cross my heart

it seems i broke my promise to be keeping this blog alive...boxwood clippings has won me over, and i've loved blogging with em daily. however, there's still room for friday's child if only for my photography.

but for now... meet edward, my newest nephew and the best thing 2011 brought.

i'll be back soon, cross my heart!

olivia + alexia

i'm adamant that i have the cutest nieces in the world, ok...make that nephews too. if you don't believe me see some earlier blog posts on the matter: here, here and here. do you agree now?...good, we're all on the same page!

liv + lex are especially adorable to me, because they are best friends, and are always together. they are full of giggles, lots of fun, and i love them.

sisters truly are the best, so i was thinking there should be a national sister day. after googling, i'm happy to report the universe agrees with me and there is a national sister day, the next one is august 5th 2011. if you don't have a sister, you need one...go find one!

a foggy day....

in london town...
i fell in love with london when i was 10, with visits to liberty's and west end shows. when i was 19, it was the place i found my independence, the energy and excitement of a modern city. now i visit as a tourist, absorbing the history of my native land, and feeling every bit at home. the chill of autumn weather, offers another crisp outlet to all the excitement i feel when i'm there. to me, no other city is yet to top it!

i've never been a huge fan of poetry, but i do love this one:

earth has not to show more fair:

dull would be the soul who could pass by

a sight so touching in it's majesty:

this city now doth, like a garment, wear

the beauty of the morning; silent, bar

ships, towers, domes, theathers and temples lie

open unto the fields, and to the sky:

all bright and glittering in the smokeless air.

-william wordsworth

megan

i've been shooting megs since she was 2 days old...that was more than 11 years ago. everyone says she's the apple of my eye, and i love it! she's one hilarious tween!

england here i come...

i'm off home in the morning, to celebrate this witchy woman turning 90!

see you in two weeks, don't have too much fun with out me!

bff's

today i have been thinking of my siblings, my best friends. this october, we're hopefully going to all be together for the first time in about 16 years...i'm sooo excited. what are you looking forward to this fall?

this is the one and only portrait with all 8 clayton kids, taken 21 years ago. i'm prepping for a much needed update, we're all much taller now!

postcard tradition

i love traditions; whether their my families, brock's or the next door neighbors! traditions can bring generations together, make strangers into friends, and ordinary days special. one of the exciting aspects of marriage is learning the traditions of another's family, and starting your own as a new unit. here's one of my favorites that i've started in the past couple of years...postcards.

in my living room i have two frames dedicated to postcards from our most recent trip. before i place the postcards in the frames i write on the back a brief description of our trip and what's going on in our life's. when i pull the old ones out to replace, i put them in a scrapbook. in years time i can image a huge book full of postcards, each with a couple of lines reminding me of all the good times and great places we've been. here are some of my favorites, since these are our original homes:

a couple from england:

some from our most recent trip:

memorial day in LA

we had a fun-filled trip to sunny LA over memorial day. we drove down with shaun + annette, and caught up with em + brad, it was a great opportunity to visit brock's parents and chillax! among the festivities were: the getty, hollywood, horseridding, newport beach, balboa island, and medieval times...(coz everyone needs a good excuses to shout "huzzah"). here's to long days, yummy food, and lots of giggles.

Oh what a night...

filled with traffic, snow, mud puddles, and bitchiness! we barely made it in time, but got to our seats just as he was entering the stage, and from then on it was all singing, dancing, screaming and lots of laughs.

kimberly, me + mum

hel+ em

the buble, right before he ran past me and i happened to hold on to him a little too long, the bodyguard was not impressed. i seriously shouldn't be around famous people, it's embarrassing for all involed!

buble, dedicating a song to his fan...so cute!

what else can i say, if you're a fan you have to go...he puts on one hell of a show!

pancake day

today is pancake day, a national celebration in england; and as a child one of my favorite days of the year. traditionally it marks the night before the beginning of lent, but to me it simply meant we'd be eating pancakes for dinner.


the memories of this day are filled with the smell of frying oil, and a vision of my mother stood for hours at the stove, juggling two frying pans at once. the result: mountains of beautifully stacked, golden, steaming hot pancakes; for me and my seven siblings to devour. in our family it was required to have at least one 'savory' pancake first, which was usually filled with some sort of cream of chicken sauce, then we were free to go to town on the 'sweet' options: lemon + sugar, jam + butter, and golden syrup.

every time i say "it's pancake day" i'm reminded of this song from a popular show of my childhood:

wow, i remember that being a lot better back in the day!

we three kings

here's the latest shoot of henry, arthur + george.

i can't believe how time flies... it seems babies grow into little boys over night.

more little cuties

remember rosie? here are the rest of my sista's brood.

rose bud

this is rosie. she melts my heart.

in october i got to spend the week with her and her siblings, i got some adorable shots. too bad i can't share them yet as they're going to be a Christmas present, but I couldn't resist just one!

memory lane

Lately I have been thinking about the house I grew up in. It was built at the turn of the century, a tall brick semi, with black and white accents and a red door. We refer to it in my family as 'Sandy Lane'. This house was special for so many reasons, the most being that it was the only house that all 7 of my siblings and I lived in together, before the oldest ones fled the nest. It was my first home, and the only one I knew until I was 14.
When searching for inspiration for my home, I always recall that beloved house; although I know it wasn't the tall windows and doors, or the antique fireplaces that made this house special, I still am attracted to the Edwardian style.


My mum is a big believer in classics, the couch of my childhood was the Chesterfield. The first one I recall was a dark velvet green, later replaced with a more traditional brown leather. It's quite funny to think of how many memories one couch can hold: me and my sisters used to pretend the arms were horses, we'd be off riding in the country, or in an intense race; it was the haven for a sick child, and Christmas morning it held mountains of presents.
When we finish our basement, I plan on moving our lovely brown leather sectional down there, and replacing it with one of these.


There are just some things about my childhood I want to keep forever.

bearing gifts

Mother-in-laws can be beastly, but I love mine! It's not hard when she brings me gifts like this from The Pampered Chef. It has me looking forward to cooler weather, and warmer food.

4th and final trip review: ireland

The four days in Ireland were the icing on the cake for a perfect trip. My grandparents on my mum's side are Irish, so this was a perfect destination for our very first family reunion. We had such a fantastic time with family we hadn't seen in years and ones we'd never met. One of my favorite parts about visiting my mothers motherland, was I "tink" I picked up some of the accent!

me at trinity college, dublin

us at newgrange, old tombs dating back to 3200bc

family shots, dad with large stone

oldest artwork I've ever seen

the tomb

the view

more family

trip update no.3: the north

I grew up in the little village of Romiley, in Cheshire. Every time I go back to visit I can't get over how beautiful the green countryside is, and I can't help but think of the contrast between mine and Brock's childhoods. My Saturdays included long wet walks in the country, while his were spent in the sizzling LA sun by a pool! I love returning home and showing him my roots, and spending time with some of the people I love most.

pretty gals lexi + liv

adam

brother phils family

brock + lex: picnicking at chatsworth

phil, me + dan

gran + paula

the boys ready to go-kart

lake district