J'Adore Ma Vie

Let's Get Real

2012-02-08T09:20:00.000-08:00

Okay... most of the time I try to be really POSITIVE on this blog because who wants to read someone complain all the time? Not this girl! But I am going to get real today about a few things that are starting to drive me nuts because maybe it will help to get it off my chest. Here we go:

1. The lack of slice & bake cookies and ANY sort of pre-packaged MIX: brownies, cakes, or blueberry muffins... all this making it from scratch stuff is great sometimes...but sometimes I just want a quick fix!

2. The SNOW. It was BEAUTIFUL. Still is...but I am ready for it to melt and warm up. This Texas girl is NOT used to 12 degree days... and even our little Loft can't seem to hold out the cold- In fact, we have been storing all of our beverages next door because it is colder in our attic than in our refrigerator right now! Brrrrrr! Oh and we had the whole frozen pipes thing happen a few days ago... Logan had to go all hairdryer on them :)

3. Cabin fever. With this weather, no one really ventures out. The roads are dangerous and honestly its too dang cold for anyone to want to walk around and shop or do any sort of sightseeing... I guess I am just ready to leave the "compound" and go explore, go on walks, and enjoy sipping Bordeaux wine on patios again. March is right around the corner, right? I think I can... I think I can...

4. The lack of craft supplies within reach. I have found all these adorable DIY projects on Pinterest and the closest thing we have to a "craft store" is more like a Barnes & Noble and is 45 minutes away, which means we go there maybe 1x per month at this point? It KILLS me to not have a Michaels and Hobby Lobby around the corner to run get some cute scrapbook paper or a new art journal!

Okay... after reading this post, you probably now realize how ANNOYING it is to read negativity on someone's blog which is why 99% of the time, I refrain and focus on the positive...but DANG, that felt good!

Also... this is SO random, but made me SMILE SO BIG!!! Someday... when we have a child... they shall be a sushi roll for Halloween... how adorable is this idea? Am I crazy?!?! Is it cute or funny or just weird? Regardless, it gave me a chuckle. And now I am craving a California roll...

Happy Hump Day!

DIY Roundup: Valentines Day

2012-02-06T08:05:00.000-08:00

Here are a few cute ideas I have found on Pinterest for Valentines Day!

1. This family is BEAUTIFUL and I have poured over pages of this cute Mom's DIY family projects. This is similar to a "Wish Tree" but with "Love Notes" to other family members.

Source: rebeccacooper.blogspot.com via Abby on Pinterest

2. Adorable heart banner for decorating.

Source: rebeccacooper.blogspot.com via Abby on Pinterest

3. An easy and very cute garland to hang in your doorways.

4. Here are some FREE printables that I thought were very cute- love the turquoise!

Source: rebeccacooper.blogspot.com via Abby on Pinteres t

5. Love this little wreath and I think it could last way into Spring! Its nice to find an alternative wreath after the holiday season is over to decorate your door :)

Source: positivelysplendid.com via Abby on Pinterest

6. I will be making THIS for Logan for Vday. Homemade and meaningful. The tree can be made from a page in a book OR you can type up the lyrics to your first dance or a meaningful poem. Then you hang 2 little red hearts from a branch with you and your honey's initials.

Source: elsajuliet.tumblr.com via Abby on Pinterest

7. A beautiful DIY VDay card. Seeing as we have a lack of a Hallmark stores (or ANY card stores) here in Egletons, I will be making my own this year- this may be it!

Source: etsy.com via Abby on Pinterest

8. An alternative to the cute tree frame that is also adorable. You make a mixed media "&" sign, frame it, then stick a photo or two on the matting. I love this as well!

Source: shauna-thereedlife.blogspot.com via Abby on Pinterest

Anyone have fun plans for Valentines Day this year? Last year we ate at BOLSA in Dallas... YUM! I am not sure what we are doing this year. I am in the mood for a much-needed fondue date! Until then, I am going to take a stab at a few of these cute DIY ideas.

Hope you all had a great weekend- my CRAZY husband stayed up until 4am to watch the Super Bowl last night. This time change stuff really cuts into our sleep sometimes!

5 :)

2012-02-03T02:28:00.000-08:00

1. THIS picture. Some of you may have seen it on Facebook, but it is priceless. Logan and Ryan are buddies and they both like to "veg out" in front of the TV. :)

2. Tried out THIS recipe this week and it was YUMMY! Chicken-Zucchini Alfredo :)

3. I have never been a Kristin Bell fan... I've never had anything against her or anything, just never had a 'girl crush' on her... It all changed after this video.

4. Logan didn't get this, but my old small group leader Shellie posted it this week and I was ROLLING laughing... If you don't get it, look up a song called "Milkshake" by Kelis. It was in Mean Girls.

5. Finished these books! Its pretty funny though because I ordered a book set from Amazon UK to save on shipping and they arrived and were translated into BRITISH English! Was that even necessary? Sounds like a waste of time to me... so it was all "colour, pyjamas, kilometres, etc." Entertaining right? I found myself reading in a British accent at times, ha!

Happy Weekend! We are hoping to try our luck at shopping again this weekend...perhaps without the U-Turns and snowstorms? Wish us luck! What are you up to?

Camera+ App

2012-02-01T11:51:00.000-08:00

Dear Instagram,

I am cheating on you. I wanted you to hear it from me first. I actually think you and Camera+ would make quite the pair! Y'all have a lot in common. Some things that Camera+ can bring to the table include: cropping, a timer setting, a variety of frames (including text!), rectangular pictures instead of squares, and lots of new finishes! This does not mean our relationship is over by any means... there is room for 2 camera apps in my life!

Sincerely,
Mrs Frenchy

PS Check out his work below... he's pretty good eh? You KNOW you are interested in meeting him now...

Me & my cutie nephew Ryan on SNOW DAY!

Self portraits by the pond.

We live up there!

Look at those snowflakes! They were HUGE!

My rain/ snow boots? Not very warm...but still stylish ;)

Kaylin's snowball... that I promptly redirected to Uncle Logan :)

The reflection in our front door

Loved this "grunge" finish!

The SNOW FIGHT: Uncle Logan vs. Kaylin and Ryan (Sophia and I were smart and stayed out of the way!)

Little Ryan was infatuated with the snowflakes :)

Our Winter Wonderland

2012-01-30T08:20:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, we woke up and it was chilly but sunny... We hopped in the car to head to Brive to go shopping for my Mom and Katy's birthday gifts... We had just made it about 15 minutes and snow started falling down in SHEETS... thick, HUGE snowflakes. It was BEAUTIFUL and unlike anything I had ever seen. We had to U-Turn and come back to the Colorado because the roads were in no condition for a shopping outing! Upon our return (just 1 hour later), the property looked like THIS. It is magical when it is white.

This was taken from our front porch. That is the entrance to The Colorado.

If you look to the right from our balcony you see the "Big House" which has 6 rooms, a huge basement, and serves as our kitchen and dining hall.

That is the 8 room building behind Logan. We live up those stairs in our little loft. (That is the little balcony I took the first 2 pictures from.)

Those 2 cabins belong to Bob & Sheri and Kristin & Nolan and their 4 kiddos. They are to the left of the "Big House" on the opposite side of the property from us.

These are the chalets (cabins) that families can rent out. We have 4 of them and they are complete with a kitchen, bathroom, loft upstairs, and bedroom downstairs- My Mom & Chris stayed in one of these over Christmas.

Past the chalets is the pond on the property. It was so peaceful and beautiful. I loved looking at the reflection of the trees in the water.

The path walking back from the pond is lined with huge pine trees. The closest thing I have to compare it to is the state of Colorado back in the states... so I guess our name is pretty appropriate :)

We had a great weekend full of snow fights, hot tea, pajamas, and movies! How was your weekend?

2 Bits of Good News

2012-01-25T10:15:00.000-08:00

1. Turns out the VISA shenanigans can and will be settled via MAIL. In some regards this is great news, in others its bittersweet since I would have loved an excuse to "have to" fly back to Texas :) The Prefecture (that we met with last week) was not able to pass my Visa and the local contact fell through... so we had to put all our eggs in the Houston basket and seeing how well last time went, we weren't very convinced how helpful they would be... BUT, we got the "new girl" and she was amazing and so helpful. My paperwork should arrive in Houston today and I will officially have my long term stay Visa approved and back in the mail within the month. (happy dance!)

2. Just last week, we found out that TEXAS has been added to the approved "States" drivers license list in France. What this means? I no longer have to take a written drivers test next year (which would be hard seeing as I am still far from fluent) NOR do I have to stick a big fat "A" on the back of my car for the next few years. Its like the Scarlet Letter for foreign drivers over here. So THIS was great news as well!

I don't have any pictures...So I will throw in a random print that I love to make this post prettier.

Source: thatshappy.blogspot.com via Abby on Pinterest

A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words

2012-01-24T12:33:00.000-08:00

My wonderful friend Katy Hafner sent this photo to me today. She said she'd been holding onto it for 2 years and long story short, just got around to emailing it to me. I opened her unexpected attachment and a huge beaming grin spread across my face. Marrying Logan was truly the best decision I have ever made. I have always been told I am a terrible liar and you can read my face like a book... Well, as you can see from my face, that man fills me with irrefutable giddiness and joy!

Ryan turns 3!

2012-01-23T10:49:00.000-08:00

Ryan turned 3 today! We gained inspiration for our party theme from Ryan's pronunciation of OCTOPUS... aka "HAWKAPUS." We had a flag banner, big octopus card, and attempted to make an octopus cake complete with cupcake tentacles. If you would have seen how it started out, you would realize what a BIG accomplishment this was! :) At the last minute, I decided to add some blue paper waves and fish because I wanted to make sure it looked more like an octopus and less like a sunshine. The little banner he is holding says "Happy 3rd Birthday!" I thought it was a cute touch.

Ryan had a BLAST! He was the happiest kid, loved singing and blowing out his candles, and opened lots of gifts including some cute little boy clothes, finger paints, a book, and ... HOT WHEELS!!! He was beside himself about the hot wheels. He really is turning into a little boy right before our eyes, its crazy. Please look closely at the 2nd to last row of the photo collage and see the money shot of Sophia celebrating :) Pretty awesome! Happy 3rd Birthday to my adorable nephew Ryan!

NOTE: The top was a very LAME first attempt at using Photoshop Elements. That program is a shadow of ACTUAL Photoshop and I still cannot figure everything out! So my hats off to you people who can whip out a photo collage in a few minutes- this one took me 45! I suppose I will get better in time. Regardless, it was fun :)

5 :)

2012-01-20T08:15:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my friend Becky's sweet words, I am going to restart doing my 5 :) on Fridays. They usually have nothing to do with France, they are just random things that are making me smile right now. So without further ado, here we go!

1. It looks like Pyrex just got a facelift! Love these dishes.

Source: pyrexcollective.blogspot.com via Abby on Pinterest

2. I have heard of mini bars in a home, but never seen such a cute COFFEE bar! Or hot chocolate... or tea. Would love to do this someday in my dining room or living room area.

Source: thevintagewren.blogspot.com via Abby on Pinterest

3. Heidi Merrick: The Spring Collection. I love the mix of neutrals with subtle pops of color!

Source: dillydallas.blogspot.com via Abby on Pinterest

4. This is a really cool exhibit in Paris right now done with a huge mirror. Look closely and find the people floating on the home are actually on the ground.

Source: presentandcorrect.com via Abby on Pinterest

5. I saw this home tour on Apartment Therapy this week. It is an old Victorian home redo in Portland and I think it is just dreamy. That patio... that spiral staircase... Oh the cook outs we could have!

Turns out my Frenchman is feeling sick today, so we are going to lay low and take our trip to Spain NEXT weekend. This at least will give us a week to book a hotel and figure out everything we want to see and do in Barcelona! Thanks to everyone for all your concern and feedback- We are currently trying our luck at getting our license transcribed here in France while we wait to hear back from the Prefect if Houston is necessary or not. We would rather not purchase that plane ticket if a trip is not needed, seeing as I will be coming home in June. International flights add up fast!

Happy Friday everyone! Enjoy your weekend :)

French Girl Problems. Chapter 1: Visa

2012-01-19T06:41:00.000-08:00

Well, I don't know if I ever blogged about our Visa-gone-wrong trip to Houston in June but it was a nightmare. Sneaking around, trying to take off work without people finding out why we had to go to Houston so urgently only to be turned away at the Visa office because our marriage license was in English and not in French. (The website said Either/ Or)

Seeing as we had little time in July amidst goodbyes, weddings, vacations, and packing... we were not able to make it back down to the consulate so we took our chances at getting things sorted out over here in France. This morning we FINALLY had our interview with the customs representative. I was under the impression that our formal letter to come meet with them was to finalize my extended stay Visa and to interview me to determine my level of French so she could place me in an appropriate class level. I had butterflies all the way to Tulle and brought my French curriculum Kristin is teaching me and studied up with Logan on our way there.

As our appointment began, I could tell something was not right. Basically, they called us in to tell us in person that our paper work is not sufficient and I am currently here in France illegally. Well- HAPPY THURSDAY right? They also wanted a first hand account as to what happened in Houston and what day I arrived in France. I thought about lying so they wouldn't kick me out, but my conscience had the best of me.

The problem: We had our marriage certificate translated once we got here but NOT TRANSCRIBED. What is the difference? I am not sure. Something about a legal document?

What does this mean? If we cannot get our marriage license transcribed quickly OR get the "Prefect" (sort of like the District Governor) to approve my application knowing the background of my case, it looks like I will have to fly to Houston to sort this out. Talk about jumping through HOOPS!

Until then... it is in MY best interest to flee the country... so folks, it looks like we are headed to Spain for the weekend! That way when I return, I can stay for 90 days without a Visa.

The positive in this is obvious: We HAVE to go to SPAIN. Now my French/English/Spanish is REALLY going to get jumbled up!

Source: google.com via Bianca on Pinteres t

Source: google.com via Lissa on Pinterest

Bits & Pieces: January

2012-01-17T14:47:00.000-08:00

10.

11.

12.

13.

1. We FINALLY got our new iPhone... and she has a CUTE new outfit! Thanks Mom :)

2. Iced over windows every morning. Brrrr!

3. The handsome one.

4. A late night jam session consisting of: The Eagles, Lady GaGa, James Taylor, Old Crow Medicine Show.... and Justin Beiber :)

5. A cute new sweater.

6. Learned how to cook salmon! Not too hard...but I made Logan take care of the skin... not there yet.

7. The Hunger Games. Finished this in 2 1/2 Days and already ordered the other 2 from Amazon France... loved the book and will find a way (even if it means going up to Paris) to see the movie in March!

8. Good morning, Moon. It is only light here from around 8:30-5:30pm. Very short winter days.

9. Enchilada day at The Colorado was a huge success!

10. The entire country of FRANCE is on SALE right now! (Les Soldes they call it here) For 3 weeks in January and in July, all stores are legally required to put items on SALE. I like this French law :)

11. Logan's first basketball game in Limoges after Christmas Break.

12. We had a mad love affair with Patrick Jane from The Mentalist. If you are considering a new show, I HIGHLY recommend this one! It is just now on Season 4 so it is not too hard to catch up!

13. Geek Chic glasses have fared well. Logan and I trade off wearing them! The Isaac kiddos do not like them at all and I am sure we will make fun of ourselves in 10 years when they are so NOT cool, but they are fun for now.

Our NEW Business Venture

2012-01-16T07:58:00.000-08:00

Beginning last week, The Colorado tried out a new business venture. Currently we are a Bed & Breakfast that offers full pension if requested (that means 3 meals per day). We have now decided to expand our lunches to the outside public as a restaurant (accepting walk-ins) instead of just serving clients. We are hopeful that this will bring in some extra business seeing as it is not a huge stretch from what we are currently doing.

We decided to position ourselves as "Tex Mex" since there are no other restaurants in the area offering the menu items we have come up with: Chili, BBQ, Hamburgers, Enchiladas, and Fried Chicken. Starting out, we will just offer the Plat du Jour (Plate of the Day) and the customer can choose between 2 appetizers and 3 desserts. We feel like this may be a good approach until we know exactly how many people (on average) will be coming in each day.

Another fun idea that my Marketing brain came up with was our very first customer (Ali was his name) was named SHERIFF of The Colorado. This means that if he flashes his badge when he eats lunch here, he will have bottomless coffee on the house. Pretty cute huh? He was pretty excited!

Who would have thought I would go from 3 years ago not knowing how to cook a chicken breast...to being a chef at a Tex Mex restaurant in FRANCE. Life is pretty funny :)

A Note to the Future Mrs. "Krax-bear-jay"

2012-01-12T14:46:00.000-08:00

Most days I am in love with my life here in France. The experience, the places I get to see, the things I get to learn... but there are times when my heart sinks all the way to my toes because I want to tap my shiny red shoes together and be somewhere else. This weekend is one of those times. It is the weekend of Erin Gracey's wedding. And by the way Erin... Kraxberger in FRENCH is pronounced "Krax-bear-jay" which I think is just lovely. SJP would approve :)

Erin and I met right before heading to Texas A&M for college. After she pledged Tri Delt, she met and became besties with my high school BFFL Alexis. By the end of college, we were hanging out every weekend and that did not stop once we both came back to Dallas to start work in the "real world." We have taken fabulously planned trips, become pros at sneaking into VIP events to celeb stalk, attended numerous concerts, torn up the dance floor at many weddings, divulged juicy-I-cannot-tell-anyone-else-about-this secrets to each other, held each other up as the other has limped through heartache, AND watched each other fall in love with Mr. Right. We have analyzed boys and text messages, made therapeutic playlists, or just provided a girls night out with special "slushies" to get our mind off of being a twenty-something. As fate would have it, Erin's sister Erica is married to my NOW stepbrother Josh Yarger, so Erica and I are stepsisters which basically makes Erin and I sisters... at least we like to think so. :)

Erin is one of the most beautiful individuals inside and out and she is LOYAL. She is there for her friends unconditionally, can hold the most treasured secrets, and provide the most jam packed fun weekend you have ever had! She is a great big mix of a fun, uber intelligent, fashionable, sports fanatic, music junkie meets interior designer...girl. I am lucky to call her a close friend.

Erin- I am devastated that I am not able to be there this weekend for your BIG DAY, but know that I will be thinking of you all weekend long! Thank you for still including me and making me feel like a part of the celebration- I am honored. We have been through hell and back together AND turned out better on the other end- So here's to us, to upgrades, and to happy endings!

Congratulations to Matt & Erin Krax-ber-jay!!! Je'taime! :)

Ringing in the New Year!

2012-01-11T06:17:00.000-08:00

New Years Eve was the last night my Mom & Chris were at The Colorado so we made sure to live it up! Since Will was in town from Houston, he invited some of his high school best friends to join us plus we had Lorenzo and Marie Alice Monge and their 4 kiddos. (Lorenzo was the pastor at our wedding- Linebacker Jesus...remember him?) So all in all it was about 1/2 Frenchies and 1/2 Americans which was a good mix. I tend to speak more French after a few glasses of champagne ;) ALSO, my Father-in-law's birthday is Jaunuary 6th, so we turned the entire evening into a surprise birthday party for him! Here are a few pictures and some explanations...

The kids table. (My job was to decorate and that is homemade confetti!)

The Adults table looked pretty similar.

Me & Mom

When Bob ran home to "get something for Sheri," we quickly put up the birthday flag banner and birthday card. THEN, when he walked in (almost) the entire family had prepared a song to welcome him to his party. The song of choice: Genesis "I Can't Dance" - Needless to say he was really surprised and happy! Then a Frenchy conga line formed around the entire dining hall for the duration of the song.

Me & Lorenzo's wife, Marie Alice :)

Me and Little Miss Designer Nora in her Donna Karan dress- adorable!

Then Nora had a little dance party with Uncle Logan and it was priceless.

He is going to be SUCH a cute dad someday!

After a HUGE dinner and lots of appetizers and champagne soup, Logan got up and performed a few songs for everyone.

I took pictures and then little Seth, took pictures of me taking pictures :) He took the one below! Future photographer in the making?

We brought out a birthday cake and sang to Bob. (1/2 of us in English, the other 1/2 in French- it sounded horrendous!)

Then we whipped out the stash of Countdown Celebrating tools!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
There was confetti everywhere, these strange paper balls that you blew out of a tube, and tons of streamers that popped open!

And masks...

And hugs and kisses...

And then.... the dance party started... and lasted until past 3am! The last ones on the dance floor were Logan, Caleb and myself...with our pastor and his wife Lorenzo and Marie Alice :) I hope we are as cool as they are after 4 kiddos!

It was such a fun celebration! May 2012 truly be a year to celebrate!

Christmas at The Colorado

2012-01-09T06:38:00.000-08:00

There are hundreds of pictures from Christmas, but I thought I would narrow it down to a few of my favorites plus a run down of how the Misegades celebrate the holidays (in France)!

Christmas Eve- We all dressed up in our Christmas best, Kailyn read us a Christmas story, and we sang Christmas carols. Then we sat down to a wonderful dinner full of fancy appetizers that we had prepared earlier that day. (Ryan knocked back 15 escargot... that's more than Uncle Logan which is saying something!)

After the meal, my Mom & Chris came over so that we could open our gifts from my family back in Texas. Logan's loot included some new workout attire, Rangers hat & sweatshirt (that he still hasn't washed but worn every day), and The Mentalist on DVD. (Anyone else obsessed with Patrick Jane?) I got some really cute jewelry, clothes, a new iPhone cover, and Photoshop Elements! Our biggest surprise came from my Dad & Kelley- we got something called a Slingbox! It basically gives us online access to a TV at my Dad's house. We can DVR or watch live US television from over here! (Logan is excited for ESPN and I'm excited for The Bachelor- We have different priorities haha!)

Christmas Day morning, Mom & Chris came over to do stockings before heading over to the "Big House" for a big family breakfast and opening gifts. I got some beautiful earrings from Barcelona and a necklace from Venice. (That only happens with European holidays haha!) Caleb also surprised us with TV headphones so that the clients who stay underneath us don't have to listen to our television at night! (If you know me, you know I watch the TV very loud!)

A few days after Christmas we had another gift exchange with Will, Erin, Seth & Nora. Nora has grown SO much since we saw her this past summer and is running around everywhere! She loved her cute H&M boots and I secretly wish they had them in my size ;) Seth's vocabulary has quadrupled since we last saw him and he is talking up a storm and loves singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" on the microphone at the big house. (I'd buy the album, but I'm a biased Aunt) We were so grateful that The Houston Misegades clan joined us. It was so fun spending quality time with everyone although we really missed Josh, Harper, and Griffin.

Hope you all had a JOYEUX NOEL- I know that we did!

Magical Versailles

2012-01-07T03:13:00.000-08:00

Versailles was our last stop before heading down to The Colorado and we almost decided to bypass it and hit the road... I am SO glad that we didn't! It was my favorite day because I had never seen anything quite like it.

Brief History: Versailles was the center of political power in France from 1682, when Louis XIV moved from Paris, until the royal family was forced to return to the capital in October 1789 after the beginning of the French Revolution. (Basically, this was the hub of all the wealth in France. Some may call it over-the-top gaudy, and it is...but it was the most unique palace I have ever stepped foot in.)

The chapel was amazing and took over 20 years to construct!

No wonder it did... check out the ceiling!

Statues and black and white marble floors lined the hallways. It was crazy to think that we were standing in someone's home, not a museum.

Paintings took up an entire wall.

And don't forget to look up! Every ceiling had the most intricate designs and textures. Most of them were inspired by a figure from Greek mythology.

In each room, you pushed in a code and listened to an audio guide in your language. We were proud of Chris because he tackled the FRENCH guide!

Ah... my most favorite room in the world! The hall of Mirrors filled with chandeliers as far as the eye can see. It was magical. Imagine attending a party in a place like that!

This was Marie Antionette's room. I am intrigued by her.

The Hall of War was Chris and Logan's favorite lined with huge paintings detailing out history-defining French wars.

Saying hello!

Taking a break... SO handsome...

Marble floors.

The Gardens of Versailles- even pretty in the winter!

Do you like my cape? It was one of my vintage finds here in Egletons... so in love with the surprise plaid. :)

I cannot wait to go back in the Spring when the fountains are on and the flowers are blooming. Plus, we ran out of time and didn't get to go explore Marie Antionette's estate (among other things).

If you go to Paris, it is WORTH the 30 minutes to go visit Versailles. I would plan at least a 1/2 day for the trip.

J'Aime Paris: Day 2

2012-01-05T12:31:00.000-08:00

Here we are at the train station about to leave for Paris. Our first stop was Montmartre, my FAVORITE area of Paris. I love being up at the Sacre Coeur and looking across the entire city. I also love all the quirky boutiques and restaurants. It is the neighborhood where Amelie lived. (If you have never seen it, its my FAVORITE French movie!)

This is the merry-go-round from Amelie's scavenger hunt.

The Sacre Coeur. I think it was literally at this very moment that the cell phone got stolen. Read that sob story here. In case you were wondering, it was a paperwork nightmare, but we are getting reimbursed to purchase a new phone... it will probably take a few weeks though. Go figure.

We stopped at this Cafe to have lunch.

Artists Square.

Notice the old man and his self portrait. Very French. Next time I am there, I am getting our portrait drawn!

My Mom tried her very first macaron. She loved it!

The view overlooking Paris.

I spy the Eiffel.

A coffee break between boutiques.

We walked down the "Red Light District" for this very important photo opp.

Then ended our evening at the Eiffel Tower! It was all lit up and beautiful.

Then we walked through the Marche de Noel sipping on more hot wine and did a little shopping... not a bad backdrop huh?

We ran into Pere Noel. Note: He is nearing 2nd base with me in this photo... only in France!

After the Eiffel, we headed to the Latin Quarter to eat fondue. My mom had never had fondue (even though I don't think its an exclusively French thing), but it was really fun. She got the cheese fondue, I got the steak (naturally), and we shared the chocolate for dessert. So yummy!

This was on the train ride home. We were tired and I was trying out my new glasses that I bought in Montmartre. What do you think? My nieces tell me that I look silly... and Logan looks like Clark Kent. Anywhoo... Geek Chic, what can I say?

Day 2 was a BALL! The weather did not get us down, the phone did briefly, but we had a pretty quick rebound rate. Its hard to be upset in Paris. Honestly. It is. Bisous!

xo,
Mrs. Frenchy

J'Aime Paris: Le Premier Jour

2012-01-04T05:14:00.000-08:00

The Misegades have family friends, the Mayembas, who let us use their extra apartment for the 4 days we were in Paris...it was such a blessing and a HUGE cost saver for us! Each morning we woke up and walked across the street to take a quick 15 minute train into Paris. It was nice being in a quiet neighborhood right outside of Paris but close enough to zip over whenever we liked. Day One was by far our best weather day and we did a lot of walking. We started the day off at Notre Dame. It was beautiful with the large Christmas tree in front and it was pretty surreal seeing the Nativity Scene set up at one of the most famous churches in the world.

After Notre Dame we walked over the Seine River (no big deal) to the Latin Quarter for lunch. The great thing about the Latin Quarter is that you can't really go wrong in the food department. It is swimming with family run businesses. Sheri (My MIL) told me to just find a "cute and inviting" atmosphere because all the food is great. My mom had her very first escargot and if you know my Mom (No bones, fish, meat cooked extra extra well done, etc.) this was a very BIG feat. I am not sure she will ever order them for herself, but we were proud that she tried.

After lunch, we headed over to the Lourve. We had high hopes of visiting, but it turned out being closed. Note to all future travelers: The Lourve is closed every Tuesday. No wonder there was barely a line outside! Oh well- we still got some great pictures.

After the Lourve, we headed over to Galeries Lafayette. I had heard all about this store from my job at Neimans and Bergdorf Goodman so I was excited to see the holiday windows and impressive interior. It did not disappoint, but it was like Northpark at Christmas... on SPEED. I cannot even begin to explain how packed it was!

We headed to the Subway so that we could walk the entire Champs Elyssess starting at the Arc de Triomphe. The first half was full of stores like Cartier, Louis Vuitton, and I made a quick pit stop in Zara for a few fun purchases :) The second half was a Marche de Noel full of handmade goods, crepes, vin chaud (hot wine), and other authentic local foods. While we were walking, much to our surprise we spotted Pere Noel (Santa Claus) flying in his sleigh above the Champs Elysses singing Jingle Bells in French. As his sleigh pulled forward, little fireworks shot out the back...it was SO cute!

By the end of the Champs Elysses we were beat tired and wandered blocks and blocks trying to find a place to have dinner. We ended up eating Italian food across from the Lourve and then headed back home. It was a very full day and so much fun... we slept VERY well that night!

Logan's 28th Birthday in Paris

2012-01-03T01:17:00.000-08:00

In the past, I have had GREAT experiences with finding restaurants in random cities using Trip Advisor. However, when typing in PARIS, FRANCE there were over 7,000. Going through even the top 20 and all the reviews was completely mind numbing. I wanted to make sure that that place we ate had a pleasant ambiance and wonderful food. I got to thinking of Jordan from Oh Happy Day and how she lives in Paris and went there on her honeymoon. Sure enough, within a few minutes I found a "Guide to Paris" on her blog and we ate at the #1 recommended restaurant, Le Petit Prince. It was located on a quiet, tiny road off a busy street and when we walked in and I was extremely pleased. The food was fantastic, the ambiance was warm and cozy, and we did not feel rushed through our meal at all. In fact we were there for 5 hours laughing and having a great time. I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Paris!

Logan's birthday was ALSO made extra special because my Mom & Chris arrived that morning! We were so excited that they could be with us to kick off 2 weeks of non-stop celebrating.

New Years Resolutions: 2012

2012-01-01T08:45:00.000-08:00

Source: brentfosterphotography.com via Jeanne on Pinterest

Here are my 2012 Resolutions:

1. Make time to read. First up: The Hunger Games

2. Join the Yoga class in Egletons.

3. Read the Bible. It is so easy to listen to podcasts or read books about spirituality and for some reason never get around to reading the actual Book.

4. Learn to drive a stick shift car so I can gain a bit more independence.

5. Make a French friend. I would love to have coffee dates where I can practice my French and help them practice their English. Fair trade right?

6. Travel. Logan and I are a train ride away from some of the most fascinating countries in the world so we need to take advantage of that while we are here!

7. Make another Art Journal. They really are therapeutic and FUN for me.

8. Be able to hold a dinner conversation in all French.

9. Learn how to use Photoshop. I got Photoshop Elements for Christmas... Thanks Mom!

10. Grow in my cooking confidence so that I will be able to cook for Colorado clients, stress-free.

My Mom & Chris left today after 2 wonderful and full weeks of French vacation. We rang in 2012 with them last night and had an absolute blast! It has been a very hard day knowing that once again, I don't have any family or friends over here with me. It has left me feeling pretty lonesome. Luckily, I have a very sensitive and sweet husband who has been snuggled up beside me this afternoon and watching hours of The Mentalist. (He got Season 1 & 2 for Christmas!)

Welcome 2012. I am ready to discover all it is that you have in store for us this year!

Year in Review: 2011

2011-12-31T08:57:00.000-08:00

A Photo Review of 2011

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

It was a year FULL of happiness, celebrations, and big dreams turning into reality. I am looking forward to all that 2012 has up her sleeve. Happy New Years Eve everyone!

You can see my Year in Review from 2010 here.

Whats in my bag: Christmas Stocking Edition

2011-12-28T15:45:00.000-08:00

I have hundreds of pictures (literally) to sort through from all of our Christmas celebrations, but I thought I would share a quick peek into my Christmas stocking. My mom did REALLY good this year (as always) and every single thing was very thoughtful and special!

1. Warm fuzzy polka dot socks! I live in these things at our apartment!
2. An adorable Stella & Dot broach- A feather + some glitz = perfection.
3. Cake Pops book! This will be a new project (or experiment) starting in 2012.
4. A bando top to go under everything.

5. Adorable brightly colored tea / coffee/ hot chocolate spoons!

6. Recipe cards- NEEDED these! Currently they are all scribbled on printer paper.
7. A vintage looking Parisian journal to chart our travels.
8. Essie nail polish- a beautiful holiday red called "Fishnet Stockings"- ha!
9. This is an adorable book "One line a day" that you write in over 5 years. Just one sentence for each day so you can look back over the past 5 years and remember special memories. LOVED this!
10. Toothbrush. Needed as always.
11. Bobby pins. I always seem to lose these... kind of like socks...
12. The Help (DVD) Confession: I read the book this summer and tried to illegally watch it several times online and was never able to find a link that worked. SO I got to watch the full feature film legally and on my DVD player instead of the computer. It was worth the wait!
13. Precious little hand warmers. They look like mini hot water bottles.

Thank you Mom for a great stocking! I am soaking up the last few days that she & Chris are here and don't even want to think about them leaving... so it may be a little quiet around these parts. Will be sure to post holiday pictures soon!

Joyeux Noel!

2011-12-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

*Click on the image to enlarge.

The Most ADORABLE Christmas Story Ever

2011-12-24T00:55:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas EVE!

May this ADORABLE video be a joyful reminder of the true miracle behind Christmas.

"And the angel said unto them, Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people: for there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. And this is the sign unto you: Ye shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger." Luke 2:10-12 : 10

A Few Days in Paris-dise....

2011-12-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

I will post Baby Canon's pics later, but here is an overview from the trusty iPhone.... that is, until she got stolen by some claiming-to-be-deaf-mutes at Montmartre. I recall the actual moment when our iPhone was stolen because 3 of them had me by the arms and were hanging all over me trying to get me to sign a paper to support a non-profit. When we went back and found the girls, one of the girls had the audacity to look me square in the face and call me LOCO! First of all, you are supposed to be deaf AND mute... Second of all, I am not Spanish OR CRAZY!!! Anywhoo- for anyone visiting Paris, we found out that Montmartre is actually worse than the subway and Eiffel Tower area for pickpockets and they specifically target iPhones, so hang onto them! Lucky for us, we have insurance, so thanks to them we will get a brand new FREE iPhone 4. Besides that one mishap, it was a magical four days and we saw and did SO many fun things! I cannot wait to post all about our adventures. Here are the few phone photos to tide you over....

Merry Christmas Week!

2011-12-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

We are currently HERE....

Doing a little bit of THIS.... on the Champs Elysses.

Merry Christmas WEEK!!! :)

Happy Birthday to my Frenchman.

2011-12-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

Happy 28th BIRTHDAY to my handsome Frenchman!!! This world is a happier place because you are in it and I am a better person doing life with you by my side. Here's to a magical day in PARIS. With YOU. And here's to many more adventures and birthdays to come!

All my love,

Abby

Paris, in Style.....

2011-12-16T01:16:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I was finally able to shop at H&M in Limoges. It was heavenly! Logan was lucky and got a chunk of my Christmas shopping done... the problem now lies with me sneaking those items up for our Parisian adventure in a few days. ;)

One of my purchases was a short, boxy, black lace top. These days I am wearing longer shirts and I had no idea how to wear it, so I reached out to my trusty fashionista friend ERIN. She came up with 3 inspiration boards to give me some ideas. I am still SWOONING over her suggestions! After reviewing, I immediately added a fur coat and red skinny jeans to my "wish list." Which board is your favorite? I am still trying to decide, but I think "I Heart Paris" is the most like me since I love incorporating bright colors into my wardrobe.

1. Classic / Tailored

2. Boho Chic

3. Romantic / Girly

Thank you ERIN for helping me plan out my weekend wardrobe :) Read Erin's blog, full of fashion, interior design, and amazing indie tunes HERE.

Our Holiday Home Tour

2011-12-15T01:35:00.000-08:00

Here is the finished product! I am still on the fence on whether it looks classy festive or more like a Kindergarten classroom with the homemade banner and holiday wall... you can be the judge. Regardless it is festive and fun!

*You can see our home tour from last year here.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2011-12-14T10:56:00.000-08:00

We started decorating right after Thanksgiving and I am just now getting around to uploading/ posting these...oops? This year we obviously had to start from scratch as far as decorations go, but I think we maximized our small budget! (The last 2 photos are my DIY attempts this year.)

I will post our complete "Home Tour" tomorrow with the finished product! I hope you enjoy this small sneak peek!

French Cuisine: Raclette

2011-12-13T07:10:00.000-08:00

Raclette is probably my favorite French dish and would you believe it is just basically cheese and potatoes?

Raclette machines are 2 fold: The bottom is used to melt the cheese in little trays. The top is used to cook your meat. It is the easiest meal to prepare because the only thing YOU have to cook are the potatoes! The rest is cooked by the individual. This is a great meal to do when you are with family and friends who are not in a hurry and like to chat. The meal is slow-paced and believe me... you will be in a cheese coma by the end of it!

The table- use a round or square formation rather than a long rectangle, so that the raclette machines can have maximum use!

Potatoes- Skinning these is optional. (Just make sure you boil them until a fork can be easily inserted inside)

Cold cuts... we usually buy a variety pack in the sandwich meat section! (Cured HAM is my favorite!)

Buy RACLETTE cheese at the store. It should already be cut into little squares that will fit in the melting trays.

The meal is typically served with a light salad. (We did mache with vinaigrette) Another fun item to add to the dish is pineapple!

As you can see, you put 1 slice of cheese in the melting tray and your cold cuts/pineapple on the top to cook.

Wait until your cheese is bubbling and sliding around so it will pour easily over your meat & potatoes. Then voila! Your meal is ready. Bon Appetite!

Logan + Caleb: Birthdays

2011-12-12T05:11:00.000-08:00

On Sunday night, we celebrated Logan and Caleb's birthdays. (We have clients on Caleb's actual birthday this week and Logan and I will be in Paris for his....poor us!)

I decorated the tables with confetti, lanterns, and Christmas trees and Sheri made steak and twice baked potatoes- YUM! Logan had a little Christmas dance party with the kids (Much to their dismay, Nolan and Kristin's kiddos LOVE the Jessica Simpson Christmas CD! Haha) Sheri and I made a NUTELLA-filled birthday cake for the boys and put "51" on top since its the sum of their ages this year (23+28) and some fun sparkler candles. After yummy cake, they opened their gifts. Caleb got a huge surprise ... SKYDIVING... which he has mentioned wanting to do lately! Logan got some stellar New Balance shoes, Season 1 of NCIS (We are addicted), and a bartending box complete with 500 drink recipes and a shaker.

Here are a few pictures of our evening. It was a blast!

Have a WARM Weekend!

2011-12-09T09:15:00.000-08:00

Source: witanddelight.tumblr.com via Marije on Pinterest

We had a busy week, so Logan and I are looking forward to a night of sweatpants, our heater, hot chocolate, and some NCIS! (The Friday night English show over here.) Tomorrow morning, the LADIES of the Colorado are having a baking party! Its a Colorado girls tradition- I am going to be making gingerbread cupcakes (will post the recipe!), lemon bars, and homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. YUM.

We are heading up to PARIS NEXT WEEKEND to do the rest of our Christmas shopping and pick up my Mom & Chris from Charles de Gaulle. Christmas in Paris? Oui! Oui! I cannot believe its just 1 week away :)

Source: zastavki.com via Hannah on Pinterest

REAL Wreath Making Fundraiser

2011-12-08T07:42:00.000-08:00

The girls had a fundraiser this past weekend which involved making your own authentic wreath! It was SO fun...and sticky...and prickly! There were men who assembled the branches into the wreath shape via wire while us ladies got to pick out the embellishments from a table full of pine cones, ornaments, ribbon, glitter, and spray paint! We attached everything via wire or elastic which was challenging. No glue guns here!

It was a really fun way to raise money for the girl's school. You could make your own wreath for 5 Euros or decorate wreaths for the school to sell this week as a fundraiser. I think ours turned out pretty cute- I hope it lasts until Christmas or at least so my Mom can see it.

P.S. Please excuse the terrible picture quality- all I had was the iPod! :)

Snail Mail: The Surprise Edition!!!

2011-12-07T05:12:00.000-08:00

This morning (quite early- please excuse my appearance) I got a package from my mom. The package said "a few of your favorite things" and much to my delight, a few of my girlfriends collected some stateside "must haves" that I have been homesick for since I've been in France.

In my loot:
- Us Weekly & Essie nail polish color of the season- Sole Mate. So fun! (Thanks Brenda!)
- People magazines (Whit- you know me too well!)
- Starbucks VIA packs (will be fighting Logan for these)
- M&M's (peanut and regular!)
- My hipster-musically-inclined friend ERIN burned me 2 CD's full of her new Indie faves! I am loving Fitz & the Tantrums so far... but I have many more to learn!
- Christmas tunes from my sister. Michael Buble... one of my favorite crooners!
- An amazing Worship Mix from Miss Katie Boo! Definitely don't have any Christian radio over in these parts! Thank you :)
- An adorable banner that says "Home is where you are"- Will be putting this up right after the holidays!
- A cute bracelet, TEXAS ornament (a must for our Frenchy tree!), and hilarious FINGERSTACHES! (Mere's gifts are always awesome! We will be whipping out these 'staches on NYE!)

I am not sure where the M&M's, banner, & Starbucks came from (I couldn't figure those out...) So thank you to whoever thought of those!

This package was the perfect pick-me-up after having a few homesick days lately. I really do have such a thoughtful Mom & friends! Love all of you!

XO,
Abs

Meyssac : Le Village de Noel

2011-12-06T07:04:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday we went to an artisan craft fair in Meyssac. It started off very promising with Christmas lights, a carousel, crepes, hot chocolate, several tents full of homemade goodies, and a live Nativity Scene. Its not every day you come face-to-face (literally) with a donkey!

(The little Wise Men went window shopping with the rest of us after they were done- so cute!)

Oh and did I mention we had a run-in with the Socialist candidate for the French Presidency? François Hollande is also Corréziene (from our Department) and made an appearance to rub elbows with the locals. That's good politics right there :)

The day was cut short, unfortunately, due to some freezing rain! The necies and nephew were waiting for Sheri and I in the car and we promised them cotton candy. Keep in mind we had to run to the car and may have gotten lost on our way back.... THIS is how the cotton candy started off.

This is what it looked like once we reached the car. Each kid got 1 bite to be exact. It was hilarious- we could not stop laughing on our way to the car in the pouring rain!

On Sunday, I got to attend a wreath-making class at the girl's school- will post about that this week! It was very fun :)

Bits & Pieces: November

2011-12-05T04:28:00.000-08:00

10.

11.

12.

13.

1. Craft Supplies purchased.

2. TACO night. Who knew it would take moving to FRANCE to make me crave TexMex? (Bromli- are you proud?)

3. A first smile. :)

4. Hot chocolate season. His & Hers.

5. Homemade Gingerbread cupcakes.

6. Burgers on a baguette. First time for everything!

7. Limoges porcelain.

8. My dream car. A powder blue Fiat. Thanks to J. Lo, this may be tainted now.

9. Dad coming to the rescue! No anti-perperant in France.

10. The cutest giraffe I ever did see. Baby Nathalie better watch her back! ;)

11. The most perfect leg warmers.

12. Spotted: H&M. AT LAST. Oh. Happy. Day.

13. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

DIY Christmas Roundup

2011-12-02T14:18:00.000-08:00

I am SO thrilled it is DECEMBER!!! I hope these DIY ideas give you some decorating inspiration.

Ditch the wreath. Try an initial!

Perfect Holiday Party pack.

Clever use of a wreath. And takes up the whole wall instead of one isolated spot. Cute over a couch!

Book Trees - would be adorable on the mantle or a built-in bookcase!

Tree Cones - these can be made to match any interior. Dress them up or down to match your personal style.

Christmas Card Wreath - Adorable and functional.

Cute DIY cards - Love these cute cards! Made with love.

Burlap Christmas Banner - I plan on making this myself... If I can find BURLAP in Egletons... may have to resort to tan paper...

Tomorrow we are attending the French version of the Etsy Jingle Bash! Its a handmade, local, artisan open market in this little town called Meyssac. (My amazing tablecloth lady is setting up a booth!) I cannot wait to stock up on some unique French goodies and meet some local artists. Will provide a full report next week!

Bisous,

Abby

Stickygrams!

2011-11-30T02:39:00.000-08:00

Last week on Pinterest, I found a link to this amazing website! We wanted some cute magnets for our refrigerator and this was the perfect solution! If you have the program Instagram on your iPhone, Stickygrams will sign you in and pull up all of your Instagram photos, you select your favorite 9 to be made into magnets, and they will ship them to you for FREE (even to FRANCE)...so the grand total is $14.99. Not too shabby and they turned out SO cute!

This would be a GREAT stocking stuffer or gift idea for your family or friends. I plan on ordering more in the future.

Psssssst! Tommorrow is DECEMBER!!!! I get to see my Mom in 19 days!!! :)

Thanksgiving Weekend

2011-11-29T03:04:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving weekend was bittersweet. It was the first time I celebrated Thanksgiving without my family and also the first Thanksgiving that was celebrated in a country that does not recognize the holiday. As my Dad said 'The Pilgrims didn't land in Paris!' :) No football in the front yard, Black Friday shopping, movie theater matinees, and the Aggie vs. UT football game.

BUT we did celebrate French style on Friday evening. I made corn casserole (which was challenging without any creamed corn or Jiffy cornbread sold here) and jello salad- yum! (They also don't sell jello over here, but Sheri always stocks up when she visits the states, so we dipped into her stash.) Kristin prepared the meat, homemade stuffing, green bean casserole (without cream of mushroom soup, no less!), and pumpkin pie (from a real pumpkin- no canned pumpkin found here!) SO basically... with a lot of effort, substitutions, and experiments, we had an American style Thanksgiving dinner and it was delicious!

The next morning, we woke up and decorated the dining hall for Christmas with a big tree, wreaths, and garland. Later that day, Logan and I started decorating our little place. It looks SO cute! I will share pictures with you once I finish :) What is it about Christmas and me not wanting any spare counter space or corner un-decorated? I think I have a problem ha!

Last Week's Challenge

2011-11-28T00:58:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who sent me encouraging words about last week's challenge! It was a great week and the Frenchies left full AND alive- so it was successful right? Their favorite meal of all things was the American-style hamburgers. We loaded up trays of toppings with sautéed mushrooms and onions, lettuce, pickles. tomatoes, difference cheeses and avocados and served wedge cut french fries and a green salad. It was very easy and they each asked for a SECOND burger, so I guess they liked them after all! (The only thing they have to compare my burgers to is McDonalds so to them I was Julia Childs, ha!) I have also learned that the French are funny about eating food with their hands unless its on a baguette... so we did have one older man who separated his meat and bun and chose to eat it with a fork and knife! (Still learning all about these cultural differences)

Bob & Sheri got back last night and had a great time on their cruise! Their favorite stops were Corsica and Barcelona- both of which we hope to visit at some point while we are over here. We are glad they are back and ready to tackle a few more busy weeks before Christmas break! I cannot believe its almost December, WOW!

Hope everyone had a fun Thanksgiving break! Happy Monday :)

Thankful

2011-11-24T05:23:00.000-08:00

Thankful.

T - True friendship that transcends oceans
H- Healthy family
A- Apartment that is SO cute and fun to live in
N- New surroundings, New culture, New adventure
K- Knowing that I get to see my Mom in less than 1 month!
F - Family & Friends that I miss a LOT today!
U- Unconditional love
L - Logan, Logan, LOGAN :)

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Source: google.com via Kristin on Pinterest

We don't have the day off for Thanksgiving in France (for obvious reasons) so we decorated the dining hall for Christmas this morning and ate frozen pizzas for lunch :)

Since tonight is a school night for my nieces, we are celebrating Thanksgiving with the family tomorrow night. Sadly, we called to order a turkey 1 month ago and got a phone call 2 days ago that unfortunately 1 month's notice is not enough time to get a turkey over here! BUMMER. So we are improvising with chicken. Cheers for new traditions!

Hope everyone has a great long weekend. I am thankful for you all and so happy we can FINALLY listen to Christmas music :)

The Big Challenge

2011-11-21T02:11:00.001-08:00

This week my in laws are on a European cruise out of Italy (lucky!!!) and we are flying solo at The Colorado. This is half terrifying and half exciting. Sheri and I spent last week preparing the menus and making my grocery list for this week so we should be set!

It's a different kind of anxiety when you are cooking for paying clients instead of your husband and/or friends! Plus, I don't want to reflect poorly on The Colorado and it's reputation. Wish me luck!

First Up: Spaghetti Bolognaise...

A Day in Bordeaux: The Movie

2011-11-17T14:02:00.000-08:00

A Lovely Afternoon

2011-11-16T07:45:00.000-08:00

Gaelle and Julien were two of Logan's wonderful friends who made the trek to our wedding. It was their first trip to the US and they had a blast! We found out a few months later that they were pregnant with this little cutie Charlie!

They recently moved from Limoges closer to us to a city called Bar... it is so tiny I am not sure they even have one (a bar) there! We attended Charlie's first birthday party right after we moved to France and last weekend we had them over for a Sunday lunch. We ate stir fry and brownies and headed to the lake on our property for a brisk fall walk. It was such a fun afternoon! We also have 3 beautiful horses that live on the land next to The Colorado so we got to go pet and feed them. Charlie didn't really know what to think of the horses- neither did I ... if you know me, you know I am not a big animal lover haha!

So thankful for good friends that are nearby!

Happy Hump Day!

Finally! A Home Tour :)

2011-11-14T06:57:00.000-08:00

I have been putting this off for awhile because I wanted our place to be a little more pulled together before showing you the progress. We still do not have many decorations or ANY pictures up, but that is coming up in Phase 3 :) The biggest differences are we moved the wardrobes out of the way and built some walls to close off the bathroom, built a small closet next to our armoire, and some extra counter space in the kitchen.

BIENVENUE (Welcome)

*Disclaimer: Our office area (by the front door) is still in Phase 1... haha we are still not sure what we want to do in that corner, but everything else is coming together nicely.

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

We are in love with our little loft and I have had a blast finding cute treasures to stick in our new home. "Nesting" has really helped me feel more at home in this foreign country! Hope you enjoyed the tour. You are welcome to come visit any time :)

A Girls Day Out!

2011-11-11T12:12:00.000-08:00

We had no clients or meals to serve today, so we decided to have a girls shopping day and head to the world renown Limoges!

Our first stop was the porcelain outlet where Sheri picked out her Christmas present- a new set of dishes! (The ones she currently uses are 10 years old and from a gas station!)

Then we shopped around the French equivalent of an outdoor shopping mall- it was HEAVEN!!! We went to a store called Alinea which is the French "Ikea" and MUCH cuter with same price range. I could have spent all day in that store! All of the stores were all dolled up for Christmas, so it really got us in the Christmas spirit! Can we decorate already?

I came home with a new lamp fixture, a rug, and a Christmas tree for our little apartment! It was a successful day :)

Dallas, I Miss You

2011-11-10T05:57:00.000-08:00

Before I turned in my 2 weeks notice at Neimans, I met a girl who had just moved to Dallas and sent her an email gushing about all the spots she should explore in Dallas. I have been pretty homesick this week so I thought I would give you my short list of favorite places in the Big D. I think sometimes it takes leaving a place to really appreciate what it was.

via

Bishop Arts District

Bolsa - an old car garage turned fancy restaurant

Enos- best pizza in town! AND get the "Sundae Sack" -its a must!

Tillman's Roadhouse- amazing decor and cheeseburgers

Lakewood

Times Ten Cellars - GREAT wine bar...my favorite! You can order pizza that will deliver straight to your table.

Legal Grounds - for breakfast/ brunch

White Rock Lake- fun to go picnic, run, walk, sit, nap, read

Get TC's shaved ice...its a hole-in-the-wall but sooo yummy! My favorite is Tigers Blood (sounds gross, but its amazing!)

Lower Greenville:

Concerts at Granada Theater

The Grape to eat great French cuisine

Simply Fondue

Snuffers - best (and most fattening) cheese fries in town!

Glorias - great patio/ Tex Mex

Henderson: quirky shopping and great bars/ places to eat

Gypsy Wagon (I want everything in this store)

Now & Again (amazing home decor)

The Pearl Cup - cute coffee shop

Common Table- great food!

J. Blacks &Capital Pub - great bars

Uptown:

Nick & Sams Grill - great for HH and brunch

Sangria- tapas/ great drinks (get a pitcher of the sparking Sangria)

Toulouse- another great French restaurant (try the escargot, its great!)

Vino 100 - a quaint wine bar

Katy Trail Ice House - pretty new with a huge patio, very Austin-ish, relaxed, casual

West Village

Mannys- my favorite Mexican food- get the brisket tacos

Village Burger Bar (in West Village shopping center) - best burger in town!

Mi Cocina- a chain, but amazing- Get the Mambo Taxi (but don't drive afterwards!)

via

Family and Friends... I miss you all very much!!! Life is magical over here, but it would be PERFECT if you all were still just around the corner.

Christmas Wish List...

2011-11-08T02:12:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I am ready to start decorating for Christmas, listening to holiday tunes, and wrapping presents! Logan and I went Christmas shopping this past weekend and found some ADORABLE items for our nieces and nephew. The below are a few items I have on my "Wish List" for this holiday season.

1. Adobe Photoshop Elements

2. Nicholas Sparks' newest book The Best of Me

3. A 50mm lense for baby Canon :)

4. A pair of these ADORABLE slippers from Anthropologie. MY favorite is the second from the left!

5. A long thermal robe from Victoria's Secret- look at all the cute patterns!

6. A cute iPhone 4 cover!

What's on your "Wish List" for this Christmas?

Carcassonne, France

2011-11-03T10:33:00.000-07:00

This was our view driving into old Carcassonne. The village has since grown into a big city, but they have kept the original Medeival town in tact by leaving it within the historic remparts. We stayed in the village the entire weekend. It is filled with hotels, shops, and cafes!

Our first day in Carcassonne got off to a rocky start. We had some bad food, bad service, and it was a cold and rainy day. We were both pretty bummed and I literally prayed for sunshine and a better attitude come Sunday morning, our actual anniversary. I am not trying to flatter myself by thinking that God parted those clouds for me, but I took it as a little anniversary gift/ answered prayer when I woke up to sunny skies! We also got an extra hour of sleep due to daylight savings time on Sunday- Yippee! The pictures below are from our amazing hotel! The last one is the view from our hotel room window- pretty amazing huh?

Sunday was in the 60's, not a cloud in the sky, and started off with breakfast in bed and a massage for me in our room! After that, we headed into town to search for some BETTER food and stumbled upon this gypsy looking place with live music. We were contemplating and looking at the menu when an American lady who was sitting by herself said You MUST eat here, it is great! I eat here every time I am in town. We were sold! We sat next to a couple from Barcelona and by the end of our meals we were exchanging email addresses and phone numbers! I am itching to go to Spain now, anyone want to join?

We spent the afternoon sight seeing and shopping around for little trinkets and Christmas gifts. I got a few things but missed the most PERFECT leather handbag that I was "thinking about" all day, by a mere 5 minutes... I guess it wasn't meant to be.

We went to the remparts (city walls) to watch the sunset over the mountains. It was beautiful!

That evening we decided it was crucial that our meal be extraordinary, so we went on Trip Advisor and decided price aside, we would go to the #1 ranked restaurant in Carcassonne. So we found La Maquerie. It was walking distance from our hotel and they had room for the 2 of us for dinner. The food was out of this world! The chef took time preparing every single thing from scratch and put a lot of effort into the gastronomy (design) of the dishes. We opted for a menu that included a wine pairing with every single course - the aperitif, the entree, the main dish, the cheese, and the dessert! The waiter made sure we would be walking home :)

Needless to say, our actual anniversary did a 180 degree turn from our first day and we ended up having a fantastic experience!

A New (Anniversary) Tradition

2011-11-02T11:54:00.000-07:00

As you know Logan and I live in Egletons, a little tee tiny town Central France. Our 2nd Wedding Anniversary was approaching last week and alas, there was NO sign of a Hallmark... What's a girl to do? I am a CARD LOVER. In fact, in college I would buy cute cards for no reason at all and put them up on my bulletin board to admire. I digress... so we go to the local grocery store and find one end aisle that has a small card selection but nothing about wedding anniversaries...just weddings and birthdays and deaths... SO we get to thinking, how can we remedy this? (I mean where is Kroger when you need her?)

WELL, every anniversary we have decided to skip the gifts and take a trip together. Some years it may be extravagant and others it may just be a staycation at a hotel 10 minutes away. Regardless, we want to get out of the house and do something together. While pondering our predicament, Logan had a stroke of genius hit him and he thought... POSTCARDS! We can write each other love notes on postcards each anniversary from the place we visit. And I thought, AWESOME! Maybe we can even invest in a cute wooden box to store all of our postcards so we can look back at all the places we visited over the years. (We also think it would be neat for our kiddos to look through someday.)

So there you have it! Our new tradition. We exchanged postcards on October 30th, 2011. It was better than Hallmark. It was us coming up with something original and creative and ours. I loved it.

What about you? Do you do anything clever to celebrate your special day? I would love to hear about it!

Today

2011-11-01T10:35:00.000-07:00

Today looks like this:

Source: 28.media.tumblr.com via Paula on Pinterest

So we have been watching these:

Source: google.com via Funsational on Pinterest

Drinking these:

Source: loveallthingscomfy.tumblr.com via Abby on Pinterest

And staying in these:

Source: pinterest.com via Lisa on Pinterest

And I am loving every minute of it! Will be back tomorrow with pictures from our trip... until then, I am loving doing NOTHING today :)

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T15:25:00.000-07:00

We got back from our Anniversary trip tonight and Zorro and 2 Flamenco dancers were on our front porch for trick-or-treating! So stinkin' cute :)

Here are a few Halloween "pins" I had tucked away. Enjoy!

Source: feebreeze.tumblr.com via Abby on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Abby on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via The Farmer's Trophy Wife on Pinterest

Source: designmom.com via Abby on Pinterest

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!! Hope yours is SPOOK-TACULAR!

We had a blast in Carcassonne... cannot wait to tell you the stories :)

5 :)

2011-10-28T05:09:00.000-07:00

Like I mentioned, this week has been non-stop... today Logan & I tag teamed the entire "Big House" (6 rooms) to deep clean, make beds, sweep, etc. Then we prepared lunch for 13 clients and we are about to head into an afternoon long meeting with the family accountant about business and the new project. We are all exhausted BUT tomorrow begins our ANNIVERSARY WEEKEND!!! We feel like we have definitely earned a few days off after this week :)

We are headed to Carcassonne, France to explore, shop, and spend some QT just the two of us.

Today I am going to post 5 things that Logan does to make me smile. (And some cute lovey-dovey pics I have found via Pinterest that make me smile)

1. Logan sings his sentences when he is in a chipper mood. This will either appear on voicemails or when I walk in the door. He literally makes up melodies while he sings his sentences to me... I cannot help but laugh!

Source: beauty-beautiful.tumblr.com via Abby on Pinterest

2. My husband LOVES movies. I have come to find out that this is an inherited trait from his parents seeing as they basically have a Blockbuster in the upstairs of their home. (Seriously, I will post a picture of it - over 500 movies) Well, I LOVE it when I hear this hyena type laughter... I only ever get to hear it when it pertains to movies or TV shows, but it is hilarious!

Source: bleubirdvintage.typepad.com via Abby on Pinterest

3. Each night that I cook, Logan does the dishes. We have both been doing them all day long at The Colorado, and yet he still bites the bullet and does them all by hand. (Note: we do not have a dish washer in our APT)

Source: weheartit.com via Abby on Pinterest

4. I think he got this from me, but Logan has turned a bit "needy" and he will get all whiney and pouty when he needs attention. I act annoyed, but secretly I love it :) "I need you to LOVE me" is what he says and then puts his arms out for a hug. So cute.

Source: shannoneileenblog.typepad.com via Abby on Pinterest

5. Freshly-shaven-with-cologne-Logan when he puts a lot of effort into his outfit and comes out to ask me if he looks trendy and cool or stupid and trying too hard... haha I love that he is semi into fashion :) And he is REAL easy on the eyes too!

Source: Uploaded by user via Abby on Pinterest

HAPPY WEEKEND AND GO RANGERS!!! I BELIEVE!!!!