looking pretty, feeling fine

Somewhere in the middle of the story I am about to relate there is a moral - I'm struggling to find it, but I just know it's in there somewhere.

Maybe I should start at the beginning.  Yesterday afternoon I had an appointment to shoot pictures for the latest in my 'French girlfriend' series,  it was a beautiful day, I decided to cycle the 20km there and back.  Had a great time, easy ride, stopped to take some pictures en route, picked some berries for the imminent Christmas wreath, ... all went like a dream.

Stay with me, there is a point coming ....

At 5pm I collected my youngest from school and stopped at the sports shop on the way home.  Well, you can imagine after 20km on my bike, I was feeling like a positive sporty saint, and we sailed around the store looking enthusiastically at all sorts of instruments of torture  exercise machines, then we got to the cycle stand where my son was thrilled to find an electric bike and asked permission to try.  A very nice young salesman tried to sell it to us explained what a marvellous machine it was, and my boy was off.  Well, it looked such fun and I was feeling so sporty for the afore mentioned reasons, that I expressed the desire to have a go too.

Now you can see where this is going ....

Let me tell you never to ride a bike inside a shop with highly polished concrete flooring.  I sailed up and down a couple of alleys like a real pro, and was attracting rounds of applause and gasps of admiration (OK,  that bit I made up) until the last bend, where the bike and I parted company!  The shiny floor took control of the brand new wheels and pulled them from beneath me.

I am sorry to report that the first part of my body to hit the ground was my cheekbone, now black and swollen, hence the photo at the top of this post.  The resemblance is alarming, but there's no way I'm showing you a photo so you'll have to take my word on that one.

My sweet son  managed to mutter something about it being quite cool to have a mother who wants to try things out;  the staff in the store were in a frenzy, worried no doubt that I was about to sue, but I'm not that kind of a girl!

It is extremely annoying to have to admit that one is growing older, and although I don't feel I should abstain from being very active,  I guess that  age dictates that we have to become more wary of what we do - especially in public!!

Take care today!!

Tomorrow...Ugh, Here We Go

Tomorrow Henry starts daycare and I would be lying if I told you I was completely okay with that. I have been dreading this day for a while now. It is not that I don't want to go back to work; if you work for yourself you know "maternity leave" is a fictional event. Henry and I have been working basically since he was born. This juggling act- having a newborn and working- has worked basically by taking him everywhere with me when our parents weren't in town to watch over him. We have amazing parents but when they are not here he has been content to nap at client's homes, showrooms, etc. Well except for the fit he pitched last week at a house (talk about feeling unprofessional, thank goodness for amazing clients as well).

Above pulling fabric with his Mom, below waiting patiently at the receiving warehouse for furniture to be loaded. (the guys at the warehouse are great with him, a plus in my book)
In some ways I am looking forward to having a routine and this not being a sight seen one too many times in my car...

Also, I am sure Henry gets tired of running errands all the time (note the expression)....

And while I may not be winning any mother-of-the-year awards anytime soon I have loved all this time spent together. We have a schedule that works for us and it is nice to be working along and catch a glimpse of that face.

Tomorrow though change is coming. I know it will be fine if I can just get past the first few days. I LOVE my job and that makes it so much easier. The place he is going came highly recommended by several friends and that is comforting. It is just the thought of someone else feeding him and holding him and playing with him all day gives me a lump in my throat the size of Texas. So for those of you who have been through this and have any advice I would love to hear it. Talking to other mothers has been wonderful so far and made me feel so much better. I have a feeling I am going to need some help tomorrow....

The Magic of Christmas

 image source

Do you remember when you first found out the 'truth' about Santa Claus?  I was probably one of the last of my friends to actually succumb to the reality.  I can remember being on the large soccer field at my elementary school in California and arguing passionately with the other kids about the existence of Santa Claus.  I tried to explain to everyone how I had seen this television program where they discussed the Santa sitings that had occurred at the north pole.  Why didn't they believe me? I mean I had concrete evidence.  I was absolutely convinced that the other kids had it ALL wrong.  Which was fine because I knew that if you didn't believe, then you certainly were not going to end up on the 'nice' list, and that was fine because perhaps Santa would just drop off all those non-believers presents at my house.

My brother and I used to wake up really early in the morning on Christmas.  He would come and lay in my bed with me while we waited until the clock said 6:00AM (which was when we could go into my parents room).  We would lay there quietly, starring at each minute go by on the clock and try to fall asleep.  We never could fall asleep because our hearts were racing with the thoughts of Santa actually coming to our house.  And I swore I heard jingle bells on the roof.

I don't remember the exact moment when I found out, but I can distinctly remember the very first Christmas where I knew the 'truth'.  I just sort of felt sad, like the magic and excitement had been taken away. It was almost like I was mourning the loss for this person I once knew.  Now, don't get me wrong, Christmas has always been an amazing holiday in my family, but things just didn't feel the same that first year, something was missing.  Of course as the years passed, the holiday took on an entirely different meaning.

So what has me thinking about the magic of Christmas?  Well, this is the first year that my kids are really, really into the idea of Santa Claus.......especially my 3.5 year old, Savannah Rose.  Yesterday we had a big discussion about the naughty and nice list and many other aspects of Santa Claus.  So far I have received all kinds of questions from her:

~Is Santa still up on our roof?
~Where does Santa live?
~What kind of clothes do the elves wear?
~How long does it take to get to the north pole?
~Is it always snowing at the north pole?
~Can I go to the north pole?
~Why can't I go to the north pole?
~Can I ride in Santa's sleigh?
~Who takes care of Santa's reindeer?
~Do you think Mrs. Finkler (her preschool teacher) will be on the naughty or nice list?

Chatting with Savannah about all these different questions has brought back a sense of magic and wonder that I can feel in our house.  I can remember the excited feeling I once had thinking about Santa Claus and I guess our own kids have a way of bringing that back out in us.  The innocence of a child is a beautiful thing and I feel so blessed to be able to experience the complete magic and wonder surrounding Christmas with my children.  Yes, someday they too will find out the 'truth', but those years and years of excitement are certainly worth it!

Do you remember when you found out the 'truth' about Santa?

the christmas wreath

Every year I make a wreath to hang on our front door in the first week of December.  Last year it was mainly holly, the year before box with apples and silver balls.  This year I'm looking for ideas for a simple and natural looking wreath. 

Actually our main entrance is a sort of double door, so a large wreath hung centrally is tricky.  Maybe I'll go for two symmetrical and identical smaller versions.

What do you think of these ideas, found all over the net and stashed away, please forgive the lack of credits, I seem to have lost the links!

I love these ideas from the French Marie Claire magazine.  Lots of wreaths used on the same wall, or a big one decorated with lichis!!

What do you like to put on your front door to welcome Christmas guests?

I'm sure you could give me some good ideas

Hello Headboard

Via Dwell Studio

a french country house to love and care for

If you've ever dreamed of packing up and moving to France, to a truly authentic region, full of history and natural beauty then you'll want to know about this house.  Not just a house actually, a former presbytery, dating back to the 18th century and beautifully restored to create a 4 bedroom/4 bathroom home, with room for more on the top floor.

The house is in the Cotentin,  a  protected area of outstanding natural beauty.   The subtle grey stone of the building is typical of the region and will look wonderful with roses climbing up the walls and over the gate.   Within walking distance to the sea, the house is near St Mère de l'Eglise, made famous during the D-Day landings.

The person who acquires this lovely property will be starting with a clean palette, as inside everything has been very tastefully restored without changing the essential character.   I love the double opening doors, the huge fireplaces and the soft tones of the walls and floors.

The outbuildings give that essential French feel to the property and will prove useful for creating summer rooms or storing garden furniture.  The property lies within easy reach of Paris by train, and close to the port of Cherbourg, making it ideal for anyone thinking of creating a B&B.

The garden is perfect because it's not too big an area to handle, but being surrounded by green fields there's the feeling of size.    I can see this laid out in a potager and parterre, complimenting the strict façade of the house.  The land is rich here, trees and garden grown well, and the property could go from beautiful to stunning in quite a short time.

If you would like more details and other photos, you are welcome to drop me a line and I'll tell you what I know or put you into contact directly with the owners.

A Winner + Lovely Bedding

How was everyone’s Thanksgiving?  I hope it was filled with love.  I know mine was.  It was wonderful to gather with my family and spend precious time with my little one…who is getting very big way too quickly.  He turned 6 months old today. My how time has flown.  He’s going to be a year old before I can blink!

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A Winner

Thanks to all of you who entered my Shabby Apple dress giveaway last week.  The winner of the dress is Andrea Mickelson.  Andrea please send me an email as soon as you can.  Thanks!

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And on a totally random note I’m digging this mismatched bedding from Furbish.  Love this store.  I Wish I lived a little closer to Raleigh so I could visit.  Maybe I’ll have to take a trip one of these days.  I’ll have to add it to my never ending list of things to do.

LiveJournal Tags: furbish,giveaway,chase

A Book Giveaway...

In honor of Cyber Monday I thought it would be fun to do a little giveaway and I knew just the book! Recently I was informed that Haven & Home was included in a book, The Meghan Method by Meghan Carter. When I received the book I was thrilled to be included in such a well thought out book about decorating.While other design book offer hints or advice here and there, this book is a comprehensive guide to decorating in your own style, something I believe a lot of blog readers would be interested in.

To enter the giveaway just leave a comment below. The winner will be picked Thursday morning. If you don't win you can still benefit from Meghan's advice with her comprehensive gift guide out now available here.
Leave a comment below and good luck! Thank you Meghan for including Haven & Home in your wonderful book!