A Few Things
Hello, Friends? How are you? What has been going on with you? At the Blair house, we are about to enjoy a very low-key weekend, and I am here for it. Maybe I’ll start thinking about what to wear to Alt Summit, or work on my inbox, or do more fireplace research for the new house.
If I was in the States this weekend, I would be helping my sister Jordan celebrate her birthday — the big 4-0. She’s got a whole weekend retreat going on and it’s making me homesick and bringing on a lot of FOMO. Did you do anything special for your 40th birthday? Or do you plan to? (I admit, I didn’t do a single thing for mine. I’ve mostly ignored my birthdays for the last decade or so. But maybe I should have marked it somehow?)
How about you? Anything interesting going on this weekend? Ready for the link list? Here are a few things I’ve been wanting to share:
…What’s Your Favorite Thing That Costs Under $50?
I bookmarked this tweet the other day because I was enjoying the responses so much. A woman I follow named Caissie St.Onge asked people what products give them a cheap thrill. Her exact words:
“I’ve been going on about the Revlon One Step & Trader Joe’s Baked Lemon Ricotta because I want to share the joy! I want to know what gives you a cheap thrill. What’s your fave thing that cost under $50. (Don’t say family/friendship/nature. We’re talking material goods, here!)”
The comments are a full-on treasure trove! So many interesting recommendations. Most are in the food and skincare/beauty categories, with other random and fun items mixed in (including a surprising number of socks!). Here are three products I noted:
…Living With Kids: Josh Bingham
[ Note from Design Mom: Our home tour editor, Josh Bingham, wasn’t available this week, so I’m bringing back a favorite from the archives — his own house! This home tour was originally published in January of 2017, and it’s still as gorgeous as ever. ]
I am excited to introduce you to Josh. He’s made some big changes in his life, and I couldn’t wait to show you how he’s living with his kids. I met Josh when we were in college — his taste and style and sense of humor were excellent, and have only gotten more refined through the years. His thoughts are spectacular, and I imagine they’ll change someone’s path today. Or maybe someday. (If your path needs to be changed, remember: we are all rooting for you.)
A big hug to Josh for sharing his truth – and fantastic home – with us. Enjoy!
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14 Things That are Different About Life in France
What a lovely weekend we had. We celebrated Oscar’s 15th birthday. We attended a King Cake celebration. And we had friends over for a jam session. Then, Ralph and Maude caught the early train to Paris this morning so they could fly back to California — the next semester starts on Monday. I’m glad their last weekend was an especially good one. (I shared snippets from the weekend on Instagram stories — I believe you can still see them even if you don’t have an Instagram account.)
Time is flying! This week marks four and a half months of our family being back in France. So I thought it might be fun to share a few observations about French life that are different than our California life.
…14 Things That are Different About Life in FranceRead More »
A Few Things
Hello, Friends. How are you? What was your week like? It was an intense work week at our house — so many phone calls! With the time difference between France and the U.S., our work calls typically start around 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon, and can go till 11:00 or midnight.
Mostly I feel like the time change is a big advantage — it’s amazing to wake up and feel like you have lots of hours of a quiet inbox. Though sometimes, it’s not ideal — like when work calls happen at 10:00 PM on my Friday night and it feels like the weekend will never arrive. Hah!
This weekend, we’ll be celebrating Oscar’s 15th birthday (HOW is he 15?!), and we’ll also enjoy every last bit of time we have with Maude and Ralph before they head back to California for the start of the next semester — they fly out on Monday.
There was A LOT happening news-wise this week. Here are a few things I’ve wanted to share — I feel like I could have shared twice as many items!:
…Living With Kids: Karie Wagner-Stetson
You get to meet Karie today, and I know you’ll love her. She is a mom of three teenagers, and she’s a school librarian, raising her family in a suburb outside of Dallas, Texas. Her story is one you’ll relate too — life taking unexpected paths, but becoming something truly beautiful along the way. And you’re going to love getting a peak at her home, which is overflowing with art and books and feels like the kind of place where you could get comfortable and stay a while. Karie is a wise, kind soul. Welcome, Karie!
…What Have You Learned in the Last Decade?
My kids are back in school this morning, and I’m finally taking a little time to think and reflect. Over the past few weeks I’ve read lots of social media posts where people recap what they accomplished over the last decade and oh my I’ve really, really enjoyed them — it’s amazing to see how much can happen in ten years! But so far I haven’t felt compelled to make one of my own.
Then, over the weekend I saw a post from Erin Ryan, a media host and writer, talking about what she’s learned in the last decade (instead of what she’s accomplished). I like that concept, and I really like what she had to say. Here are 3 of the things she’s learned:
…A Few Things
Hello, Friends. How are you? What has this week been like for you? I keep seeing jokes on social media about not knowing what day of the week it is and I admit that I completely relate. Hah!
Yesterday, we arrived home from our little family retreat — we stopped to see a ~5000 year old megalith structure on the way back. It’s called La Roche-au-Fées — or Fairy Rocks. Oh my goodness I love stuff like that so much!!
Today we unpacked, did some housework, chipped plaster off the stone walls at the cottage, and said goodbye to Olive. She’s spending a few days in Paris with friends before she heads back to Montpelier and her au pair job. (Ralph and Maude will fly back to Oakland on the 13th.)
This evening, we plan to go see Little Women after we return our rental van in Caen. (The car we drive here only seats 7, so for the retreat we rented a bigger van that can fit everybody plus luggage.)
How about you? Did your kids go back to school this week? Or will they return on Monday? Is your holiday stuff put away? Or do you like to keep it around well into January? Have you made resolutions or goals for 2020? Maybe picked a theme or word to focus on? Or does that kind of thing stress you out?
Here are a few things I’ve been wanting to share with you:
…Living With Kids: Gina Cater
Gina and her family made a big change a few years ago. They moved from the Bay Area, where they lived in a 990 square foot cottage and walked everywhere, to a 5-acre piece of land in rural San Diego County. The way she describes their home and their adventures building a “homestead” sound equal parts exhausting (raising crops and animals is so much hard work!) and exhilarating. It must be exciting to sit down to a meal where you have grown most of the food yourself. Gina dug into her photo archives and has year-round photos of the property to share. You’re definitely going to want to stick around. Welcome, Gina!
…A Few Things
Hello, Friends. How are you? Is it really December 20th? How is that possible?
We are very much looking forward to the weekend. Today, Oscar and Betty had their first ortho appointments in France (we made appointments as soon as we moved here to continue their orthodontia and this was the earliest we could get in! — apparently they need more orthodontists here.) And Flora is performing with her class at the big cathedral in the middle of town.
Other fun things: Olive arrives tomorrow from the South of France. And Ben Blair and I are headed to Paris on Sunday evening, so that we can pick up Maude on Monday morning. Plus, a two-week break from school begins this afternoon!
Today also marks my mother’s 75th birthday. I’ve been thinking about her a lot and what our home was like growing up. So much of how I approach holidays and celebrating all come directly from her. I’m so glad she was born, and I’m so glad I was born to her.
I have a really good link list for you today. Some of the pieces are long-form, so maybe you can save them for reading over the holiday break. Here are a few things I’ve been wanting to share:
…The Blairs in Central Park 2009 & 2019
In July I told you about our family vacation to New York City. It was the first time Ben Blair and the kids had been back since we moved away from New York — ten years earlier!
A couple weeks before the trip, we considered the possibility of putting together a family photo shoot in Central Park, during our week long trip, that would mimic our original Central Park photo shoot from 2009. But we weren’t really interested unless the amazing photographer of the original shoot, Candice Stringham, was available. Alas, Candice moved away from New York many years ago — and she isn’t really doing family photos anymore, because she’s currently the Marketing Director at My Mind’s Eye.
…Random Thoughts
I hope you’re in the mood for a Random Thoughts post. Here are some of the things on my mind:
…A Few Things
Hello, Friends. How is December going for you? Did you have a good week? I’ve had a challenging one. My Alt Summit work load is particularly heavy this month and I’m definitely feeling the strain. The hardest task at the moment is trying to find an A-list Keynote Speaker. This is my 16th conference, and it’s always tricky, but this year seems extra hard. (And hey, if you have any connections, let me know!)
I’m feeling happy the weekend has arrived. Our plans include taking the kids to go shopping for their sibling gifts and getting the house ready for our older kids to arrive for the holidays. How about you? Anything you’re looking forward to this weekend? I’d love to hear.
And I’ve got some good stuff on my link list this week (was it just me or was their lots of major news this week?). Here are a few things I’ve wanted to share:
…Argentan Croissant Tour
In today’s advent calendar envelope, the card said: Croissant Tour — test 4 to 6 bakeries. So that’s what we did. After the kids got home from school we set out.
Our goal was to pick up two croissants from each bakery and then bring them home for a test taste to determine our favorites.
…Living With Kids: Karley Vehaun
I’m sure Karley Vehaun’s home is just as charming 365 days a year — but it is particularly fun to see it all dressed up for Christmas! Karley at mixing textures in her home, from the rattan and wicker furniture, to the plants and the live greenery everywhere. You can practically smell the pine boughs when you look at these photos.
Karley has two young kids at home too and has a great perspective on being a parent to toddlers, and all of the wonderful and sometimes annoying things about them. Welcome, Karley!
…A Few Things
Hello, Friends. How are you? Did you have a good week? We are in full holiday season mode at our house. For the first time in a long time we made a simple advent calendar. It’s just 24 little envelopes with an index card inside, with a simple activity written on the card — things like Read The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, or Hot Cocoa Bar, or Window Shop on Main Street, or Watch The Santa Clause. I put a chocolate inside each envelope too.
I can’t believe how nice it’s been to have something for the family to look forward to each day. And as a bonus, it’s really helpful for making sure I actually do the things I like to do during the holidays. If you’re wishing you had started one on the first, why not just start today? It doesn’t need to be fancy and your kids will love it!
But I know you’re here for the link list, so I’ll jump right in. Here are a few things I’ve wanted to share with you:
…Living With Kids: Emily Iapic
Come say hello to Emily Iapic from Beaver, Pennsylvania! Emily sounds like so many moms that I talk to. She’s got kids ranging from 13 years old to 10 months and is trying to embrace the chaos while still living in the moment. Emily and her family also have such a fluid and interesting attitude about home schooling vs. public schooling for their kids. So many parents are passionate about this issue and I love the way Emily and her family are open to both options for different kids at different times. I think you’ll really like getting peek inside her home.
Welcome, Emily!
…The Very Best Gift Guide: 26 Miscellaneous Gifts (Plus Family Gifts too!)
I originally made this gift guide for miscellaneous categories — co-worker gifts, neighbor gifts, teacher or coach gifts, white elephant and silly gifts — stuff like that. But then I realized almost everything on this list is good for teens too! So consider this a miscellaneous list + teen list. Plus I included a few ideas that are perfect for family gifts too (items the whole family would enjoy). There are 26 options and more than half are $15 and under, with a whole bunch under $10 too.
As usual, I started with last year’s list and updated it with a bunch of new picks. I hope this guide is helpful!
…The Very Best Gift Guide: 26 Miscellaneous Gifts (Plus Family Gifts too!)Read More »
The Tall House: Work Has Begun!
This post is to get you caught up on what’s happening with our new house in France. But first let me clear up some confusion about the three different French houses that show up in my photos.
…A Few Things
Hello, Friends. Happy December! How are you? How was your Thanksgiving? And your Black Friday? How about your weekend? We’ve had such a full happy week since I last checked in with you. My sister Jordan and her husband Paul, and their three kids, trekked all the way to France for Thanksgiving and oh my goodness it was such a treat to be with family for the holiday.
We made a full Thanksgiving feast with a gorgeous table, we took the Ferneys to see the new house(!!!), we decorated our rental house for the holidays, we picked up a Christmas tree, we went to the holiday markets in Rouen, and we made a simple advent calendar too. (All of this was detailed on Instagram Stories, and you can find the expired stories in the Instagram highlights if you’re curious.)
I didn’t get a chance to publish my link list on Friday, but I saved so many good ones for you that I still want to post them. Here are a few things I’ve wanted to share with you:
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