Inspired Tuesday Feb. 26

What is Inspired Tuesday?

Each Tuesday Not So Ugly Ducklings hosts Inspired Tuesday along with two awesome co-hosts Dawn's Disaster and Peanut Butter and Jelly, where we offer up a free printable with some encouraging words.

Me and my co-hosts believe that any post written can inspired someone else, whether it is a personal story, a photography, a recipe.. whatever, so I invite everyone to link up their posts no matter the topic.

The rules are simple:

1) Follow Not So Ugly Ducklings, Dawn's Disaster and Peanut Butter and Jelly  in any way of your choosing.

2) It would be nice if you added the Inspired Tuesday button to your post, or even just a link back to the link-up.
3) Try to visit others and be inspired!

That's it.

Here is the button if you would like it:

<div align="center"><a href="http://notsouglyducklings.blogspot.com/" title="Not So Ugly Ducklings"><img src="http://i1250.photobucket.com/albums/hh540/sommerfugldesign/inspired-tuesday-button_zpsa22cc19f.png" width="150" alt="Inspired Tuesday" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

I am sorry but there is no free printable this week. I am in the middle of moving and wasn't able to find the time to make one. However here are some words of Inspiration:

If

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son! 

By Rudyard Kipling

Inspired Tuesday Feb. 19

What is Inspired Tuesday?

Each Tuesday Not So Ugly Ducklings hosts Inspired Tuesday along with two awesome co-hosts Dawn's Disaster and Peanut Butter and Jelly, where we offer up a free printable with some encouraging words.

Me and my co-hosts believe that any post written can inspired someone else, whether it is a personal story, a photography, a recipe.. whatever, so I invite everyone to link up their posts no matter the topic.

The rules are simple:

1) Follow Not So Ugly Ducklings, Dawn's Disaster and Peanut Butter and Jelly  in any way of your choosing.

2) It would be nice if you added the Inspired Tuesday button to your post, or even just a link back to the link-up.
3) Try to visit others and be inspired!

That's it.

Here is the button if you would like it:

<div align="center"><a href="http://notsouglyducklings.blogspot.com/" title="Not So Ugly Ducklings"><img src="http://i1250.photobucket.com/albums/hh540/sommerfugldesign/inspired-tuesday-button_zpsa22cc19f.png" width="150" alt="Inspired Tuesday" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Here is this weeks Free Printable:

It can be downloaded from Here

Do't forget to link up below!

London Part 2: In London

Did you miss part 1? You can read it HERE.

So as you can imagine, I was pretty happy to get to London after a two day drive. However the evening we got there I got a bit sick, and I spent the next morning in bed sleeping. Until that is, my husband took off with his Dad and brother to a soccer game.

It was a bit of a long day feeling sick and being stuck in a hotel room with the 3. I did manage to get it together enough to go for a short walk (short because 5 or 10 minutes in Elisabeth decided listening to me was optional) with my sister-in-law.

There was however a beautiful sunset from our hotel window.

That evening Sean and I ventured out with the kids seeking food. We ended up at a Wimpy's for burgers and fries. On the walk home, Julius decided to have a fit and just about turned and ran into traffic. I just about had a heart attack, but was able to grab him in time. From that point on it was decided the kids don't get to walk much.  London streets are far too busy to risk it.

The next day was the Wedding, but in the morning we were able to go out for a quick walk to Teddington Lock.

Olivia slept the whole time we were out. We then went back to the hotel, got ready for the wedding. The ceremony was lovely, and we managed to score a room in the back with a window and speakers. This allowed us to see the ceremony  but Elisabeth could be her pain in the butt self and wander around (she spent a considerable amount of time crawling under chairs) and Julius slept through the entire thing. I spent most of it standing with Olivia keeping her happy. It was so nice to not worry about our kids interrupting things.

There was a brief bit of time between the ceremony and the reception, so we headed back to the hotel. However Elisabeth completely zonked out, so I stayed at the hotel with her and Olivia as she slept and Sean and Julius went to the reception. I did however make it a bit later once Elisabeth woke up. We were able to enjoy the food and some of the speeches before we left early as the kids where getting overtired and starting to have melt downs. Over all though, it was a great day.

The next day we decided to try and do some sightseeing.. My plan was to start at Buckingham Place and then make our way around. I really just wanted to see Westminster Abby.

Well the train ride into the city was interesting as the kids protested most of the way. Once there we made our way to Buckingham Palace.

 These were really the only pictures I got as every time I tried to take pictures the kids would fuss because we were not moving, or because they wanted out of the pram, etc. You can see how impressed by the situation they are here:

At this point I was stressed and decided sightseeing was just not going to be a fun experience with the two whinny toddlers. So I decided to take them to the Museum of Natural History. I knew where it was on a map. Just through the small part beside the palace, and then through Hyde Park. What I didn't anticipate was how big Hyde Park is, and how long this walk would take. We walked about 45 minutes, dragging the kids along in the cold and wind. They protested a lot, and there was really not much to see. But I did get a couple of pictures:

Yep.. that is all I managed to take pictures of. But it was so cold with the wind, we really just wanted to get to the museum.

It was so worth the walk. The building was beautiful! The first thing we did when we got there was have some lunch in the restaurant. Sean and I shared a pizza, and we ordered the kids mac and cheese, which they did not really eat. They did get balloons though, so they were happy. However we encountered a few more tantrums, and by this point I was stressed and ready to call it a day. Sean however managed to get the kids settled in the pram and we decided to at least check out the dinosaurs  The moment we stepped in the room Olivia started to fuss and cry. I was unhappy that I couldn't even take pictures. Luckily she fell asleep moment later (thank goodness as I was about to crack!), and I was able to take my camera out, and we explored the museum.

The kids seemed to really enjoy all the animals and for the most part were well behaved.

I snapped this picture seconds before Julius's balloon popped. When this happened the entire room jumped, someone screamed, and another man, who saw that it was just a balloon laughed. Poor Julius, not only had his balloon popped but everyone in the room was also staring at him. Luckily, we came up the the lions and was able to distract him. Later on Elisabeth lost her balloon in the street and was devastated that we did not run out into the busy streets to save it. From our experience... balloons are such a pain in the butt...

The museum was such  a beautiful place. I wish we did not have the pram and that the kids were older so we could have fully explored all the staircases. One day I want to come back here. If you are ever in London, I would highly suggest it, and the best part is that it is free.

We ended up deciding to stay an extra day in London so we could do some sort of day trip out to Stonehenge and Salisbury. However, within the first 30 minutes of our drive out both kids started melting down. We decided to just call it and head back to the hotel for the day. The kids were much happier to goof around in the hotel and watch movies. This was a common view on the entire trip:

So that was London. We really didn't see much. But I am so happy we did at least make it to the museum.

A Dying Breed: The Dragon Tamer - The Beginning

Last week (or was it the week before?) I announced that I was going to write a book here on my blog. So this week marks the first entry. I hope to write a bit of the story each week. I hope that someone finds it interesting to follow along.

I am guaranteeing nothing. There will probably be very boring entries  There will be poor grammar at times. I am doing this more for myself, and sharing to help keep me accountable. I hope some of you will follow along. If you really like it, I have made a button that you can throw in your sidebars. You can find it at the bottom of this post.

Here is a brief about what the story is about:

There was a time when Dragons and Humans worked together to keep the world a peace. At some point the trust between Dragons and Humans was broken and all ties where cut. Friendships forgotten, ancient rituals lost. No one remembers what happens. All that is known now is that Dragons have become unruly and un-tamable creatures tormenting the lands and the peoples.

The world is becoming increasingly darker. Old evils are creeping up from forgotten places. New evils are blooming. The world needs its peace keepers again....

Chapter 1

‘Undassa, blow out that candle, they will see you!’

I looked up from my book to the girl sitting across from me. Her eyes were wide with fear, starting intently at the candle I was holding in my right hand to read my book with.

‘It is quiet tonight, I don’t think you have to worry. And, there are no windows in this room.’

‘Blow it out! They are expected to fly over any day now!’

I was enjoying my book, and really was not interested in blowing out the candle.

‘I don’t think dragons can see through walls..’

‘Undassa.. Please.’

She says it with such urgency and the poor thing looked like she is ready to have a nervous break down.

‘Fine.’ 

I lick my fingers and press them over the flame and onto the wick. This prevents the small  room filling up from smoke from the candle, making it hard to breath.

I lay down in my bed and listened. All is quiet. Quieter than normal. It is as if the entire town is holding its breath. Dragons had been spotted east of here a couple of days ago, wreaking havoc on another town. By following their path of destruction they are expected to fly over our little town as well.

Since the news of the dragons, everyone has gone a bit funny trying to prepare. A town curfew has issued in hopes to keep the town dark at night, with the thought that perhaps, should the dragons fly over at night, they won't see it. All the windows were boarded up to prevent any light from escaping from the houses. 

During the day everyone is to stay inside to make the town look abandoned. In my opinion this is all useless. Dragons are smart, and if they see a town they want to ‘play’ with, they are going to do it. And I am sure they can smell us.

I can her Lila breathing heavily in the bed next to mine. I can almost smell her terror. She is probably the most timid person I know. Poor thing. I would be surprised if we make it though the night without her screaming at some insignificant sound such as the tree branch that occasionally rubs against the side of the building when the wind blows.

I roll over to my side and decide since I can not read I might as well try and get some sleep. Although we can not go outside much during the day, we are still required to attend to any chores. Tomorrow I am on washing duty. I have the wonderful job of cleaning the stinking clothing of those who are above me. It is laborsom and boring, and by the end of the day my hands will be to sore to do much of anything. I wish that I had been born of a higher station. Then I could spend my days reading and learning about the days of the past.

Thinking about all the things I would do if I had the freedom, my eyes become heavy and I feel sleep starting to take over my body. Just as my eye lids come together I feel it. Something inside me become acutely aware of a presence.

My eyes fly open and I start into the darkness looking for someone. There is someone with me, other than Lila. I can not see anything, so I listen. If someone is in the room with us I would hear them breathe. To my left I hear Lila's familiar slow and steady that tells me that she is fast asleep. I hear no one else, but I still feel them. I almost feel violated, as if the presence can see completely inside of me, my thoughts.. my soul. I feel naked. I break out in a cold sweat.

Reaching over to the bedside table, my hands shake as I fumble and grab a match. I fear what I will see, but I need to see who or what is in the room.

I strike the match and light slowly creeps from the match head and casts a dim light on the room...

****

That's it for this week. Come back next week to find out what happens next.

<div align="center"><a href="http://notsouglyducklings.blogspot.dk/search/label/A%20Dying%20Breed" title="A Dying Breed"><img src="http://i1250.photobucket.com/albums/hh540/sommerfugldesign/dying-breed-button_zpsb5210e2f.png" width="150" alt="A Dying Breed" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Inspired Tuesday Feb 12th

Inspired Tuesday got some new co-hosts this week! Be sure to stop by the following blogs and leave them a comment and say hi! I met both of these lovely lades through my BlogSpot Design Learning Portal and I am so happy to have them to join me!

What is Inspired Tuesday?

Each Tuesday Not So Ugly Ducklings hosts Inspired Tuesday along with two awesome co-hosts Dawn's Disaster and Peanut Butter and Jelly, where we offer up a free printable with some encouraging words.

Me and my co-hosts believe that any post written can inspired someone else, whether it is a personal story, a photography, a recipe.. whatever, so I invite everyone to link up their posts no matter the topic.

The rules are simple:

1) Follow Not So Ugly Ducklings, Dawn's Disaster and Peanut Butter and Jelly  in any way of your choosing.

2) It would be nice if you added the Inspired Tuesday button to your post, or even just a link back to the link-up.
3) Try to visit others and be inspired!

That's it.

Here is the button if you would like it:

<div align="center"><a href="http://notsouglyducklings.blogspot.com/" title="Not So Ugly Ducklings"><img src="http://i1250.photobucket.com/albums/hh540/sommerfugldesign/inspired-tuesday-button_zpsa22cc19f.png" width="150" alt="Inspired Tuesday" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Here is this weeks Free Printable:

Download it from HERE

London Part 1: The Drive There

As most of you know, we decided to take a road trip to London last week. I have decided to break my posts about the trip into three parts. First up is the drive there.

I have to say, this trip was a huge learning experience for us! We learned that our children are not good little travelers. Our troubles started early. Like, one hour into the drive early. Elisabeth puked in the car. We pulled over, cleaned her up and kept going. She seemed fine after she puked. About an hour later... more puke. Elisabeth gets car sick. We decided to make a stop for an early meal and get her some car sickness medication, and we were on our way.

The rest of that day went mostly smooth, with the exception of the last 45 minutes of our drive. We were on a busy Germany highway, with no place to pull off and almost to our hotel. First Olivia started crying (I should say screaming). Then we got lost a bit. Then we took the phone which the kids were watching a movie on so we could have the navigation and they started screaming. It was a stressful 45 minutes! Luckily we got to our hotel. The hotel staff were wonderful and we got checked in okay.

I crashed almost right away, and the kids and Sean watched a movie to settle down for the night.

The next day and the final half of the drive was much smoother. We got up, had an overly expensive breakfast buffet at the hotel and set out to drive through 5 countries in one day. We started in Germany, made our way through the Netherlands, Belgium and hit France where the ferry was that would take us to England. This drive took about 4 hours and we were happy to hit the ferry as it meant a couple of hours out of the car.

The ferry was mostly uneventful except for Elisabeth occasionally making the odd dash away from us and Julius just wanting to walk around and around it. I did manage to get a couple of pictures though:

My favorite shot from the trip

White Cliffs of Dover

After the ferry it was on to England and to London. Driving on the wrong side of the road was a bit stressful for my husband, but we managed okay. London was crazy to drive in! And their round about are just strange. At one point we almost hit a bus. I think my husband was very thankful when we finally reached out hotel that evening and to get off the British roads. Again the last 30 minutes of the car ride was spent with a screaming baby.

London Part 2 will be up later this week.

Check out my two current giveaways: Free Ad Space and Awesome Me: Book Giveaway

A Book Problem

We are moving to another town here this month (actually at the end of this week!!!) so this means I have been packing. Really I should say trying to pack, as it is pretty difficult to pack when toddlers want to use the boxes for other things or be packed themselves... But that is a whole other thing!

Picture from Pinterest

We have moved a lot over the past few years. This will be my third move in Denmark alone and there is one particular thing that we really hate moving. Books. All my books. You see I have a book problem. I love books. All books both old and new. I collect them. It doesn't matter if I have read them or not, I don't throw away books. Ever. I dream of some day having my own personal library, or a book nook.

Now, a large part of my collection is text books from the various course I have take. I have Art History books, anthropology books, eCommerce books, design books, communication books and some other topics as well (the result of having taking 4 different majors, but only completing one of them...). Paking this books kind of sucks. They are super heavy! And I think to myself, a lot of them I will never read again (seriously... micro economics is sooo boring!!). I wonder if I should put them up for sale. I know text books can be super expensive (ppsst I recently found a great site to find the best deals on text books! Click for more information)(pppssst again... I love they design of the website...). BUT I have issues. I don't NEED these books and I won't read them again... BUT what if I do need them for reference? What if I did and I got rid of it? That would be horrible right? What if... what if...

Did I mention that I have a book problem?

And just because I love books so much... I am going to giveaway some free ad space because that makes sense right? Check out my Advertising page to see what I offer. The giveaway is for any ad space you would like! And just for the heck of it, lets have a sale as well. All ad space sized medium and up is on for just 5$. Ads will start in March.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guest Post: Awesome Me!

Awesome Me! A Book of Awesome Affirmations for Little Stars, a newly released kindle book for children ages 8 and below, is written by Certified Empowerment Coach, Cherrie Dejolde Bautista. By promoting positive self talk in kids, Awesome Me! encourages them to believe in themselves while cultivating self-love as well as the love and support of friends and family. It makes children become aware of their positive traits like confident, creative, smart, and fun while motivating them to go after their dreams and be their best. Awesome Me! is available in Amazon for children and just about anyone who wants an uplifting read that is filled with simple, fun and positive affirmations. To celebrate the launch of the book, the author is giving away 5 kindle copies of Awesome Me! Contest runs from February 8 - February 15 and there's a lot of ways one could enter and win. You can even enter everyday. See the widget below to enter. Good-luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway