Mushroom Hunting in the French Countryside
The first rule of hunting mushrooms in the French countryside? Don’t ask any of the other mushroom hunters where they hunt mushrooms. I’m joking of course, but sort-of not. Everyone has favorite spots they’ve discovered and it’s considered rude to ask.
But if they invite you to come along on the hunt? Then you’re good to go. Ben Blair and I were invited by our friends Mark and Richard and Dominique — and we jumped at the chance.
…Living With Kids: Megan Malkin
One thing I love about taking a peek inside Megan’s house is that she included pictures from throughout the year. So in some we catch a glimpse of July 4th decor, and in others the space is dressed for the fall. (No matter what the season, her decor is lovely.)
Megan and her family (including 5 kids and lots of pets!) live a bit off the beaten path on some wide open (enviable) acres. And her home is filled with interesting pieces she curated and now sells in her own antique shop. I think you’ll love getting to look around. Welcome, Megan!
…Travel Report: Prague In October
While the trip is still fresh, I wanted to give a little report about our visit to Prague. I LOVED your recommendations — they informed our trip a ton. I’ve gathered my favorites from our visit here, and added lots of your tips as well. Also, I made a highlight on Instagram of our trip and I think you’ll find it helpful/informative.
The first thing I should mention is that the weather was really lovely — much better than we expected for the end of October. (I assume due to global warming?) So that really affected the kind of things we did. We stayed outdoors almost all day, and did a ton of walking. If the weather had been colder, I think we would have spent more time at indoor activities, like museums.
I’m going to jump right in with my favorites:
…A Few Things
Hello, Friends. How are you? How was your week? Are you happy to welcome November? Or are you already missing October?
Ours was a good week. We got back from Prague on Monday. Can you believe I took that photo above? The whole city is magical. I can’t wait to tell you about our favorite spots there.
Are you ready for the weekend? We’re having friends over for dinner tonight, and then going to a showing of Downton Abbey. School starts again on Monday, so I hope the kids get to enjoy every bit of the weekend. Also this weekend: It’s National Authors Day! So me and 7 of my author friends are hosting a little Giveaway on Instagram and the prize is a $200 Amazon Giftcard. Go see! It ends Monday at midnight EST.
One thing that’s giving me a baseline of stress at the moment is all the fires in California. It is an odd thing to read those headlines while knowing my two oldest kids are right there — classes cancelled, no electricity, breathing the smoky air. And of course, not just my kids, but so many people I love and care about. Both Ralph and Maude report they’re doing fine, but I suppose it will never not feel strange to be an ocean and a continent away from my kids.
But really, you’re here for the link list. And I’ve got a good one this week. Here are a few things I’ve wanted to share with you:
…Living With Kids: Kimberly Garner
I can’t wait to show you Kimberly Garner’s breathtaking home on the San Juan Islands. The islands, if you haven’t heard of them, are sprinkled in the water between Washington state and Victoria Island, British Columbia — they are only accessible via ferry. In her interview, Kimberly also talks quite openly about her recent divorce and what that change has meant for her family dynamic. It’s honest and painful and heartwarming and I’m really grateful she chose to share her story. Welcome, Kimberly!
…A Few Things
Hello, Friends. How are you doing? Did you have a good week? We’ve been traveling this week during the kids two-week school break (we’re currently in Prague), and will head home on Monday.
I just woke up (half of the kids are still sound asleep), and we haven’t made plans for the day yet, but the city is looking lovely out my window and I’m excited to go explore.
This coming Thursday, Oscar and Flora are hosting Halloween parties. They are so excited!! But it feels so abstract to me right now. Are we really heading into Halloween week? The holiday so different here that I’ve hardly given Halloween a thought. Usually we’re deep in to finishing costumes at this point, but this year, we haven’t even started. Feels so strange!
How are your Halloween plans coming along? Any brilliant/wonderful costumes this year? I want to hear. But first, here are a few things I’ve been wanting to share with you:
…Living With Kids: LeAnne Sofia
Today I get to introduce you to LeAnne Sofia and her family, who live on the Florida Coast. The first thing that you’ll notice is that LeAnne’s home is GORGEOUS. I literally gasped at some of the photos. So stylish and modern and full of light. It’s really stunning. But as you read LeAnne’s story you’ll fall even more in love. She speaks openly about her struggles with infertility, her miscarriage, and the eventual adoption of her son. She’s open and vulnerable and I’m so glad she decided to share. Welcome, LeAnne!
…Our First School Vacation!
It’s officially the first school vacation! In France, the school schedule is basically 7 weeks on, 2 weeks off. And our two weeks off started today!
When we lived here before, we would use these school breaks to travel around Europe — lots of road trips and cheap flights — and we hope to do the same thing this time around. It’s interesting, because we went all over the place but the younger three really don’t remember any of the traveling. So we could visit the same places — Switzerland, Amsterdam, London, Ireland, Rome, Venice, Barcelona, Norway, Belgium — and it would be as if it were their very first visit. I’m really, really, really happy that Oscar, Betty, and June will get this chance to travel now that they’re old enough to really enjoy it.
For our first school break, we were exploring options and possible places to visit, and I started looking at bargain European flights (with companies like EasyJet and RyanAir). On one of the sites, you could put in flexible travel dates, and then pick a budget (say, 50 euros per ticket), and it would show you a list of everywhere you could fly for that price during those dates.
…A Few Things
Hello, Friends. How are you? Gosh I’ve missed interacting here over the last week. As you can probably guess, there’s been some big stuff happening at our house. Here’s a quick update:
1- We got the keys to our rental house last Wednesday, the 9th. And that night Ben Blair arrived home from his work trip to Chicago. That door above? That’s our front door for the next several months (at least).
2- The rental was empty, but pretty darn grime-y. So we spent the next several days cleaning it and prepping it for the arrival of our container full of household goods. This included figuring out appliances, because rental homes here don’t come with an oven, a fridge, a microwave, a dishwasher, or a washer/dryer.
…Living With Kids: Amanda Tanner
Amanda and her family live in Roswell, Georgia — a wildlife refuge in a suburb outside of Atlanta. She and her husband bought their home there a few years ago, after marrying and blending their families together. Amanda is a landscape artist, and when you see the gorgeous woods that surround her house you’ll understand how she finds inspiration for her work. Their house has a sense of old charm that you’ll just love, and art covers every wall. It must be a magical place to raise kids. Welcome, Amanda!
…How Do You Get a Visa to Move to Another Country?
Let’s talk about one of the practicalities of moving abroad — getting your visas!
I know this can be a confusing term because the first thing most Americans think of when they hear the word ‘visa’ is their credit card. But when referring to moving abroad — or even traveling abroad — a visa means official permission to enter and stay in another country.
…How Do You Get a Visa to Move to Another Country?Read More »
They Felt The Exact Same Misery Anybody Would Feel Now
I came across a conversation on Twitter over the weekend and I can’t stop thinking about it. A woman named Nicole was talking with a friend about historically high child mortality rates. The friend has a PhD in a relevant subject.
Nicole asked, “So people just emotionally withdrew from their babies and small kids, knowing the rate of lethal childhood illness?”
Her friend answered, “No. They changed their naming conventions [they might delay naming the baby], but they felt the exact same misery anybody would feel now.”
…They Felt The Exact Same Misery Anybody Would Feel NowRead More »
A Few Things
Hello, Friends. How was your week? Feeling good about October? I think we have a pretty low-key weekend ahead of us with sounds lovely. Mostly I wanted to get Ralph and Maude’s plane tickets confirmed for the holidays. It will feel good to be able to picture us all together again.
The one big thing this weekend is Ben Blair is headed to Chicago for a conference. He’ll head out on Sunday. How will I do without the best French speaker in the house here? We will find out!
But first, here are a few things I’ve wanted to share with you:
…Living With Kids: Lisa Hooks
I think you’ll love getting to know Lisa from Pearland, Texas. Her story is an excellent example of how life rarely turns out the way we expect it to — and that is okay. Her farmhouse chic home is full of personality and fun details, and seems like a great place to raise a pair of twins. Welcome, Lisa!
…A Few Things
Hello, Friends. How are you? How was your weekend? Ours was good but different than I expected. I started this post on Friday afternoon, and then never had time to finish it. Oh dear! So now you’re getting a Monday edition of Friday links. : )
Some of our weekend activities: 1) An afternoon get together with local friends where we got to see a gorgeous house that was originally a super rustic barn (similar to our cottage). It was so inspiring! 2) Visiting an exhibit featuring Norman Rockwell’s work related to WWI and the Civil Rights Movement. So good! I really appreciated the behind the scenes stuff about his Ruby Bridges illustration. 3) We saw the Downton Abbey movie. Really enjoyed it — and it reminded me of this napkin DIY.
But who cares about the weekend? Let’s get to the good stuff — here are a few things I’ve been wanting to share:
…One Month In France
Today marks one month in France. Can you believe that? I hardly can. It has absolutely flown by, and I woke up this morning despairing that I’m somehow not making the most of it.
So before I spiraled into a very sad place, we made of list of what we’re proud of accomplishing this month:
…A Slower Pace of Life
A couple of weeks ago, we attended a vernissage (an art show opening) at this little chapel-converted-to-a-gallery, which is just outside of town. The featured artist is named Kathryn Holford, and she currently lives with her husband (a novelist) in La Cressonnière — the home we used to rent when we lived here before.
We loved talking with Kathryn and her husband and we bonded over the delight of living in such a special home, and unexpectedly falling in love with this particular part of Normandy. Her husband commented that the people who live here are by-and-large content and happy — and I agree. It’s a sweet life here.
Our town, Argentan, is not a well known tourist spot and people often ask us why we aren’t in Paris, or in the South of France, or a more popular spot, or a bigger city — and we find it a bit hard to explain to anyone who hasn’t been here. We fell in love with this area and we fell hard.
…Living With Kids: Ana-Guiomar Blanco
Ana Guiomor-Blanco and her husband are raising their two boys in the suburbs outside of Madrid, in a home that looks straight out of a magazine. White walls and white upholstery. Clean wood floors and bright windows. It feels spacious and serene but totally livable and comfortable.
Because Ana and her family are world travelers themselves, she runs a website called World Kids dedicated to sharing travel tips and literature to help other families travel internationally. And even though English isn’t Ana’s first language, she writes really eloquently and beautifully about motherhood and raising a family. Welcome, Ana!
…A Few Things
Hello, Friends. How are you? I’m publishing my Friday link list earlier than usual this week, because we’re headed out of town first thing tomorrow morning. Our niece, Lauren Blair, is getting married in England this weekend, and we’re headed to the wedding.
To get there, it’s part driving, part ferry. We drive to a port town called Ouistreham (you pronounce it like we-strum) here in France, then drive our car onto a ferry, and the ferry lands in Portsmouth, England 4 hours later. After the ferry, we head straight North on a five hour drive to Billingham. It’s going to be a long travel day, but we’re heading to a part of England we’ve never visited before, and we’re excited to see what it’s like. Plus we get to see cousins!
Something else we’re looking forward to? When we arrive in Portsmouth, the first stop we’re going to make is a store that sells fascinators — the fancy hats/headpieces that you wear to weddings in England. We’re going to pick something out for me, Betty, and Flora. How awesome is that?
It’s been an exciting week for us, with a couple of big tasks that have filled our time. We found a car and negotiated a price. It’s a used car with 7 seats, called a VW Caddy. It comes from their commercial vehicle line, but is quite a bit smaller than the VW Transporter (also from their commercial line) we drove last time we lived here. We pick it up next week. We’re a bit nervous about it, but hope we end up loving it.
And… we put an offer on a house this morning! And found out it was accepted this afternoon!!! I can’t wait to tell you all about it.
But first, here are a few things I’ve wanted to share with you:
…Living With Kids: Jackie Leishman
With the concrete floors and bright white walls and art on every surface, this house that feels like a really cool art gallery. But there are also kids riding scooters through the rooms, and an orchard out front, and tons of real and livable spaces. That is the kind of home that Jackie Leishman has built — cool and modern and artistic but also comfy and livable all at once. You’ll love hearing her thoughts on being a mother and artist, and you’ll love wandering around her amazing home. Welcome, Jackie!
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