!