Make Your Life Better- Volume 3

It's me again,

Bossy Pants McGee.

I've got a few items 

on my mind that I need to discuss with you.

After a few weeks on the road

and combing through London & Paris,

I've got a few gems

that I want to pass out from my mental treasury.

Sometimes one of the happy burdens you bear

when living in an awesome city and having people visit you

is revisiting sites over & over {& over} again.

{a.k.a. I've been to the Tower of London five times in three weeks.}

This week, I was taking a group through the Tower

and our Yeoman {"Beefeater"} invited us to Sunday service in the Tower's Chapel Royal.

Um... yes, please.

So we went this weekend, 

and it was one of the most amazing things I have done in London.

Here's the run-down:

You bypass all the long lines of tourists, walk through the gates {free!}

and get to attend the intimate matins service in one of the Queen's royal chapels.

{There are only six of her chapels, afterall.}

Our Beefeater, Peter, & the Vicar were so pleased to see us

that they took us on a private tour through the chapel

to see the burial spot of Anne Boleyn & the off-limits site of Thomas Moore's memorial.

Amazing. 

I highly, highly recommend 

seeing the Tower of London in this special way.

When girls get flowers from a guy,

it makes them feel like a million bucks.

Unfortunately for most of us,

 that jackpot may only hit every 2 or 3 years.

The other night when I was walking through Liberty,

I discovered the wonderfulness of their florist, Wild at Heart.

I'd always thought it would be way out of my price range,

but they had some make-me-feel-like-a-lady potted orchids for £10.

The boost it gives to my kitchen is fabulous,

and wish you the same amount of brightness added to your day.

Remember my sparkly orange shoes that I wore in Paris?

Well, you liked them...

so I went out and bought four pairs for four readers.

What can I say... I'm a bit of a people pleaser.

They need to be shot & packaged first, but be on the look out!

{FYI- They are £15 + shipping.}

I keep seeing Facebook statuses about Pumpkin Spice Lattes....

but can I persuade you to ditch the suburbs for a taste of the East?

Head to World Market or any nearby specialty grocer

and buy yourself some masala chai.

I feel in love with it when we were in India,

and the spicy brew feels perfect here in the chilly weather.

Follow the directions, heat it on the stove...

and swap your drive-thru caloric splurge

for a healthier cup of Christmas cheer.

Your taste-buds won't regret it,

and your holiday cocktail dress won't either.

Blogging is pretty awesome.

I could get poetic & gushy on the topic, but there's really no need,

I know you all feel the same way.

We all love blogging because we can connect with cool people

and talk about awesome stuff on a revolving basis.

So what could be better than that?

Actually discussing this stuff in real life with those bloggers.

Going on your first "blate" {blogger-date} is mostly an awkward experience.

The good news is for you:

blogger dates always end up to be way fun 

and it makes blogging even better.

Think about it:

Most bloggers that can put together great posts every day 

are pretty smart, organized, & creative people.

How could they not be cooler in 3D?

Last night I got to meet up with one of my favorite bloggers, Helena,

at one of our favorite spots, Pizza East in London's Shoreditch.