4.29.2010

Lovely friends and just because..

Today is a great day.....








and you are in for a special treat. Actually....four days of treats!



Today is day one.



First....let me introduce you to my friend Jacki in the photo above....



she's sitting with her daughter Selah and i just happened to love the way



they were LOVING on each other when i stopped by for a visit.



I happened to have my camera with me and this was a total impromptu



photo and i did NOT ASK permission to use it.



{I'll make it up to you Jacki...pinky promise}



Anyhoo...



I've been wanting to do something fun for a while now...to thank you girls for



taking the time to stop by and read my little thoughts here on this blog.



You know i have a passion for photography....



i just don't want to take it to the next level.



I have the most fun with grabbing images of my kids....



my kids friends and the small things i see with my eyes.


















This photo above is baby Devin.
{i also didn't ask Devins permission either...}



She is my neighbor baby.....the one who when my ovaries are kicking in...


all i have to do is go next door to hold her.


To get my baby fix.


Then i hand her back.









And lastly....



the girl who rocks Fin's boat.



This girl is competing BIG time for his heart...



and i have to say...i think she won him over;-)



Okay....



now for the fun....



GIVEAWAY DAY ONE:



Adobe photoshop Elements 8.



You can edit your photos galore with photoshop....



making your own fabulous memories.



Just leave a comment ...comments close tomorrow {april 30th} at midnight.



Then make sure to check back on Saturday for day 2 {and the winner}.


{p.s. i did and have not forgotten about the name giveaway....don't worry;-)}


xo








4.28.2010

Girls in France....quatre..











We woke up Saturday morning a bit groggy....




i'm not quite sure if it's because our lungs were filled with French smoke...




or that maybe...




just maybe...




we had too many bottles of wine on our last night together in Paris.




Kim made me promise not to bring up the boudoir shots...




but i feel like i must.




Let me just say this.....




Kim {the uber fab photographer} +




French lingerie+




hotel window=




photos our husbands might want for Fathers day.




{heck...i might even be UNGROUNDED when Bryan receives his}




Anyhoo.....




after a teary goodbye to our friend Simone who had to head back home to London..




Kim and I grabbed our taxi to Gare de Lyon.




Next stop......train to Avignon.











Luckily.....we got to the train station with




plenty of time to spare.




We bought our train tickets a month prior...




so we had pre-arranged seats.




That works out really nice when there is not a strike going on...




but so far so good as it looked like our train was on schedule and heading out.




The trip took just under three hours...and there was nothing




better then sitting our our train watching the country side




roll by.




That is....till Kim opened up the sandwich she bought from the train station.




The french love their eggs....and as we noticed...put them on everything.




Kim opened up her tuna fish sandwich.




With egg on top.




I had to move seats.




Then i had to open the window.




I hope Kim liked her tuna with egg.




Once we arrived in Avignon...we headed to the car rental.




We rented a manual....because it was going to cost us something




like another $200 for an automatic.




Only tourists rent automatics....




and we are not tourists...we are French girls.




{with camera's strapped around our necks}















Kim so nicely added me on as a second driver.....




but i think she forgot that i haven't driven a manual in over 15 years.




I volunteered as the map reader.....




a job that was clearly meant for me.




I knew if for some reason we were to get lost....




life would actually be okay.




Thank god we did not get lost.




{only because i was the map reader}




Kim made for a perfect driver of the manual car...white knuckles and all.




We got on the road.....and headed south to St. Remy...




and we might have even belted out a tune or so...



















There are a lot of roundabouts everywhere....




almost every time you think there certainly cannot be one more...




then another one pops up.




And you have to be quick in reading the signs...




and worrying about the other drivers.




The. French. Drive. Fast.




Just when you think they couldn't get any closer behind you....




they start honking....




or they pass you.




Do you remember the scene in the movie...




The Griswalds European vacation?




Yup....we were stuck in a few of those roundabouts...




and we would go around...




and around...




and around...




till we could escape....because as soon as we wanted to escape...




some French driver would appear out of nowhere and block us...




then it would continue for another minute or two.




This is the part where type "A" doesn't handle stress very well.




Luckily....we saw a sign that said... Patisserie.




We needed food.




We needed wine.




We needed.....



















croque monsieur.....




and quiche....




then we had to photograph it for you....




because French quiche and French croque monsieur...




are so much prettier then ours at home.









Of course it wouldn't be right if we didn't show you what





we had after our lunch.





I mean....really.





It would outright RUDE of us if we didn't tell you about





our ECLAIR.





Chocolate Eclair.





Filled with the most amazing soft whipped chocolate mousse.





There....do you feel better now....i mean...





i was only thinking of you.





















As soon as we left said patisserie....




and making sure we had direct directions to our mas...




that's right....




you read that correctly.




Mas.




We were headed to a French Farmhouse.....













We stepped out of the car and practically died.





Died and went to heaven.



We were thinking....when do we call our families and tell



them we are now French residents and they have no choice but



to move to St. Remy to be with us.



Bryan hung up on me.



Kim's husband didn't even answer the phone.



whatever.





This rambling 19th-century farmhouse is surrounded by olive trees...





a pool...fountains...and the rooms have original stonework.



{history on the Mas for you}



So....when we walked into the place we were expecting to meet Pierre.



Not to be confused with Jean-Pierre.



Pierre was the "gentlemen" we were having our relations with



on and off for the last few months.



{alright...that sounded totally innapropriate...}



what i meant was.....Pierre was the guy we were chatting with



on and off about our stay.



Instead....me met Karin.



Now...don't get me wrong......Karin was fabulous.



She gave us a tour of the property...



she gave us directions to the brocante that we were heading to the next day...



she was our hostess at dinner...



she was our sommelier at dinner.



She was Karin.



She was not Pierre.



Kim and i had talked about Pierre the ENTIRE trip.



We knew what he was going to look like.....we knew how old he was...



we knew he didn't speak great English...but his French was perfection.



We were excited to meet the elusive Pierre....



but instead we met Karin.



Okay....maybe i never spoke with Pierre myself...



maybe Kim did all the talking...



but Pierre took my emails.



Yes he did.



















As soon as we walked around the property....




we were given a key to our room.










I could have moved right in...










we were checked in by 4.....




and didn't have anywhere to go...so we decided to just stay and




enjoy the place.




The french doors opened up to the courtyard...










This was our view from the room......




don't say i didn't warn you that this was heaven.










Kim needed a break from the driving....


and i needed a break from the map reading.














The best part of our stay here in this Mas...was the food.





At 7:30 every evening the guests may have dinner in the





dining room of the mas.





On this night...we were having guineafowl.




















We were fashionably late.













We even thought.....and i mean.. thought....



long and hard about ...



loading everything up from the dining room in the middle of the night



into our car and driving off into the night.



Except we had nowhere to go.



We would have gone right over to Vicki's...



but she was in Australia visiting her father.



So we asked Karin instead....for the name of the company



where they had ordered the linens....



and she was more then willing to share the info.



No need to steal in the middle of the night.





























Kim and i spent our first evening fashionably late to our first dinner.



Karin seated us.....



Karis served us our first bottle of wine...



then we met Jaque.



Jaque was the sous chef....and also the server.



{we do not have a photo of Jaque because we did not bring our camera to dinner...



just think...Paul walker+george clooney}



Jaque made trying new things like sardines and raw scallops bearable.



The guineafowl was like free range chicken...



except it was French free range chicken.



I also didn't see them tooling around like i did the pigeon in Paris.



Not that i don't like seeing my birds run free....



but when i have the song from Mary Poppins in my head the entire week...



'feed the birds....



tuppins a bag.....tuppins....tuppins....tuppins a bag'



it doesn't make the dining experience much better.



Kim ordered more wine.



I obliged.



I'm a good friend.
















After dessert of fromage....



and a trio of chocolate....



with perhaps....a bit more wine and a cafe creme...



we headed back up to our room.












We staked out our beds.....



Kim needing to be closest to el bain....



something to do with having a loose bladder.



oops....did i just give something away?



No...really....she just wanted to be near the bidet.



Trust me....we were the cleanest girls in France that weekend.













After a great nights sleep listening to the fountain in the courtyard all night..



we awoke to a farmhouse breakfast.



French style.



Oeufs.



Oeufs with chocolate croissants...



and provencal tomatoes.



{let me wipe the saliva from my mouth....}



We needed a healthy breakfast because we were driving



to the brocante.



Errrrrrr.....



i mean Kim was driving us to the brocante..











to be continued....

4.27.2010

My mom made me do it......






We were perusing yard sales last friday...


when we came across this chair at our neighbors house.


I almost passed right by it...


orange and green stripes are just not in my color palate.


Then Out of the blue......


Fin said to me...


mom...you could use that chair for your photo shoots.
.................................


Photo shoot take ONE:




Photo shoot take TWO:




Photo shoot take THREE:


4.26.2010

Red rover......



Good morning girls.....


it rained here most of the weekend...but i was able to catch some photos of the


kids before the rain hit. We were at a friends house for dinner...and i swear...


they have the best back yard EVER!

I really need to take photos of their home....

it's over 100 years old..and totally charming.

They were asked to be on the home tour....how fun!


I think my backyard is big...but there's is double the size of mine.


Tons of room for the kids to run....which is exactly what they did.


Red rover...red rover...send Fin right over!
















Since it rained most of the weekend...we caught up on our movie watching.

I took the kids to see "oceans"...which was really good....then we hopped into

"diary of a wimpy kid".

So now all Fin says is...."hey Brice....cute butt".

He says it to everyone...anyone....all the time.

I really like it when he says it to me...considering i haven't been exercising since i

returned from my trip almost 2 weeks ago.

It's almost pool season!

What am i thinking....back to the grind today girls...back to the grind.

In other news....our cockatiel layed a few eggs.

SERIOUSLY!

She doesn't even have a mate....but i guess she was in the ...

must have eggs mood.

I had to google.....

"how can birds have eggs....and are they viable"

apparently not.... i mean...yes...they can have eggs...but there will be no babies.
The eggs are very pretty...sort of a pale pink.

I love birds...

but damn...they are messy. I hate the mess....especially sweeping up bird seed every day.
I've tried giving the bird away...but every time i try...Lola freaks out.
Anyhoo....
my hair stylist talked me out of getting bangs...
but she talked Lola into getting some.
We are off today for some bangs....
pics to come.

4.23.2010

Girls in Paris...trois..





This issue of girls in Paris...the style edition....


is brought to you by Credit Card services...


because if it were not for them...


then my secret of monetary infidelity wouldn't have come to light.


{that's a whole other post....}



What caught my eye first and foremost in the photo above was not


just the cobblestone alley filled with people...


but the gentleman with the dark grey shorts on the right.


His hands are in his pockets....


the black vest a bit slouchy over his long sleeve white shirt.


I hadn't meant to take people photos...


i was just taking a photo of an alley.


There just happened to be a lot of French men heading to and fro.

I'm heading out to buy Bryan some new grey shorts this morning.



This is Franc the "pharmacist".

He's the one responsible for Kim's French band aids.

Franc was shy.

Kim was not shy.

Kim wanted her band aids.



Darling French vespa man smoking a cigie.






This is little Madeleine.....



and violet....


even though violet had a red coat on.


I coveted that red coat.





All the girls had bangs.


I have an appointment tomorrow with my stylist.


I'm going to get bangs.


I know....


i realize i haven't had bangs in 25 years...


but i will have bangs as of tomorrow.


Alrighty...


this next girls was gorgeous.


And i think she was only 13 or 14.



She was with a bunch of girlfriends...


and at the time i took the photo..she was being talked up by one of the


artists at Montmartre.


He was trying to draw her...then her friends all walked away


while she was stuck.


She reminds me of what i looked like when i was 13.


Except i was overweight and had an acne problem....


and i don't think i could put an outfit like this together.





I almost brought this boy home with me....





the problem was...


i tried to take his hand and pull him away...


but his dad yelled something in French.


I swear it sounded like he yelled..


get more macrons at the bakery.





So we did.


This is where we met Fredrick.


Fredrick is the nice boy who runs the patisserie in St. Remy.


I'm sure Kim might have a good photo of Fredrick.


Fredrick wouldn't look up at me....


but he looked up at Kim.


I bought macrons anyway.



It's really hard to get people photos.

Sometimes they look and smile...

sometimes i had to use my zoom lens and

act like I'm taking photos of a tree in the distance.

Then there was this girl.

For the life of me..she wouldn't look over....

so i said...forget it.

She was sitting right next to us...

and i just snapped away.

I love her short shorts...with tights.

I'm heading shopping tomorrow for some short shorts.




This next girl reminded me of Lola.....





not the way she dressed....

because i couldn't pay Lola to wear a dress...

a scarf...

a coat...braid her hair...boots with leggings.

Nope...



Lola would have closed her eyes as well as soon as she saw me taking a photo.


I'm going to go and buy a new scarf for lola tomorrow.


I'm also going to learn to braid hair again.





I don't know if i told you how hard the trip was on Kim...


she had a heck of a time with the stick shift of the car we rented.


Needless to say....


i believe i was doing all the navigating and the map reading.


I even had to parallel park us at one point...


but more to come on that later.


I also think Kim smoked one tooo many cigies......




Okay...that was SO not funny.


This lady was fabulous...she was hanging in the town square in St. Remy.

She even started chatting us up a bit.

The no teeth thing made it a bit complicated in trying to understand..

All in all....

she made the reality of conversing with a local who had probably

lived there her entire life...

pretty amazing.


I decided to not color my grey hair anymore.



Seriously....it's really not my fault that Jean-Pierre keeps showing up.

I also did not accidentally order 25 prints of him.

I'm even sending one to my mother in law...

for helping while i was away.

I know she would appreciate it.