on the hunt

Another weekend is already upon us. Where does the time go? Tonight, we are staying in to watch les Césars, which are the French Oscars. Champagne is chilling in preparation.  On Saturday, we have dinner plans with a few other couples - very excited about that. We will be testing out a babysitter for the first time, too. Usually Félix's parents take Clover when we have a reason to go out but they are off truffle hunting this weekend, what lucky ducks!  What will you be hunting this weekend? I will be pursuing some very elusive sleep. I hope to bring down a big bear of a nap.  

Wishing you a good weekend!

the fading light

In an effort to escape that awkward stretch of time just before the dinner hour, the one that so eagerly lends itself to meltdowns, Clover and I went for a walk in the fading, winter light. We caught the last rays of sunshine before the shadows grew large across the valley. With our noses and fingertips pink from the cold, it was a much happier return to a warm, welcoming home. 

weekend sunshine

The weekend is under way a little early over here. We started the morning with raspberry pancakes. I know that it's not the usual fruit of choice for pancakes but they are just a touch more tart than strawberries or blueberries. And I find it's that little bit that makes them even more delicious. What about you? What kind of berries do you go for?

The next couple of days look to be filled with lots of fun. The sun is out. The mix of snow and sunshine is hard to beat and it has me smiling and happy. I hope that you are feeling happy, too.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

between bookends

We've been reading L'Inventeur by Jean-Francois Martin lately. It's a sweet book with beautiful illustrations. I only get about one sentence read aloud before Clover feels the need to turn a page. Which turns out is quite nice, since it means that we spend most of our time looking at the delightful drawings over and over.

The inventor, Monsieur Félix, creates one invention per week, 52 inventions per year. But, when the Man in Green arrives demanding that Monsieur Félix come up with a new invention to turn millionaires into billionaires, he leaves our favorite inventor stumped and distraught.

I won't giveaway the wonderful ending, but don't you love these illustrations?

What are you reading these days?

Or, maybe you're in the same boat as us, mostly perusing pictures over and over again?

hearts for all

We wish you lots of love, today and everyday.

well-known mittens

It's very rare that I sit down to read a magazine but the exceptional occasion arose recently, and I came across something quite amusing that I wanted to share. Had to share, really.  It hails from the February issue of Vanity Fair. They published the results of a poll that included the question, what is Mitt Romney's real first name? The choices were:

Mitt
Mitchell
Milton
Willard
Gromit
Mittens
Don't Know

About 20 percent opted for Mitt, another 20 percent guessed Mitchell. Over 40 percent took the easy way out and admitted that they didn't know.  2 percent guessed Gromit, another 2 percent guessed Mittens. Just typing Mittens makes me laugh out loud. Anyway, his real name is Willard. If you would like to see the full breakdown of answers by political party, it's here.

Be honest. Are you secretly hoping it's Mittens, too? 

double down

This picture is from one of our previous walks. Mostly, I haven't been outside for longer than about 5 minutes this week, otherwise, I start to lose my nose or anything else that peeks out from under my many layers.  It's still absolutely arctic today, but there is a lot to love about these glacial temperatures. The first thing that comes to mind is the necessity for two down comforters on the bed. I find that it's the coziest way to wake up in the morning.

How are you staying warm this winter? Any good tips?

small talk

For this to be real small talk, we should probably chat about the weather, shouldn't we? It is so, so, so cold here. It was -20° C this morning and it's only supposed to get colder. I've been drinking lots of coffee to cope. What's it like where you are?

The latest earth-shattering news: Clover got his first haircut.  He looks adorable and it makes him look very grown up, well, in a little boy way. I love it.

The latest from the interwebs: the internet is abuzz (and rightfully so) about this new, perfectly-curated shop, Mignon Kitchen Co., founded by a Seattle girl whose blog I follow. Have you seen it already? There are so many items that I would pick out for a friend... or for myself.

Of course, the small talk would be lacking without mention of a recent meal... A Nutella commercial on the radio gently reminded us listeners that le Chandeleur (originally a christian holiday which over time has evolved or devolved into a holiday for eating crêpes) was on the 2nd of February. Never ones to ignore a holiday, Félix and I opted for lunch at a quaint crêperie in town. Delicious! Le Chandeleur might be my favorite fête in February.

Well, it's been nice catching up. How do you want to play it? Should we just let the conversation awkwardly peter out or do you want to pretend like you need to take a call? Yes, go ahead, you should probably take that call.

Have a great weekend!