The blues... or is it the grays?!

Hi there!

Autumn is officially here... and so are my grays, stronger than ever.
It usualy takes my husband a couple of weeks or so to catch up on them, but this morning he takes a long look at me and goes, "ok, that's your grays talking!"! (I mean, come on! Give a girl a couple of days to adjust!) What motivated this remark you might ask... well... "Baby, are you happy? Do you think you were put into this world to live this life, I mean, don't you feel you are just taking up space and not doing anything extraordinary with your life...?! Was I really put in this world for this?!" Hence his answer, followed by "Honey, you gave birth to three amazing kids, if that isn't extraordinary I don't know what is!" Yeah, it didn't work to lift my grays... and they are getting darker by the day...



...and what better to chase those blues away than remember the summer time in that magnificent island... and FYI, I'm going back next week... can't wait to see my loved ones that inhabit paradise!

A bientôt

It's the wkd...

Hi there!

Not wanting to over do it this week, but, I'm so excited... Got a new decorating project on the way... a very special one (I might add!).

                                            will need lots of this...

... this project may just be what I've been waiting for... as a kick off to a new adventure! and one of my #favoritepersoninthewholeworld will be very happy in the process... will tell you this, first home away from home!!!! (some tear droping now!)

 A bientôt

Work, pain and gain!!!

Hi there!

Just checking in to say, YEAH!, I nailed it this week!. I'm feeling pretty proud of myself (almost hyper-ventilating) because this week, I finally did some of the things (work related of course!) that I've been meaning to do and just wouldn't get around to... I even had time to figure out how to upload photos to the blog (ok, so my son did that but only after I asked him for about a zillion times how this worked, apparently I had touched some key I was not supposed to touch and just totally messed with the computers memory! really?! people mess with my memory all the time and I have to keep going!!!)
I also started some phisio sessions because of my bad back, well, apparently I don't have abdo-muscles, leg-muscles and calf-muscle! and I just use my back when I walk and work and well, all the time and I'm in real trouble because apparently it's going to get worst if I don't change my habits... So I'm like, sore all over... and my back still hurts!

                                      my new best friend, because of back pain of course!!!!!

I also got around to "embellishing" the front door! Not very halloween (like, at all!) but a bit Fall, which I think is nice...

         the candle holders were made by my husband (he's just the best!) and I did the planting!


Gotta run... makin some pasta primavera for lunch... yes I know it's Fall (ahahah)!!!!

A bientôt

Fall-ing at our Home...

As you can see, these are my efforts to making my home more Fall-y!

A bientôt

Decorating for FALL... (OK... here goes...)

Hi there!

After  a terrible week of  "what ifs" (and back exactly where I was before that!)  I'm a little bit more "me" again and, well, here I am, leting off some steam...
Well I have been doing a lot of "blog-stalking"... and that does cheer me up a LOT!
It seems the main theme is FALL, why not, since it is the Season! and I must agreeee, those houses look amazing. and it did give me a boost to try something chez moi!
Although, I must say that some of them made me wonder how much money people actually spend decorating for each season... Yes I absolutely love decorating my home and am always on the look out for new, affordable ways to go about it... and I give you that I have been known, once upon a time, to splurge on Christmas decorations, but fall? Really? But I'll tell you a little secret... I'm hooked!
So, you might ask, how did I go about it?  No money spending and all that... Well, I started by the pumpkins! couldn't get any orange pumpkins for free, so I got the next, even better, good thing! I got white ones that my neighbor was going to throw out because he mixed the grains when seeding and ended up with white squash... Lucky me! After that, and after spending days playing around with them shifting them every single day, many times a day, to find them the right spot,a place that made me smile! I put them exactly where my heart was set on from the very begining... on the mantel (faux), of course! Then it was all about finding those candles (I knew I had somewhere), hit the outdoors for some autumn leaves, yes I have a park for a backyard so it didn't cost a thing either... (on the way to the park I had to cross the garden so I picked some roses...gorgeous!!
I follow, and look up, lots of blogs and the advice most of them give when it comes to styling your home or kick your decoration up a notch is to look through your home first, no spending yet, look if there is something that you can use or uptade that will give you the look you want without spending money... if not, well, shopping is such great therapy and if you can afford it... shop! I would!

A bientôt

I'm back!

Hi there!

So, it's true... I'm back! Being down the South-West Coast was fun... but it's over... at least for now.
I had such a great time that I'm still high from those weeks of sun, beach and beer... yeah, I love champagne, but beer has a special place in my... palate...(and it's so much more, how can I say it! less expensive...)
I got home full of energy to start organizing and cleaning and decorating and just moving stuff around! (for the first two days!...) And so far I've managed to organize my side of the closet (desorganizing the whole bedroom in the process), build and organize shelves under my "built in" office in the kitchen (desorganizing drawers and countertops in the process) and I've changed the shelf I had moved downstairs just before going on Holidays and put a chest of drawers in its place... I've been really busy... I managed to go to "Action", a store we have that is (I suppose!) the equivalent to the dollar tree or dollar store in the US, 3 times! (trips that were an immediat reaction to the reflection that I NEED TO ORGANIZE MY HOME! (of course I went with very specific notes as to what to buy and came home with everything BUT the mentioned! (two out of those three times I left the list at home...)
I've caught up with all the blogs I love reading each week! (drollingfrom all the beautiful pictures and the excitement with the rentrée! Have been "hunting" for an Agenda... said "hunt" shall continue today as the world startsturning only next week for students(and me) over here...
Today's to-do list includes purchasing new curtains for my bedoom, shelves for the bathroom, baskets for said shelves, buy bananas and water for smoothies, green ones, and hopefully take lots of pictures, good ones, to share with you all...

A bientôt

PS also organized my Under the sink cabinet and guess what? took a before picture and forgot to take an after picture, so now I have to re-organize to take said picture! An't my life exciting?!

Just before I go...

Yes , it could (is) be a title of a film... but it isn't...
Before I leave the North to head South I've decided to do a little spring cleaning (yes, I am aware it's summer by now!). I urgently needed shelves for all the books I had piled on my daughters bed... (she's away) and why did I have the books on her bed? because I used the shelves they were on to put some wicker baskets to hide shoes and toilet paper in a totally different part of the house...

so, as I was saying, I really needed a book shelf. I went into my crafts/sewing/ironing (and everything else I want hidden from guests) and... voilà! I had some shelves there that I could brighten up a bit (they are all white, really cheap ones!) and it would solve my problem... (my daughter will be home soon, so I really had to find a solution!) The only problem was, where would I put all the stuff that was on the shelves in the said room?! I sometimes have really great ideas... yeah, only sometimes... So I asked my husband (yes, I asked really nice!) and he built me a shelf in my storage (see above) room, a wider, all along the wall shelf... it is awesome... I haven't finished that room yet! will see if I can get some pics when it's finished...

A bientôt

It's that time of the year again...

Hi there!

Yes! It's vacation time again... In a week I will be heading South... to my own little bit of paradise!

Where the sky is blue... (but really blue) like in no other place on earth... where the beaches are (almost) very clean, where there are lots of people just because it's summer... lots of people riding their bikes, the kids on a seat strapped behind... most of them sleeping in the hot sun as their parents pedal away as if they are being chased or as if there is no tomorrow... of course, if it's not a baby on that seat it's a dog!  and they really look like they are enjoying it! (not the baby or the dog... if you know what I mean!)

 

The menacing "voitures" parked while the cold beer disappears from the bars' taps!... Oh the bars! The cold beer, the oysters and the "moules frites" served right on the beach, from the little restaurant-bar off the sand... and the ice-cream, "made in" my paradise itself, allready one of the "seven wonders" (there aren't, but should there be...) of the place...
The list is endless, but you really have to see it to believe it... I mean, I cannot make it justice in so few words (or pics)... for better or worst!

And these are just some of the reasons I love going back to my paradise everytime...

A bientôt

I love reading...

I love reading!

I read just about anything that comes my way and I usually finish reading whatever comes my way even if I don't really like it... I don't know why, it's just that way...

Well, what came my way this week was a cooking magazine! Yes, I've been reading recipies... no judging please...

I started reading one, then another and so on until I had almost finished the magazine... Now, for me this is also very useful because I was reading the recipies in french!, so I was actually practicing the language I have such difficulty in. To say that I found the reading interesting is an understatement! It was awesome, not boring at all! I learned lots of new words and even got the little bug to try some of the recipies I read... easier said than done as lately I have stuck to raws (yes smoothies!) and really easy recipies (specially the ones you prepare and stuck in the oven for 40 minutes and voilà!).

But just so you know, clafoutis are very easy to make and (I didn't know this!) you canalso make salted ones, not just sweet ones! Because, and I learned this shortly after coming to live in France, clafoutis are specially made with cored fruits, like peaches or cherries, and you leave the core (it's not at all nice to eat the cake with the fruits core, but, what do I know!). So imagine my surprise when I see clafoutis made with cherry tomatoes and feta cheese and ham... no cores there...

Will be trying that soon... right after my ratatouille fase... and smoothies fase...

A bientôt

Philosophy...

Just read this on a blog I recently discovered http://decordeprovence.blogspot.fr! it totally agrees with my latest philosophy in life... is today the first day of the rest of my life?

Smoothies, really?!

I have news! Ver big news! I'm a rawkstar!
I'm not a fruit or vegetable person. I eat my salads like everyone (does everyone eat salad? for next post!), but I don't really like vegetables or eat fruit, I will eat it if there is nothing else and I'm really hungry, but that's all. I'm not the mum that buys kilos of fruit everyweek (wasn't!) and makes everyone eat lots of fruit because it's good for you!
Well... I accidently tripped over an article or a page, can't remember of www.simplegreensmoothies.com and was hooked! In their page they promise to hook us on the smoothies after the first one, but I actually was hooked after reading their posts and their recipies... they are nothing short of awesome! By chance this was just before they started a 30 day challenge, which I signed for immediatly. Got the blender, got the ingrédients and voilà! I also managed to drag my husband... but I'm starting to regret it because, yes, I created a smoothies monster and he now wants to have his say on which on I should make more often because he "likes it better"! Really!
If you read my posts, you know I just don't stick to anything for long (not even the posts! gosh!) but I am pleased to say that I hqve been religiously following their challenge and I'm loving it...
Honestly, who could imagine that spinach and bananas could taste so good... I have even made my own almond milk... ok, I could say I'm frugal right here, but really, the almonds alone cost a fortune, it's far cheaper to buy the milk! nevertheless I'm very proud of myself... of course, now that I have shared such information I will just probably stop making the smoothies... I hope not... well, we'll find out soon enough...



A bientôt

Back again...

Hi!
Well, went home and am back again... home.
The last time I wrote on this blog I was in my little island and guess what? I'm back!
I got so excited last time I was here because this is such a nice place and I really feel very well in this place... it's home... and I'm not big on getting attached to places... but here everything is different, it's a world apart from the world as I know it.
I did go away to work, like I always do... got some gardening done...

Read a lot, like usual... Caught up in all my series... Worked a lot too... But what I didn't do was leave my blues behind... somewhere... a place I would've find them again... but I'm working on it... .............

aren't my lilies of the valley wonderful?

 

Me having a break for coffee with my mum at St Martin de Ré, Île de Ré...

This is the place I love to just... breath, go for a walk... have coffee or an ice-cream at La Martiniére

Life is good here...

A bientôt

Tomorrow...

Well, well... As you have all guessed, tomorrow wasn't a better day... And, once again I got stuck...

I have not accomplished anything I had set my mind to... I suppose I accomplished other things... But the most difficult has been dealing with myself and this sadness that has made it's home chez moi!... Of course I can guess and even point out exactly why I feel like this... But I have never been very good at dealing with problems... I prefer to bury my head in the sand...
I had promised myself to deal with things instead of just leave them and hope they go away... Someone once told me that it wasn't worth my time to try and solve little problems, to just let them grow, and once they got too big there was nothing I could do about them anyway so there was no solution possible other than let them be!... (I'm thinking I took this advice a bit toooooo seriously)!
But, I must say that, after spending a week vacationing at one of my favorite places in the world, Île de Ré! With my wonderful family, I feel much better... I feel I could take on the world... (I'm so optimistic!) all I really want is to be happy...
But then again, with a sky like this who wouldn't be happy...











A biêntot

Panic in Paris!

Hi there!
Well... I'm back!
I think this year I got stuck way, way before even I could think of!
I've been in such a state of depression and anxiety that even I was taken by surprise! It's been a while that I have some anxiety issues (years!). But somehow, for some reason I panicked! I was so enthusiastic about getting my life in shape this year and as usually decided to take on all the resolutions at once and then bam! It all started falling apart!
As a result of my inertia I have read 6 books! Watched 5 new movies and cried my eyes out, while working full time (ok, flexible hours except on weekends)... And I'm a little behind on sleep! Nothing that can't be fixed!
I have been reading the blogs I set my mind on following but everything else around the house is kind of... Well... Behind schedule! Not very worried because I am a hurricane, when I start cleaning I'm thorough and fast and we are only two so... Tomorrow is another day... This has made me think... I am more productive when I am decided to do things, and accomplish them with no effort than when I drag myself to do those things... It takes me more time and I don't do such a good job! (Gosh did I just have my aha moment?????? (Just kidding!) I'm not different than anybody else I suppose!
I hope tomorrow is a little bit better than today!...

A bientot

This past week...

I don't know if I told, but I live in France, one year ago I moved to a village very near Paris ( yeah, kind of changed my wonderful little island for a small village up north!). Work reasons!
Anyway, this past week, the 7th to be exact, there was a terrorist attack in Paris and everyone is in a panic state of mind! Among other states of... We are living difficult times all over the world... I mean, after 9/11 the world has been living in constant fear...
Anyway, today there were assemblies of people everywhere in France and my little village was no exception! And as for my 20min of outside time, I decided to make my presence at the assembly "it"! I'm completely obsessed with the blog rhythmsofplay.com, and I really want to try to be positive about my whole existence... I'm also trying to be more giving, more sweet, more present, more me... Because that's what it comes to at the end of the day! So today, I was Charlie! In paying our respect as well as remembering the newspaper attacked on the Sao day, Charlie-Hebdo! The point of all these assemblies was to show the attackers (these ones are dead! But eventual others) that we stand up for our freedom of speech and for our countries! Even have my log to show for! Ok, I didn't take pictures because that wasn't at all the point, but I thought that a drawing was in fact what was asked for as Charlie-Hebdo is a satiric paper!

A bientot 

Feeling down!

Why! Oh why!
I've been reading about frugal living for about 6 years, I try to put some of the ideas I read about into practice but... I must be doing something wrong as I never follow through my plans and usually give up!
I live in Europe and for the last couple of years I really had to change my lifestyle big time, including leaving my country to find work somewhere else. It's true that "back in the olden days" I could have put into practice lots of the things I read... Not the case today! For example, cut on eating out - don't have the money to go eat out! Cut on hairdresser - can't afford to go! Don't get coffee at the coffee shop everyday - say what now? Don't even remember the last time! Cut on clothes - what? I'm wearing everything I owned for at least 5 years! (Actually I did get a new sweater for Christmas as a present!). So unfortunatly the ideas are great but not practical for me as I don't spend any money on said things! I mean, I always cook from scratch, ok, I do spend some money on sparkling water, but always the cheapest on the store! I always buy store brand as we are not big on coupons here and groceries are very expensive! I'm also lucky enough to live in the country and have lots of vegetables given to me by my lovely neighbors! We always had meatless meals as we love pasta with tomato sauce, not ketchup!
I am committed to the 31 days no spending spree, as I like to call it! Is this going to be the year I make it and will it work? I'm afraid I'm losing it against and I just don't know how many times I have to mess up and not make ends meet until I finally realize I really have to commit!

A bientot

Schedule, rhythm...

Oh, what a day!
Decided to start the week organizing! (Yeah, I suppose I have to start somewhere!)
I must say that it was with good surprise that I read a post at rhythmsofplay.com where Nell admitted that she wasn't very good with schedules! Well, I make plans, I write down everything I have to do but... It just doesn't work! I end up doing nothing of e sort and spend my time just depressed because I just don't follow through! It's really that bad!
I think I'm just lazy! I do work well under stress and with deadlines but left on my own to work/study/whatever... Just doesn't work! If eventually I do get off my a.. To do something that I do 't want to, I will be sure to end up doing something entirely different just so I don't do it! Exactly like when my kids were young and I tried to get them concentrated on homework and they would look at the ceiling and count flies or always needed to go to the bathroom, or had forgotten some pencil that they needed badly... Wow, writing it actually makes it sound bad! They take after ME!
From now on I will try to work with the rhythm instead of the schedule, the question is... Am I mature enough to follow through? Do I have what it takes to make it work? Guess we'll find out!

A bientot

New challenges!

Hi there!
I've been dedicating most of my time to catching up on other blogs, yes... It's that time of the year!
Catching up on livingwellspendingless.com with Ruth Soukup, I came upon a message left by the mind behind rhythmsofplay.com... Just love it! Nell tells us about plans and changing and new year's resolutions, anyway, everything I love! (Today I started my "outside" time! Check out her blog to find out what I'm talking about... And of course I am no woman to just start one simple task... I take them all and 4 weeks into the year I no longer know what I'm doing so I give up! This time is different, I keep telling myself! And I really hope it is. So here is what I started up for this year, as new resolutions as well as new projects, with a little help from my friends the great bloggers out there... I wish I could be so amazing and organized and structured as they are but that my friends, is something for yet another year! So here goes:

Started my outside time, 20 minutes a day and started my log on it!
Started the saving jar, by weeks, $1 the first week, $2 the second (thanks for the reminding post on fb LWSL!
Started the 31 day no spending spree! (Last year could not finish it!)

Try to keep you posted... By the way, my creative writing bug has been bugging me... Going to see if there's anything I can do... Or better, write!

A bientot

Saving or not saving?

Hi!
Can't sleep so decided to browse the net to see what people are saying... No matter which blog or page I read it's there! It's that time of year that resolutions are made and yes... We make promises to start spending less, saving more or even just adjust our spending from what we really need and what we really want... Being no exception myself I too make lots of plans, mentally, take notes, mentally, and promise myself that this is going to be the Year, you got it, mentally! Fortunately or unfortunately we are in no time to just "go with it" and pretend that the economy has nothing to do with how we spend or want to spend our money as we realize day by day that the grocery bill is getting higher month to month... I've been following "Living well spending less" and "The thrifty couple", I really love this! and I am ashamed to say... I select the parts that are easiest to start by on the savings plans they propose and I can't even follow those through!
But right now, not sure if it's the lack of sleep... I am (like those smile faces) feeling confident!
Will keep you posted...

A bientot

www.livingwellspendingless.com
http://thethriftycouple.com

Ok, Oprah also has some tips about saving money! What did I tell you?