Our Weekend Wine Expo

This weekend we received FREE tickets to a Wine Expo in Brive.  A friend of ours has an older brother who runs a vineyard in Bordeaux and he had the hook up with tickets.  Upon arrival you received a wine glass and could hop from booth to booth and have UNLIMITED tastings! There were Bordeaux, Medoc, Saint Emillion, and Champagne region wines... among others. I had to slow down after a few champagne booths because the "bubbly" is my weakness.  We also found a South African wine station that reminded us of our besties Kent & Nicki and our dream to someday open a vineyard in the Winelands.... a girl can dream right?  In the mix were a few stations to taste test a variety of cheeses, olives, and escargot.  It was such a fun afternoon! Thanks to Julie for the free tickets :) 


THIS weekend, Egletons is having their Wine Expo... we will most likely be going to that as well! Why not? 

Bits & Pieces: February

Holy March! Time is flying by.... and I am SO grateful we are now exiting Winter and entering Spring. I have never experienced France in the Spring and I am looking forward to flowers, picnics, and lots of sightseeing on the weekends. 


Here are my Bits + Pieces from February. 

1. 

 2.

 3. 

 4. 

 5. 

 6.

 7.

 8.

 9.

 10. 

1. Babysitting these cuties. Now Showing: Tangled

2. The best handlebars I've ever laid eyes on. 

3. A Saturday luncheon for 33 people! 

4. Fresh Spring flowers for our new centerpieces. 

5. A DIY Valentines Day.

6. The greatest care package from my Mom. 

7. Growing like a WEED! 

8. Our first day outside...since October? We have missed our QT at the pond. 

9. A LOT of this. 

10. A day trip to Pompadour to see the chateau and stable grounds. 

The Happy List

A list I complied randomly the other day of random things that make me happy.  

1. Mac & Cheese - the SPIRAL kind.

2. Snail mail.

3. The PERFECT tshirt- baggy but still fitted/ casual but can be dressed up.

4. A song that speaks to me & what I'm feeling at that moment. My life's soundtrack.

5. Writing. (either on my blog or in my personal journal) 

6. Sitting outside when the weather is beautiful.

7. Nicholas Sparks books.

8. Listening to my husband play Ray Lamontagne on the guitar.

9. Hugging my nieces and nephew when I am homesick.

10. Doing any sort of creating/ crafting...my Art Journal, making a card, a birthday banner, or simply decorating tables at The Colorado for special occasions.

I would love to hear YOUR "happy list." 

(3 of my 10 in this little photo. That was a HAPPY afternoon.)

Chinese Fondue

On Valentines Day, we ventured off to Tulle to try a hole-in-the-wall Chinese fondue restaurant called Quang Li.  We LOVE fondue and thought this would be something fun and different for us to try. 

 

The Chinese fondue came with a plate of thinly sliced (almost shaved) beef, calamari, a white fish of some kind (no clue), and shrimp... oh and 2 eggs? 

Instead of oil, we cooked our meet in a broth. The broth was really yummy - it had spices, cabbage, and tiny Chinese noodles. (It doesn't look very good and I'll be honest- I judged a book by its cover...but it actually ended up alright.)

The weird thing is you cooked your meat in the ladles.  One had holes so you could drain the broth and the other was used to scoop the broth into you soup bowl.  We never figured out if we were supposed to eat our cooked meat with the broth (like a stew) or separate...  Unlike the fondue we were used to, there were no sauces.  Just the broth and meat.  

Overall it was a good experience.  We were happy to get away for a few hours and spend time together.  I am not sure we will go back on a regular basis, but it was still fun although we both prefer our Simply Fondue/ Melting Pot ;) 

How was your weekend? We had a GREAT day on Saturday sight seeing. I will post pictures this week.  Thank God (literally) the weather has gotten better so we can get out and go do fun things or merely just sit outside.  It is crazy how much the weather has lifted my spirits.  

5+ :)

My 5+ smiles today are all quotes that have inspired me lately and carried me through a difficult season.


1. Day by day.

Source: imgfave.com via Abby on Pinterest

2. Friendship.

Source: quotediary.me via Abby on Pinterest

3. Faith.

Source: cookingwiths.blogspot.com via Abby on Pinterest

4. Healing through music.

Source: becauseitsawesome.blogspot.com via Abby on Pinterest

5. Timing.

Source: spirituallythinking.blogspot.com via Abby on Pinterest

6. Hope. 

Source: borntomakeanimpact.tumblr.com via Abby on Pinterest

7. Pep Talk. 

Source: tumblr.com via Abby on Pinterest

8. Let go.

Source: victoiredesamothrace.tumblr.com via Abby on Pinterest

9. Prayer.

Source: spiritualinspiration.tumblr.com via Abby on Pinterest

10 . I love every single thing about this quote. Growth.  

I hope that some of those spoke to you as well. It's always nice to have some encouragement. 


The weather in Egletons is BEAUTIFUL right now. We are in the upper 50's with SUNSHINE!!! Logan and I have been cooped up way too long, so we are hoping to go exploring and hiking this weekend to celebrate the beginning of Spring! It is crazy what weather can do to my mood! Hope you all have a great weekend. 

DIY Valentines Day

I decorated our coffee table with the 2 gifts I made Logan this year, a picture of us, some pink and red heart confetti with wine corks, heart lanterns, and the beautiful flowers Logan gave me. 

He actually gave me a bouquet of gerber daisies AND another bouquet of tulips because I love tulips in the Spring. 

Both of my DIY projects were found on Pinterest.  This frame has the lyrics to our first dance at our wedding. ("Angel" by Jack Johnson)  I just printed it out, traced a tree shape with a pencil, then added the twine and 2 red hearts.  The j'adore came from a magazine... J'adore Dior anyone? :) 

When Logan saw this one he goes... "Oh, an AND." I think it took some explaining for him to realize it was supposed to be a romantic symbol.... You AND Me. Together. A couple. Our marriage.  Maybe it was a bit too abstract for him :) Unfortunately, the glass on this frame broke while I was putting the paper in... so now it just hangs out loosely in there.  

I also got to decorate the tables in our dining hall.  On a limited budget, we used doilies, fresh Spring flowers, and I made pink and red heart confetti.  We lined the tables with little tea lights in baby mason jars and Kristin printed out the Valentines Day menu. I think it turned out pretty cute! 

Will post about the Chinese fondue tomorrow :) It was... interesting...