Tuesday, February 28, 2012

The Happy List

A list I complied randomly the other day of random things that make me happy.  


1. Mac & Cheese - the SPIRAL kind.
2. Snail mail.
3. The PERFECT tshirt- baggy but still fitted/ casual but can be dressed up.
4. A song that speaks to me & what I'm feeling at that moment. My life's soundtrack.
5. Writing. (either on my blog or in my personal journal) 
6. Sitting outside when the weather is beautiful.
7. Nicholas Sparks books.
8. Listening to my husband play Ray Lamontagne on the guitar.
9. Hugging my nieces and nephew when I am homesick.
10. Doing any sort of creating/ crafting...my Art Journal, making a card, a birthday banner, or simply decorating tables at The Colorado for special occasions.

I would love to hear YOUR "happy list." 

(3 of my 10 in this little photo. That was a HAPPY afternoon.)

Monday, February 27, 2012

Chinese Fondue

On Valentines Day, we ventured off to Tulle to try a hole-in-the-wall Chinese fondue restaurant called Quang Li.  We LOVE fondue and thought this would be something fun and different for us to try. 
 
The Chinese fondue came with a plate of thinly sliced (almost shaved) beef, calamari, a white fish of some kind (no clue), and shrimp... oh and 2 eggs? 
Instead of oil, we cooked our meet in a broth. The broth was really yummy - it had spices, cabbage, and tiny Chinese noodles. (It doesn't look very good and I'll be honest- I judged a book by its cover...but it actually ended up alright.)
The weird thing is you cooked your meat in the ladles.  One had holes so you could drain the broth and the other was used to scoop the broth into you soup bowl.  We never figured out if we were supposed to eat our cooked meat with the broth (like a stew) or separate...  Unlike the fondue we were used to, there were no sauces.  Just the broth and meat.  
Overall it was a good experience.  We were happy to get away for a few hours and spend time together.  I am not sure we will go back on a regular basis, but it was still fun although we both prefer our Simply Fondue/ Melting Pot ;) 

How was your weekend? We had a GREAT day on Saturday sight seeing. I will post pictures this week.  Thank God (literally) the weather has gotten better so we can get out and go do fun things or merely just sit outside.  It is crazy how much the weather has lifted my spirits.  

Friday, February 24, 2012

5+ :)

My 5+ smiles today are all quotes that have inspired me lately and carried me through a difficult season.


1. Day by day.
Source: imgfave.com via Abby on Pinterest


2. Friendship.


3. Faith.


4. Healing through music.


5. Timing.


6. Hope. 


7. Pep Talk. 
Source: tumblr.com via Abby on Pinterest


8. Let go.



9. Prayer.

10 . I love every single thing about this quote. Growth.  
I hope that some of those spoke to you as well. It's always nice to have some encouragement. 


The weather in Egletons is BEAUTIFUL right now. We are in the upper 50's with SUNSHINE!!! Logan and I have been cooped up way too long, so we are hoping to go exploring and hiking this weekend to celebrate the beginning of Spring! It is crazy what weather can do to my mood! Hope you all have a great weekend. 





Wednesday, February 22, 2012

DIY Valentines Day

I decorated our coffee table with the 2 gifts I made Logan this year, a picture of us, some pink and red heart confetti with wine corks, heart lanterns, and the beautiful flowers Logan gave me. 

He actually gave me a bouquet of gerber daisies AND another bouquet of tulips because I love tulips in the Spring. 
Both of my DIY projects were found on Pinterest.  This frame has the lyrics to our first dance at our wedding. ("Angel" by Jack Johnson)  I just printed it out, traced a tree shape with a pencil, then added the twine and 2 red hearts.  The j'adore came from a magazine... J'adore Dior anyone? :) 
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When Logan saw this one he goes... "Oh, an AND." I think it took some explaining for him to realize it was supposed to be a romantic symbol.... You AND Me. Together. A couple. Our marriage.  Maybe it was a bit too abstract for him :) Unfortunately, the glass on this frame broke while I was putting the paper in... so now it just hangs out loosely in there.  

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I also got to decorate the tables in our dining hall.  On a limited budget, we used doilies, fresh Spring flowers, and I made pink and red heart confetti.  We lined the tables with little tea lights in baby mason jars and Kristin printed out the Valentines Day menu. I think it turned out pretty cute! 
Will post about the Chinese fondue tomorrow :) It was... interesting...

Monday, February 20, 2012

Italy...

2012 has been off to a rocky start this year. The good news is it is only February, the snow is thawing, and I spy some sunshine outside my front door.  


For my birthday (which is not until April 7th), Logan and I have decided to take a trip to Italy.  We have been in France for 6 months now (wow!) and haven't ventured outside of the country.  When given the choice of ANYWHERE in Europe, it was a toss up between Greece and Italy, but I landed on Italy.  Now we are in the beginning stages of planning our trip- We are going to try to take a week off and see as much as we can.  


We have narrowed it down to these places. We can probably only swing 3 of the 5.  


Tuscany


Florence

Cinque Terra

Rome

Venice



I would absolutely LOVE to hear any advice you may have for us- overrated cities, hidden jewels, what to see, where to stay, what to eat, etc.  


When I am having a hard time being over here so far away, its trips like these that help take my mind off the loneliness and feel very blessed to have something so cool to look forward to. Italian vineyards, gelato, and PIZZA. What could be a better birthday celebration? Anyone want to come over and join us? :) I know you are tempted....

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Happy Valentines Day



I wanted to pop in really quick and say Happy Valentines Day everyone!  Sorry for the silence on here lately... I am taking a "vacation" from blogging this week.  I should be back next week with regular posts. 


Logan and I were going to do fondue at home tonight, but then we didn't feel like cooking. Instead, we are headed to Tulle (a town about 30 minutes from here) to have Chinese fondue at a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant.  I have never had Chinese fondue, so I am intrigued and excited!  On another note, it snowed AGAIN last night and is supposed to continue snowing through Friday... we are hoping the roads are clear enough for us to skip town to make our reservations tonight! What is everyone else up to?  

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Let's Get Real

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!

Monday, February 6, 2012

DIY Roundup: Valentines Day

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. 


2. Adorable heart banner for decorating. 


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!




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 :)


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. 






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! 




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! 

Friday, February 3, 2012

5 :)

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? 

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Camera+ App

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...


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Me & my cutie nephew Ryan on SNOW DAY!
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Self portraits by the pond.
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We live up there! 
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Look at those snowflakes! They were HUGE! 
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My rain/ snow boots? Not very warm...but still stylish ;) 
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Kaylin's snowball... that I promptly redirected to Uncle Logan :) 
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The reflection in our front door 
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Loved this "grunge" finish! 
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The SNOW FIGHT: Uncle Logan vs. Kaylin and Ryan (Sophia and I were smart and stayed out of the way!) 
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Little Ryan was infatuated with the snowflakes :) 

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