That was the day....

Working for a French company in the US meant that we constantly had visitors from France. Sometimes they would come to "work with us" for weeks at a time.

We hated when these people came over since we always took it as a sign that we were incapable of doing our jobs correctly.

One faithful day in September of 2006 we were expecting a visitor that would be with us for over four weeks.

This colleague came by early in the morning, and in typical French fashion came by to shake all of our hands. When I first saw this guy I was surprised.

He wasn't in his fifties like most of the people that went over, and he wasn't French. Plus he was looking quite sharp in a suit.

Being a single girl in my early twenties I also couldn't help but notice that he was quite handsome and sans wedding ring (isn't that the first thing we girls notice?).

He was also nice and sort of shy. I admit now that I was quite smitten. Not smitten enough, however, to invite him to my birthday celebration that night. He was still a visitor from France, who knows what kind of information he would be reporting back!

The month came and went and we hardly spoke other than the daily "bonjour", and he was soon back in France.

Never would I have imagined that on that faithful September day I was meeting the man that would become my husband. The man that would become the father to my boys. And the guy, that six years later, still looks amazing in a suit.

What is Love?

To me, love is tiny baby feet

Love is early morning toddler hugs, kisses and cuddles

Love is an amazing husband who knows that the way to my heart is through anything covered in chocolate...

Love are cards that are made with lots of love and care for the most import an person in our lives....

Joyeuse Saint-Valentin!!

I hope you all have a day filled with love.  Don't forget to tell those you care for how important they are not just today but as often as you can.

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"On ne voit bien qu'avec le coeur.  L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux."

Pinterest make me pretty

When Blogher asked me to write about the blog or youtube channel that I use more often for style and hair tips, I have to admit I was stuck.

Stuck because while I follow some fashion and style blogs there isn't one that I go to when I am looking for ideas.

In fact, when I am searching for ideas I usually turn to my trusted friend, Pinterest.  With just a quick search  I find myself browsing through so many amazing ideas.  I usually stumble upon some great bloggers with some great ideas that I would have never found otherwise.

I mean, check out some of these beauties that I've pinned and tried:

1.  Quick and easy up do, for when a ponytail is just too plain

source:  The Small Things Blog

2. The Sock Bun - because really where else other than Pinterest would I have ever learned to use a sock as a hair accessory?

Source:  Be different, act Normal Blog

3.  The Beach Wave Curl - because sometimes I need to use my flat iron for something else other than straightening my hair!

Source:  The Wander Forest Blog

You can see why Pinterest is my go to place.  I would have never found any of these super cute blogs or tutorials on my own.

Of course there are some tutorials that are hit or miss, but that's the risk we take right?

What about you?  Please tell me some of your go to blogs or sites for hair ideas.  I would love to check some of them out!  And if you aren't doing so already, be sure to follow me on Pinterest!

Also, be sure to stop by BlogHer and read some of the other great places that other bloggers turn to for ideas.  While you are there, be sure to check out their Life Well Lived Sweepstakes! 

Valentine dessert and cocktail recipe

I can't believe that Valentine's Day is only a few days away! To be honest I have never really been into celebrating Valentine's Day. After having kids it just became too much of a hassle to try and find sitter simply to go to an overcrowded restaurant.

So, more and more, we have opted to celebrate at home after the kids have gone to bed.

This is why it is nice to try and find creative ways to make our Valentine menu not like any other dinner at home.  That is why this year I am stepping it up in the dessert and cocktail category.

Remember the crepe recipe I shared last week? Well, I started out with my basic crepe recipe.

To make them more festive I added just a couple of drops of food coloring to make them pink. Remember food coloring goes a long way so just a couple of drops will do.

After they were cooked I filled mine with Nutella but your favorite filling will do. I then folded them (they are typically served in quarters and not like burritos) and tried to not to eat them before decorating them.

For the extra special touch I cut out a heart out of some scrap paper and used that as a template to sprinkle powdered sugar and cocoa powder.

Voila, the perfect Valentine dessert.

We can't forget about a cocktail to go with these delicious crepes - enter the delicious Kir Royal.

The Kir is a typical aperitif (cocktail before the meal) here in France and it consists of white wine with a flavored liqueur.

A Kir Royal takes it a step above by using champagne in place of the white wine.

source

The recipe is also quite easy.  Fill the bottom of a champagne flute with your flavored liqueur of choice, I love to use Chambord but Creme de Cassis is also good.

Fill it about 1/4 of the way full and then top with chilled champagne and enjoy!

For that extra special touch you could add either a fresh or frozen raspberry in the flute.

I can't wait to have both of these next week!  Let me know if you try either of these!

Hey Mr. Postman

I had only been living in France a week and I could only say "bonjour" and "au revoir".  I was "working from home" due to a small issue with my work visa so I didn't need to know much anyway.

While I was typing away at my computer, I heard it; the distinctive buzzing of the building's main door.

Since I didn't know anyone in France, I decided to ignore the buzzing in hopes that whoever it was would go away. The buzzing became more insistent and so I hesitantly answered the intercom with my confident "bonjour".

BIG MISTAKE!

Whoever it was started going off in French!

Excusez-moi!?

I buzzed this person in and opened the door to our apartment, waiting patiently. Except that after five minutes no one showed up.

Then the buzzing began AGAIN! What in the world was going on?

I closed the door and headed down the elevator to see who was actually ringing.

That's when I saw him. The postman with a registered letter. He started talking and talking; I just smiled and nodded. From his expression I gathered that he wanted some sort of response but I had nothing to offer. After what seemed like an eternity he finally handed the pen and clipboard over so that I could sign. And then I REALLY screwed up!

I signed where I should have printed my name!

Quelle horror!

The way the postman reacted you would have thought I killed his mother! He raised his voice, hands were flying and my eyes were welling up with tears.

I finally got it right, he handed me my letter and we were both on our way.

I was shaken up the entire afternoon . When Cornel finally came home, I started crying as I recounted my encounter with "La Poste".

It took months before I found the nerve to respond to the buzzer. I won't even tell you how long it took me to answer the phone!

Wine Love

This past Sunday we went to the Annual "Vinidome" Festival here in Clermont-Ferrand.  Vineyards from all over France come to show off their wine and many people flock to stock up their caves.

We bought so much wine at last year's festival (remember how I had to kick Nathan out of his stroller), that we received a private invitation from one of the vineyards.

The bitter cold and snow wasn't going to keep us away.  We dropped off Nathan at our friends' home and headed out with Noah in tow. There is no better way to drink wine, than with the baby in the carrier.  I wish I could say I was the only one, but there were many women with the same brilliant idea.

And since Nathan wasn't with us, we had the stroller empty to bring home the cases of wine that we purchased! (That is Noah under all of those blankets).  Who knew strollers could be so multi-functional?

Is is too early to start making my wish list for next year?

"God made only water, but man made wine." - Victor Hugo, 1856

Dear Nathan...

Dear Nathan,

What a month we've had together.  You were sick for most of the month thanks to a nasty virus that you picked up a daycare.  It is always hard when you are sick, I hate to see you hurting and not be able to take your pain away.  The only thing we could do was hold you and kiss away your "bo bo's".  We would hold you extra close at night waiting for that fever to go away.  And in almost 2 1/2 years, you still detest taking your medicine.

You have grown so much lately, and I don't know when it happened but your footie pajamas no longer fit. Your little toes are busting out at the seam and it breaks my heart to buy the next size up.  If only I could keep you my baby forever.  Even when we pick you up in our arms, it is clear that you are so much bigger than you were just a few weeks ago.

You have turned into quite the little monkey lately and love to climb on anything and everything you can.  It has certainly made keeping an eye on you very difficult.  There was the day I found you climbing on your toy car to get to the cheese in the fridge.  I wonder if the baby proofing can begin after two years?

Even though there are some trying times, the terrible two's haven't been so terrible.  We constantly stare at you in amazement.  Sometimes we are in awe of how much fun we are having with you.  You have such a pure heart and it shows with the amount of love that you give your brother.  You are constantly looking out for him; always rushing to him when he cries.  You are making an amazing big brother.

We love you more than you can imagine.