more from france

It's been a very hot July in Massachusetts. I have daily thoughts of turning the back sprinklers on and running through in my bathing suit, much like my childhood summers. Maybe this weekend we'll see some sprinkler action:).

Here are some more photos from our France trip, specifically Saint-Malo. Yes, there were activities that occurred outside of taste-testing fabulous french desserts;).

This was the view from our hotel balcony... just breathtaking. We slept with the door open to allow ample flow of salty sea air:).

And here are some perspectives of the old walled city of Saint-Malo, La Ville Intra-Muros.

A sweet little creperie overlooking the English channel (delicious banana chocolate crepes served here, with a stunning view:))

And tucked away inside the walled city are rows of fabulous little cafes, shops, vendors.

And a little sneak peek at the baby bump visiting France:)

I hope you're all having an enjoyable July. I'll post some photos from Paris soon. Until then, stay cool, wherever you may be:).

xoxo

France = Dessert?

Bonjour!

We've just returned from a week-long trip to France. Matt had to go for work and it coincided with our two-year wedding anniversary, so fortunately for me, I got to go on a little vay-cay:).

The trip started in the beautiful coastal village of Saint Malo and ended in Paris. I took over 200 photos throughout the week, so I thought that for my first France posting, I'd show you the sweeter side of our travels ;).

I have always had a sweet tooth and France is definitely the place to be when it comes to dessert:). And this girl indulged, to say the very least. I made it my mission to seek out the most delicious pastries and ice cream on a daily basis (sometimes thrice daily, terrible, I know). I have to say, being pregnant in France is not a good thing when it comes to sweet treats:).

And I don't know what it is, but desserts just seem to taste better in France. And on vacation. Coffee-flavored eclairs, strawberry ice-cream piled high on a waffle cone, raspberry macaroons sandwiching a scoop of sweet-pink sorbet. Even the coffee tasted sweeter.I left this trip feeling like I want to open a little French bakery of my own here in Massachusetts. 

Maybe when I retire :).

But until then, I'll continue to be an active connoisseur.

More France photos to follow. And happy summer:)

xoxo

rainy days to slow us down

Today it rained. And rained. And rained. It's still raining... a quiet, dark night kind of rain. This is the last weekend home before we leave for France, so there were many much-needed outdoor chores to be done, but thanks to mother nature, we ended up having a very sllllooooooow, nap-py kind of day. This is fine because I had quite an uncharacteristically busy work week, which found me in and out of Pittsburgh one day, in Connecticut the next and on endless teleconferences the last. Next week will be similar, so I welcomed this sleepy kind of day.

We were able to get our new cedar Adirondack chairs put together and sanded, though the rain prevented us from painting them. Nothing says relaxation to me like the sight of two Adirondack chairs, overlooking a fabulous view on a summer's weekend evening. With a nice glass of wine, though that will have to wait until next summer. We also spent a lot of time sleeping, grazing, watching the UK/ USA Worldcup game, and having quiet time with Luna (which basically consists of the three of us sitting on a floor in a circle, staring at each other, until Luna does something doggy-gross, that breaks the circle and causes us to go back to whatever we were doing prior:)).

Like I said, we have been grazing. And one of my favorite ways to eat is this very European-style way of eating. Eating light, hors d'oeuvresy type foods, fresh meats, cheeses, fruit, with crackers and different types of mustard-y dips. I could eat every meal like this, and I believe that I say those exact words every time we eat a meal like this:).

I've started reading 'The Middle Place', which I'm really enjoying. I've been meaning to read it for months now.

I wonder... what are you doing this weekend? Is it raining where you are? Enjoy the weekend :).

a weekend at home

We have nothing planned this glorious weekend. Nada. Zip. Noth-ing. And so far it's been absolutely fabulous:).

We started our Saturday morning with cheese & chive eggs; chives from the garden. There is nothing sweeter to me than eating fresh, delicious food out on our back deck on a sunny weekend morning with some jazzy tunes playing in the background.

Ms. Lu was given a bath- the first use of the outdoor shower this season. She wasn't as thrilled as I'd hoped, but she's now fluffy & clean, which means that mama is thrilled;). And I always love the way she looks when she's wet- so small and vulnerable:).

I've been doing a lot of gardening on the weekends, and today was no exception. We haven't been able to harvest anything yet, other than the chives, which grow like weeds, but things are looking good:).

Early Girl Tomatoes

Baby Persian Cukes (aka 'green fingers')

Super Sugar Snap Peas

Sweetie Baby Romaine Lettuce

This little dragonfly in the photo above chilled out on my chives to keep me company the whole time I was in the garden. He even let me get a close-up shot. In return, I gave him some chives:).

And this sweet little mama is one of my favorites. She (or one of her relatives?) stops by this nest every year to lay her eggs and send her little ones off into the world. I'm always amazed at the concentration and efforts that mama birds put into tending to their young. It's what they live for. She didn't even flinch when I took the photo.

I wish you all an enjoyable weekend, wherever you are.

xoxo

Oh, you make me so happy

The peony is named after Paeon (also spelled Paean), a student of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine and healing. Asclepius became jealous of his pupil; Zeus saved Paeon from the wrath of Asclepius by turning him into the peony flower.
(from Wikipedia)

I wait for this all winter long- the first blooms from my sweet little peony bush. I take daily walks (sometimes multiple times a day, much to the annoyance of my husband:)) by my little plant starting in the early spring, eagerly monitoring it's growth. My heart fills with joy at the first sign of the light pink, almost white, buds that slowly emerge. It takes all of the determination and sanity that I can muster to not jump up and down, while clicking my feet together in the air and singing a song of happiness when I see that first floppy mophead (my willpower is not quite strong enough to prevent a little twirling dance, but these things happen). And yes, selfish as it may be, I just cannot leave them outside. So, I clip the delicate little mopheads and place them in a sweet little vase so that I can enjoy them inside. And when I'm inside, I carry them around, room to room, so that I can smell their loveliness whenever I please.

 

And speaking of mopheads, here is our other little mophead, loving herself up some sun. My dad would say that she's 'posing for animal crackers' and I would have to agree :).

 

Thank you all for your sweet and thoughtful notes on my last post. I feel so lucky to have found you in this little blogworld and look forward to sharing our stories of summer.....

xoxo 

A Sweet Surprise

"Seriously? Your blog is pathetic. Work on that!" - Amber, my oldest, sweetest, dearest friend, who is also quite candid and there to provide a swift kick in my ass whenever needed:).

She's right. I have been SO bad about updating my blog. It's not for lack of things to say, in fact, quite the contrary. There has been a lot going on around here lately. The biggest news is that I am pregnant- 15 weeks and counting :). I've been meaning to write about it for so long, but couldn't find a way to express how truly happy and blessed I feel. Some of you know that I've wanted this for a long time. Yet when I finally got those expectant 'two lines', I was actually..... shocked. And I've been shocked ever since. A sweet surprise. It wasn't until we went to see the ultrasound at 11.5 weeks, at which point we also heard the little heartbeat for the first time, that I felt a calming confirmation- 'there really is a little one in there'. Not that the morning sickness and exhaustion weren't clues enough, but having the raw data just sealed the deal. So, here we are today, feeling extremely, extremely grateful for this precious little thing, currently the size of an apple, that's growing inside of me. We cannot wait to welcome this little one to a home that’s brimming with love.

We love you and we haven’t even met you yet.

We’ve also been putting a lot of efforts into our yard lately. We’ve planted our apple trees, hydrangeas, butterfly bushes and our vegetable garden. There is nothing quite like walking up to the garden on a hot summer’s day, pulling a beautiful ripe tomato from a vine, taking a huge bite and knowing that all of this work that went into this delicious tomato was so totally worth it.

I will post some pictures of my garden this week, for those of you who would like to see;). But for now, I’m signing off to watch the end of the Yankees/ Mets game with hubby.

Good night, dear ones!

xoxo

Springing Back

We're now well into spring and new signs of life are popping up every day. I've missed writing here and reading my favorite blogs this past month. One month away and it feels like I've got a lot of catching up to do:). So that's what I'll be doing now; catching up to see how this spring has been treating you and to see what signs of life are popping up in your areas.

As for us, we've been spending as much time as possible outside, rain and shine. Luna spends every waking moment chasing chipmunks, birds, deer. She never seems to have any luck, but that doesn't stop her from trying. This time of year calls for many a bath for the poor pup, as she comes back from an adventure in the woods with nasty scents and sap all over her. If only she could realize cause (rolling in poo) and effect (bath time:)). Siiiigh...

Hubby came home one day this month and surprised me with some sweet pink roses. I kept them out until the last possible second. The peony and bleeding heart bushes have sprouted their little heads from the side of our house. I check their progress every day:).

The end of March also found me potting my indoor seeds (trying to get an early start this year:)). I've potted heirloom & cherry tomatoes, cosmos, many a variety of zinnia, basil. Soon to be outdoors are the peas, lettuce, cukes, cilantro. Oh, and last week our apple trees and hydrangea came in. It's been quite a good planting month:).

I look forward to reconnecting with each of you:). I hope April is treating you well.

xoxo

B