On Monday afternoon, we visited two more cottages for sale in our area. I think of them as Cottage #2 and Cottage #3 (because we visited Cottage #1 on Friday). Cottage #2 was charming as can be, but had major mold problems, so we passed on that one almost immediately. Cottage #3 (pictured above, see more pics here) was pretty much fantastic. We really like it! It’s on a bigger piece of property than the first cottage, and the structure is more sound. The living space is almost non-existent — just one room with an amazing old oven. There are attached barns on either side of the one room, and huge attic space above. So if we bought it, we would need to work with an architect to create more living + sleeping areas in the attic or barns. It hasn’t been lived in for many, many years and it’s currently classified as a barn instead of house. So before we can consider it seriously, the homeowners need to get a certificate that says the building is allowed to become reclassified as a house. But we were told we could go ahead and start getting bids on work if we’re interested. This would be a major endeavor. (Understatement!) The property needs electricity, a septic tank, and roof repairs (luckily, not a whole new roof) just to get started. That’s before we get into projects like adding a stair case or creating bedrooms. I am no stranger to renovations, but this definitely intimidates me! Ultimately, we love the idea of having a little place here. Something to keep us connected to France even after we move home. For those of you who are curious, in our area, bare bones properties like this have low, low price tags (this one is around $33,000 after taxes), and require approximately $65,000 in work to make them liveable. The low price tag means we could buy the home outright without having to get a mortgage, then save up for the improvements as we go. Tell me, friends. Does a project like this appeal to you? Or does it give you a headache just thinking about it? : ) P.S. — Do you know of an amazing architect that would love a project like this? 

There’s a point during all of these Living With Kids tours when I fall in love with the home I’m featuring. It’s either a charming entry or a pure-white kitchen or a particularly messy craft room or even the way the sunlight streaks through a master bedroom and warms up the entire post. Sometimes it’s not even a photo, but rather a sentiment about this wild journey we’re on that makes me stop and pause for minutes on end. And sometimes, it’s shelves. Friends, I’d like you to meet Shannon. I’ve hereby appointed her the Queen of Shelving. You’ll see why after the jump. (Bonus: If you like a white, more neutral home, this tour is for you. And if you prefer lots of color, this tour is for you, too.) Q: Please tell us all about you and yours. A: I’m Shannon, stay-at-home-mom of two little truckers: Tyler, who is three years old, and Trevor, who is almost nine months old. My husband, Lieh, is our rock! He is the calm steady influence in our lives while I am the whirlwind of emotions, desires, and what ifs. You could say (he probably wouldn’t) that I dream big, and he helps make things happen when the time is right! My favorite hobby is reading fiction novels, from the ones your high school teacher recommended to fast-paced young adult books. Divergent, anyone? My heart races with anticipation upon entering a thrift store or flea market; I go often, and then some! I even look up thrifts and fleas before every vacation we take, and plan our itinerary around them! We also love to travel. And even though traveling with little ones is extra work, kids know there is still magic in the world and they know where to find it! …

Living With Kids: Shannon MolenaarRead More »

Oh my goodness! It was a quick trip, but so worth it. Here’s a little report on our trip to the Olympics in London accompanied by images from my Instagram stream. Note: we didn’t even have tickets to any events. Hah! We drove in to the city Sunday morning. We looked into taking the train, but decided to drive instead and it was clear roads the whole way. We parked in a little parking garage at Thomas More Square, which is a short walk from The Tower Bridge. The parking lot was almost empty because it was a Sunday morning. Easy! We walked to the river, emerged between two buildings and the first great view of the city was the Tower Bridge with the Olympic rings in all their glory! We gasped and cheered. What a sight!!! Next, we walked toward the Tower of London hoping to get a glimpse of the women’s marathon. The turnaround point was right at the Tower. By the time we arrived, the marathon had been going for about an hour. …

London Olympics: A ReportRead More »

Geralyn Broder Murray is a writer. Lately, I’ve started to notice that good writers create some of the most awe-inspiring yet completely comfortable, at ease homes. I guess it all goes back to the concept that design is nothing more than the telling of a story, which makes a home a very, very personal compilation of important treasures and memories to never forget and all the other photos that don’t make it into an album. Geralyn’s home tells a tale I’d like to read over and over again. Want to read it with me once more? Here goes!  Friends, I’d like you to meet Geralyn. Q: Tell us all about the family who lives here! A: This is home to my lovely, funny husband Chris, an award-winning video editor who tackles 100-mile bike rides on the weekend for fun; our eight-year old daughter Reese who adores math and playing family in equal measure (“It’s so hard to the be the mom of eight kids, Mom!” she often says to me in the hallway, exhausted, juggling three baby dolls and a plastic stroller); our five- year old son Finn — widely known as Mr. Inappropriate (anyone with a small boy will understand) — who adores any sort of ball, as well as art, inventing things, and driving his sister nuts. There are also two dogs (one big and hairy, one small and a bit smelly), along with the bossiest cat in the world. This cat has an aversion to closed doors, regardless of which side of said door he is on. Q: Share your home’s story with us; how did it come to be yours? A: Sometimes, a home chooses you. In our case, we were living in this very same neighborhood with our daughter (at the time, just a toddler), in a smaller home (980 square feet) and we were over for dinner with dear friends two blocks away. They announced they were moving; we were crushed, but by dessert we looked around at the house that was a good 700 square feet bigger than our own and decided we should buy it from our friends. That is this house. …

Living With Kids: Geralyn Broder MurrayRead More »

This is the story of a happy little home in Vancouver, where the decoration of preference is joy. I like Sandra’s house because it’s a fresh space that brings a smile with every pop of bold color and an abundance of statement pieces where you least expect them, but I love it because there’s a clear choice happening in this house. And choosing happiness in everything that surrounds you usually ends up in a life overflowing with it. Friends, I’d like you to meet Sandra. May this peek into her home bring a bit of happiness to your morning! (Related: Aren’t peonies the cheeriest flowers ever?) Q: Tell us all about the creatives living in this home! A: Roll call! Everyone line up! We have the man, our six year daughter who just finished first grade, and me. I joke that my husband and I are recovering creatives because we both grew up in working class homes where it was all about having sensible, reliable, responsible paid work. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but having any life other than that was a bit suspect! We both were and are passionate about jazz music – he’s an amateur drummer and I’m an amateur pianist – and art and theater. He’s also had some photography shows, while I am still learning feverishly. It’s my new obsession! We’ve both spent many years going back and forth between how to balance earning a living and living out our creative passions. There’s no perfect solution, though. I think it’s one of those issues where by just asking the question you end up with powerful life changes. Q: How did this house become your home? A: We had been living in Toronto right downtown for ten wonderful, creative, gritty, urban years when life drew us back west to Vancouver. Think a low-key Seattle; very much a part of the Pacific Northwest and, in many ways, the antithesis of the east coast life. It’s all about the outdoors and natural beauty, and is a much smaller and slower paced place. …

Living With Kids: Sandra HarrisRead More »

It’s been several weeks since we shared an Olive Us episode, and we’re so happy to have a new one today! In this episode, titled Spring Cleaning, Ralph, Maude and Olive work together to prep their bikes for a ride on a sunny day. Isn’t it lovely to work hard, then enjoy the benefits of your hard work? We love it! Friends. They are not wearing helmets. Yikes! (If you saw the original trailer, you may remember this.) I wish I had a good excuse, but honestly, it didn’t even cross my mind. In the barn at La Cressonnière, where we filmed this, there are a dozen bikes and not a single helmet. Wearing helmets for casual bike riding doesn’t seem to be a big thing in France. If I’d been thinking, I would have stopped at the sporting goods store to pick some up. But clearly, I wasn’t thinking. My apologies in advance! That said, I hope you enjoy the show anyway. : ) For those of you who’ve emailed, asking how many episodes to expect, here’s the plan: we have one more Season 1 episode to share, and a possible bonus episode (or two!) as well. We share those over the next couple of weeks. For Season 2, earlier this month, we filmed 8 awesome episodes! They’ll start airing in late August or early September. We’re excited! P.S. — Want to stay up to date on all things Olive Us? Go ahead and subscribe to the newsletter.

This is the home where Kirsty lives with her four men, three of whom are under eight! At first glance, you might not see bold traces of their existence, but that’s just because Kirsty’s overwhelmingly feminine and clean romantic style is such a scene-stealer. It’s a trick, isn’t it, to retain your aesthetic and make it work even when you’re a tad outnumbered? It’s clear that this is a home designed to foster bright memories and happy moments, whether you love pink or not! Please enjoy this one, friends! Q: Please tell us all about you and your men! A: My name is Kirsty and I’m mom to three magnificent little boys: Parker is seven, Monty is five, and Elliot is two. I’m also a wife to (the equally magnificent but who probably won’t enjoy the adjective too much!) Phil, who has been the love of my life for the past 12 years. Our family lives in Green Bay, Wisconsin, but I’m originally from South Africa and moved to the US when I was 15. My husband is a music pastor at our church. I’m a stay-at-home mom most of the time, but about 20% of my week is spent teaching ballet and jazz to 60 little ladies. While dance has been a lifelong passion for me, I’ve recently started freelance writing and photography for a few local magazines, as well as portrait photography for families in the area — newer endeavors but opportunities I adore. And I also write a blog called Lovelies in My Life, which is a sort of photo journal celebrating the beautiful things in life. …

Living With Kids: Kirsty GungorRead More »

This week, we’re staying at our cousin’s house in Colorado, and yesterday morning, we woke up to find the house had been toilet-papered! Our little kids were wide-eyed with fascination and delight — they had never witnessed anything like this before. Did you ever go toilet-papering as kid? As a teenager, I loved it. It felt sneaky, and a little cheeky (toilets!), but ultimately harmless. I ran with a pretty straight-laced group of friends (no drinking or partying), so toilet-papering was a good outlet for excess energy on the weekend. We would toilet paper friends’ homes, the homes of boys we had crushes on, even the homes of teachers we knew could take a joke. And I loved when my house was the target as well. I felt like it implied that people knew my family had a sense of humor. In contrast, a friend that grew up on the East Coast, told me toilet-papering was considered as serious vandalism in her town, and that people were offended by it. So I know it means different things in different communities. What’s your take: Innocent pastime? Or would you be offended if your house was toilet-papered (no egging, no forks in the lawn, just plain-old toilet paper)? Did you ever try it as a kid? Would you let your own kids toilet-paper someone’s house? Image here.

This post is brought to you by Art.com. Check out the rad new site and find out why Art.com says: We Are Art. One of the best things I do with my kids is visiting art museums. In case you’ve wanted to try this with your kids, I thought I’d share my favorite trick. When we head to a museum, we always stop at the gift shop first. Each child picks out a postcard from the museum’s collection, and then we hunt for that art on the postcard during our visit. It’s a little thing, but it turns the explorations into a bit of a treasure hunt and helps keep the younger kids engaged. Have you ever tried it? Speaking of museums + kids, last Thursday, I took the kids to the BYU Museum of Art. I wanted to see the Western Art in their Wide Open Spaces exhibit. The exhibit is heavy on the Maynard Dixon pieces, and I’m a big Maynard Dixon fan. So I was happy as could be. I’m always drawn to Western Art because it looks like home to me. The colors, the vistas, all of it. My community, my neighborhood, my childhood was literally peopled with cowboys and Native Americans, and set among the red rocks and deserts and horses and big skies. Have you taken your kids to a museum this summer? How’d it go? —— By the way, if you’re looking for pieces from your favorite museum, you’re in luck. The new Art.com site launched over the weekend with over a million pieces to choose from! The updated design looks amazing and it’s way easier to find what you’re looking for. My favorite new changes: 1) New tools to make searching easier — this is key! 2) You can upload your own images to create your own art. Which is awesome. And 3) Curated Collections by designers and tastemakers, like the gorgeous Vogue Vintage Collection. Take a look at the new Art.com and see what you find!

On Friday night, I went to a movie on my own. (I saw The Amazing Spiderman. Have you seen it? It’s so good!) I hadn’t been to a movie by myself for ages and it felt great. I think I was craving some alone time after all the family reunion-ing and social interactions we’ve had since we arrived in the U.S. When my kids woke up the next day and heard I’d been to a movie — by myself — they were kind of astounded. They know it’s not unusual for me to run errands alone, but I guess they haven’t seen me do something that’s traditionally social on my own. My conversation with my kids reminded me of this beautiful video: Tell me, friends. Do you ever seek solo time? Do you ever go to dinner or the movies on your own? Do you like it or does it make you feel lonely? Do your kids seek alone time? P.S. — My phone is still broken. So funny how much I miss it!

Remember Kate Lewis and her whimsical Chicago home? There were those one-of-a-kind DIY light fixtures in her dining room, the hand-drawn goodness on her son’s walls, and swings in the studio, all of which made me smile the whole way through her interview. I could read it again and again, couldn’t you? So I reached out to Kate and asked if she had made any more lovely additions to her home. Luckily for us, she had. Even better, she sent pictures. And even better than that, she answered a few more questions for me. Friends, please say hello (again) to Kate! Q: What’s new, Kate? A: We’ve been busy! We’re spending a lot of time outside, enjoying our twinkly-lighted backyard at night, and our porch and new little garden in the front of our house, too. It’s been such a treat to pick strawberries, lettuce, and fresh herbs with the kids; it reminds me of my childhood in Tennessee when I would watch my grandmother in her garden. …

Living With Kids: Kate Lewis, RevisitedRead More »

Hooray! Here’s episode 5 of Olive Us. In this one, viewers will get a little cultural lesson — and maybe even learn a few French words — while Olive, Betty and Ralph demonstrate how to properly visit a French Bakery. A tiny warning: you may want to watch on a full stomach. : ) Bon appetit! —– Sources: Shopping basket from Kayce Hughes. Betty’s blouse, dress, and cardigan from Olive Juice Kids. Olive’s skirt and sweater from Olive Juice Kids. Ralph’s outfit from his closet. (Yes. He totally wears scarves.)

Our upcoming trip to the U.S. involves several long road trips, and chances are, you have some car time ahead of you this summer as well. So I asked Jordan of Polkadot Prints to come up with an awesome gift for a car trip. Don’t miss the free printable she created! Enjoy. And bon voyage! — kisses, Gabrielle We’ve been doing a fair bit of driving since we moved out to the lake. Visiting family, weekends in the city, even groceries involve quite a bit of driving for us. So, to keep things interesting and little people occupied, I created these snack bags for a recent trip. Each treat box spaced out the goodies for our journey. For instance, Levi could have a bag of goodies once we “saw a deer”, “had been driving an hour”, “had a nap”, “saw 15 red cars,” etc. With school out, I thought they might be just what you need for your summer road trips. Cute gifts to give your kids, or to give to favorite friends before their family vacation! …

The Perfect Gift: Road Trip Travel PacksRead More »

One of the foods I’ve missed while we’ve been here is graham crackers. A stack of graham crackers with a glass of cold milk is one of my comfort foods! I haven’t found grahams in France, but I figured there was probably something close — a lightly sweet cookie that was almost a cracker. So I started exploring and happily, early on in my explorations I tried a package of Speculoos. They’re not the same as grahams, but they’re a great substitute when I can’t get the real thing. A tall stack of Speculoos, accompanied by fresh milk from the neighbor, is… heavenly! Speculoos are actually a product of Belgium, but they’re common in the stores here. Have you ever tried them? We fly to the U.S. on Thursday and one of the things the kids keep talking about are foods they can’t wait to eat. Rootbeer! Smashburger! Mexican Food! Krispy Kremes! Bagels! I’d love to hear: What food would you miss if you moved from home?

This home tour squeezes my heart in so many ways. If you only look at the photos, you’ll see nothing but happiness. Plus two of the best chalkboards I’ve seen! Read Lonnalee‘s story, and you’ll see much, much more. The subject has shifted a tad this week, Friends, from how she and her husband are living with kids to how the entire Anderson family is adjusting to their particular set of challenges, including Lonnalee’s illness and an impending arrival of a new baby. Life is messy. But sometimes it’s the mess that clears all the clutter away, right? Please enjoy the tour. Q: Tell us all about who’s living in this well-loved home! A: There is David, who works as the teaching pastor at a little neighborhood church down the street. There’s me, a full-time mommy and sometimes artist who makes paper flowers mostly for weddings and home décor. And then there are our precious little Mollie Lou who is four, and Ryle (pronounced like Kyle, but with an “R”) who is three. I am currently growing a third, and we’ve decided to wait until birth to find out if the baby is a sister or a brother. No pets. Ever. Q: How did this house become yours? A: I was pregnant with Ryle and we were in a 500 sq. ft. bungalow near Old Littleton, Colorado, a part of town we loved. Built in 1907, that house had so much character and was one of the first homes in the area. I loved that house. The second we had our daughter we realized how small it was. When I was pregnant with Ryle, it became even smaller (as happens to an ever-growing six foot woman!). I knew I would miss the simplicity of living in a small space, but it was time to go. …

Living With Kids: Lonnalee AndersonRead More »

You know those poppies I shared a photo of on Friday? Well, I preserved some! My friend Caroline brought me a gift, decorated with a dried poppy, and it was so pretty, I just had to make some myself. It’s super easy, so I thought I’d share in case you’d like to do it too. The funny thing is about those wild poppies: they can’t be cut and put in an arrangement — they wilt too quickly. So preserving them by drying is a wonderful way to extend their beauty. If you don’t happen to be surrounded by fields of wild poppies, no stress. This works equally well with the store-bought variety. …

DIY: Pressing PoppiesRead More »

You may remember, we were super lucky to make a trip to Rome over spring break — in fact we arrived in Rome on Easter Sunday! A busy day for the capital of Christianity. I’ve been meaning to write up a little report of our trip for 2 months now, and today’s the day, because there were 3 separate emails in my inbox this week asking for kids-in-Rome advice. : ) We LOVED our trip to Rome. I asked each of the kids to tell me their favorite parts of the trip and this is what they had to say… …

Rome With Kids: 7 Don’t Miss ActivitiesRead More »

Our school year is winding down here in France, so I thought it would be fun to write up another little update on our kids’ experience in the local schools. I hope you enjoy it! The first thing I wanted to mention was handwriting. I snapped the photo of the chart below in the 6-year-old’s classroom at my kids’ school. Having good handwriting is a big deal here! And seems to be a universal skill. Even at the village market, all the signs for fruit and veggies are hand written in beautiful script. Ralph says when he first arrived, his math teacher picked up one of his worksheets and publicly started scolding him. (This is awful! I can’t read it at all!!) Ralph was so embarrassed! He has since started working hard on his penmanship, and has vastly improved. Script is the main form they learn to write in — even the littlest kids. I don’t think I’ve ever seen kids use basic print on their school work or even notes to friends. Along with good handwriting, instead of mostly using pencils in school, they write with pens only. In fact, all of my kids agree that in French schools, pencils are exclusively for art and geometry. No exceptions! From the moment they start learning to write the alphabet, at around age 5, they use refillable ink fountain pens. But. They also have pen erasers — a separate tool from the pen itself. Something else that seems so different is athletics. Sports seem to play a less influential role overall in the schools here, compared to our experience in New York and Colorado. Maude says there are still jocks — they’re the kids that are good at soccer. But that being good at sports isn’t really what makes you popular, and that even the athletes feel like school work is the most important. Sport shorts are short! For both girls and boys. And no one would ever wear athletic clothes or sport shots as school clothes. Athletic clothes are reserved for gym only. The same holds true for adults — I have never seen an adult running errands in workout clothes or yoga pants. Never even once! Here are the sports that have been covered in my kids’ gym classes: Badminton (this is big here!), handball, inline-skating, swimming, ping pong, kayaking, rugby, cricket and soccer (which, of course, is called football here). They’ve also had a section on baseball, but Olive says it’s not quite the same — for example, they hold the bat with one hand! Lastly, one thing my kids have noticed that’s really different from American schools, is the public criticism. Similar to the story of Ralph’s handwriting above, the teachers announce each student’s grade on every test and assignment publicly. And they’ll scold (sometimes even mock?) students who didn’t score well — right in front of the rest of the classmates. My kids report that the French kids don’t seem to notice, it’s just the way it’s always been. But you can bet my kids are always relieved when they get a good score! I’d love to hear what you think! Would your kids thrive in a French school? Do you have an opinion on good penmanship? P.S. — You can find earlier reports about school and my kids learning French here, here, and here. The very first report is here.

Are you ready? Are you set? Here’s episode 4 of Olive Us! It’s called Helping Dad. Perfect timing for Father’s Day, don’t you think? Once again, this is a different sort of episode than the ones we’ve shared so far. It’s our first attempt at a parody! We know that modeling positive behavior can sometimes suggest the Blair kids are unrealistically well-behaved. So we thought it would be funny to make a video showing something truly over-the-top. We hope you enjoy it! And for those of you with little ones, this episode might be over their heads. But hopefully they’ll still enjoy the music. : ) ——– Want more Olive Us? Here are the most recent behind-the-scenes videos: – Fun facts about Helping Dad – How to Make Prop Lemonade – Lemonade Stand Trivia – How to play Zing Zing Zing Find more at OliveUs.TV. Be sure to subscribe to the weekly email so you’re the first to know about new videos!

For this month’s Love the Place You Live column, we visited a Vide Grenier — which is basically a community wide rummage sale. But this one was in a tiny village called Avoines that neighbors our own tiny village, and though we didn’t know many people there, it felt much like an event in our own neighborhood. We had a great time and came home with a few silly trinkets. My favorite purchase was a handful of ceramic feves, the little tokens that are baked into King Cake. I bought several of both the white and colorful versions. Only 10 centimes each! I though they would make a fun souvenir. Or be little good-luck tokens to keep in your pocket on special days — like a big test day. The vide grenier was centered around the town’s Mairie office. Even the tiniest villages have their own Mayor here in France, though this village is so tiny it doesn’t have a store or school or bakery or post office. Outside the Mairie, there were tables and benches set up for picniking, and there was a booth selling hot sandwiches and frites. So yummy! …

Love The Place You Live: Vide Grenier (Community Yard Sale)Read More »