DIY: Dipped Bead Jewelry
Hello, Friends! How are you? I just arrived back in France from Miami. It was a short trip, but it feels so good to be home! My kids have school off today and tomorrow so they were all home when I arrived and came running out of the house with a big welcome sign. Love!
My jet lag is comical at this point, so I’m going to head straight to bed, but I just wanted to say hello and share this fantastic project from Gina of WillowDay. So chic looking! Find the whole tutorial here.
Enjoy! And I’ll see you tomorrow.
P.S. — Did you have a good weekend? Another Year or So
Hello, Friends! Remember Plan A? It looked like this:
Move to France for one year. February 1st 2011 to February 1st 2012.
Then, last January I announced an adjusted plan. Let’s call it Plan B:
Stay a few more months — through the end of the school year. February 1st 2011 to July 1st 2012.
And today, here’s another update, another adjustment. Plan C:
Stay another school year. Or 2 1/2 years total! February 1st 2011 to July 1st 2013.
Then we’re really, truly moving back. For reals. How do I know? The lovely family we’re renting La Cressonnière from will be moving back in.
We feel good about Plan C. In fact, we’re super excited to get another year here! It gives our kids a chance to get even more comfortable with French. And gives us more time to find our next home.
The kids are excited too! But it’s been over a year since they’ve been to America and they’re craving a visit with friends and family. So we’re planning a long trip to the U.S. this summer. We’ll be spending the month of July with the Blairs and the Stanleys in Utah and Colorado. Then we’ll come back here for another year.
Tell me: Are you surprised? Or did you suspect an extension all along? : ) Would you stay if you were us?
P.S. — The countryside is covered with yellow fields right now — I snapped the photo above yesterday evening. I was told the plant is moutarde (mustard), but not the sort of mustard we eat. It’s grown for farm animals, and because it improves the soil. So pretty! Living With Kids: Rochelle Greayer
It makes perfect sense that a landscape designer would grow an enviable outdoor paradise, but did you ever wonder how a skill like that would translate to interior decorating? I hope you have! Friends, I’m happy to share Rochelle Greayer‘s home with you. Please be prepared for some verdant goodness, indoors and out. There’s a definite secret garden vibe happening in this home: twinkly lights, firmly-rooted collections, and not a weed in sight — unless you count the Lego city that took two weeks to build on the dining room table! Enjoy the tour.
Q: Who’s lucky enough to grow in this home?
A: Rob, Rochelle, our nine year old daughter Meredith, and our six year old son Isaac. There’s also Lyle the Cat who is 14, and Earvin Zippance Greayer, also known as Zippy the Puppy, who is 12 weeks old and just arrived in our home a few weeks ago.
Also, we have nine chickens: our rooster, Precious, Bones, Mutmee, Whitey, Chippy, Glinda, Scoob, Dooby, and Daphne. Add two turkeys called Tank and Chrissy — short for Thanksgiving and Christmas, which was my husband’s idea, but they were pardoned by me two years ago and have remained with us ever since!
… DIY: May Day Baskets
Have you ever heard of May Baskets? I hadn’t. But Amy of This Heart of Mine told me about the sweet May Basket tradition she experienced as a child and I thought it sounded so lovely! Amy came up with a bunch of little May Basket ideas, and I asked her to share a tutorial for 3 of the baskets here. Enjoy! And please do chime in if you have your own May Basket memories. I’d love to hear them! — Gabrielle
May Day is coming! And May Day means May baskets. I remember as a child feeling so excited about the pretty little baskets of treats left on our doorstep by kind friends. The treats were nice but the baskets were my favorite part. Even now, many years later, I have two of the very best saved in my keepsake box.
I don’t think we really celebrate May Day for its official purpose but it does give us reason to make beautiful, colorful baskets filled with treats for our friends. Maybe you’d like to make some too?
… DIY: Drying Herbs
It’s planting time around these parts, and I’ve got plants and seeds and soil on the brain. Everything in Normandy seems to grow and thrive like gangbusters. Last year, we had so many herbs on our hands, I didn’t know what to do with our loot! So I asked Lindsey of Cafe Johnsonia to teach us how to dry herbs — I don’t want to waste a sprig! — Gabrielle
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Spring is here and my little garden is already springing forth with herbs. I love to enjoy them fresh all through the warmer months. When it starts to turn cold out, I start harvesting my herbs so I can dry them to use all winter long too. Hopefully this will inspire you to get your hands dirty and plant a little herb garden to enjoy all year long — fresh and dried. This is the perfect time to plant seeds or seedlings for a boom crop. (Check your local garden centers for seedlings and advice on planting herbs in your climate.) Or if gardening isn’t your thing, maybe this will prevent you from throwing away the extra fresh herbs you bought and can’t use up.
There are some herbs that are definitely better fresh than dried, but when you dry them yourself, you are able to better preserve the essential oils in the herbs and they are infinitely fresher than the dried herbs you’ll find on the supermarket shelves.
… Living With Kids: Molly Winn
I’ve seen Molly Winn’s work before, and so have you; she photographed Joanna’s house tour back in January! She’s sharing her skills with us once again, this time in her own crisp and airy home with features that will surely make you swoon. (Do not miss her stairwell nook. I mean it. I’m adding it to my always-growing list of dream home musts!) Please enjoy the tour, as well as Molly’s darling interview. After I read it the first time, I felt like I’d just had a conversation with a sweet friend. Everyone, I’d love for you to meet Molly.
Q: Tell us about the family who lives here.
A: My sweet husband Adam, our five year old daughter Brennan, and myself! Adam is a professor who teaches at a local university and also teaches for several other universities online, I’m a mom and a photographer, and Brennan is a flower picking, snail hunting, princess dress wearing pre- kindergartner! My husband and I both primarily work from home so the three of us are together quite a bit, which we love!
… Love The Place You Live: Apple Juice Farm
For this Love the Place You Live column, I’m writing about Domain de la Galotière. It’s an apple and pear juice farm about 25 minutes from our house. This region of France produces wonderful apples, pears and all the related products like juice, cider, and a strong drink called calvados. Fun fact: this is the only region of France that doesn’t produce wine. No grapes here, it’s all about apples in Normandy.
The farm couldn’t have been more charming. Every building was made from half timber construction and the whole place was picturesque — down to the friendly dog. The inside of the shop was filled with jams and bottles and baskets and everything you might expect of a country farm. We ended up buying 6 bottles of apple juice and 6 of pear. Confession: we bought the juice on Saturday and we’re down to 1 bottle of apple and 3 bottles of pear today. It’s really good!
… Living With Kids: Barb Perez
Barb and her husband, Vinny, have spent their marriage traveling the world, ultimately planting roots in Annapolis with their young son, Ben. And luckily for this home tour today, they sent back more than a postcard or souvenir tee shirt! Their house is full of bits and pieces, both over-sized and carry-on packable, that tell a story in another language. It’s so wanderlust-inducing that I bet you’ll want to hop on a plane tomorrow. Enjoy the tour, Friends!
Q: Tell us about the family who lives in this out-of-this-world home!
A: Our happy little family consists of my husband, Vinny, our almost 14 month old son, Ben, our two spoiled beagles, Lincoln and Ike, and me, Barb. I own a home staging business, which I absolutely love. I spent a very long time working in sales and account management positions in the corporate world while very much desiring to pursue my passion in home design. I finally took the plunge and couldn’t be happier! Vinny works in the IT field, although he plays a big role in the day to day operations of my business, Wall to Wall Home Staging. Ben is the joy of our lives and is a very active and energetic toddler! And, our beagles….well, they lead a glorified life…essentially they are waited on, take frequent naps throughout the day and sleep anywhere they desire in the house. And, they are rewarded with long walks and lots of treats and affection.
… The Sistine Chapel
Here’s a little update from our trip. On Tuesday we visited the Vatican Museum. I didn’t really understand what it was. I thought we were just getting to see the Sistine Chapel, but instead, it’s a huge art museum with the Sistine Chapel as the finale.
I had such an emotional reaction to the collection and it caught me off guard. Near the end of the tour, you come upon this huge (huge like 15 or 20 feet high) sketch of Mary, offering her baby to the World. I started crying as I approached it. It was so beautiful! And then I realized it was by Matisse and I started crying even harder. (Oh dear!)
I love lots of Matisse’s work, but am especially drawn to his oversize pieces that look super simple and child like — created from line drawings and cut paper. I wasn’t expecting to see works by Matisse. It was such a happy surprise! Here’s a little video I found about the Matisse gallery, in case you’re curious.
Then, 10 minutes later, we walked into the Sistene Chapel and I teared up all over again! It really is jaw-dropping. It made my heart beat faster.
I don’t consider myself very sentimental, so it always surprises me when I cry at unexpected times. Has art ever brought you to tears? Have you ever visited the Vatican Museum?
P.S. — The museum also houses the School of Athens by Raphael. It felt like an honor to see it! If you’d like, you can follow along on our adventure here and here.
Wish You Were Here!
Rome is treating us well. We are eating lots of gelato. LOTS.
kisses,
Gabrielle
P.S. — Find a house tour and another fun post below. Living With Kids: Kelly Rae Roberts
Kelly Rae Roberts is an artist. It’s a fact I learned not from her inspiration-fueling books and e-courses or even by browsing her heart-lifting portfolio, but by simply touring her home. This is a woman who looks at peeling wallpaper and turns it into a masterpiece. This is a woman who collects scraps of fabric and turns them into something I would have ordered and hung over baby June’s crib. This is a woman who sees a corner of an attic and envisions a master bath that will make you audibly sigh. This is a woman who fills her home with everything and anything she loves, and turns it all into art. Or maybe she’s filled her home with art, and turned it all into love. Either way, welcome to Kelly Rae’s world, Friends!
Q: Please tell us about the lucky ones who live in this sunshine-filled home!
A: My husband, John, who is a part-time nurse anesthetist, full-time papa, and amazing husband. There’s also me, the mama and the artist. And True, our 18-month old son.
… Egg Hunt at the Eiffel Tower
Hello, Friends. We’re in Rome! I’m snapping pictures like crazy and can’t wait to share. If you’d like to follow along, Ben Blair and I are both updating frequently on Instagram (he’s blairben and I’m gabrielle_designmom).
For now, I thought you’d like to see an image from our Easter Egg Hunt at the Eiffel Tower. Isn’t it a great shot? I was so pleased with it.
How about you? Did the Easter Bunny make it to your house? Or are you celebrating other spring holidays? How was your weekend? Stonehenge
Here are a few images from our quick trip to Stonehenge and a little report.
I love seeing prehistoric sites! It’s really fascinating to me to imagine a society with the skills and wherewithal to build something grand and lasting — and yet we know almost nothing about them. I always wonder if their lives were very, very different from mine — or essentially the same. Did they get grumpy when they were hungry? Did they have leisure time? What was their concept of love and happiness?
Stonehenge didn’t disappoint. It’s old and big and mysterious. We learned that the current circle of stones is the third one that was built on that site — and that the site is older than the pyramids!
You can’t get really close and touch the stones, but you can get close enough for decent pictures. There is roped off path that takes you around the whole site and it provides some pretty spectacular views. If you’re dying to get up close and personal with the stones, Avebury is not too far. It’s another ancient stone circle that’s much bigger than Stonehenge, but far less touristy.
The tickets include a little handset-on-a-cord you can wear around your neck and hold up to your ear, which was great. But it was cold and windy! We wished we were wearing mittens and hats. Stonehenge is kind of in the middle of nowhere — just off the road and surrounded by fields of grazing sheep. The countryside couldn’t have been more charming.
Our trip was short. We played with the idea of visiting Stonehenge plus some other area sites, but really, it was more of an experiment to see if we really could take a decent trip to England on a Saturday+Sunday without missing work or school. Instead of doing more site-seeing we went straight from Stonehenge to the hotel so the kids could swim and go to a movie — in English! — which felt like a treat. We thought our little trip was a success! Next time, we’d really like to visit Bath, and see more of the English countryside.
How about you? Have you ever been to Stonehenge or another prehistoric site? Are you fascinated by them like me? Do you think weekend trips are worth the effort?
P.S. — Our visit to prehistoric caves.
Living With Kids: Giulia Doyle
We always hear that the top three most important features in a house are location, location, and location. But truthfully, when most of us think of our dream home, we envision more than a short commute or an easy walk to school; we want the beautiful details that have filled our inspiration boards forever, right?
Giulia and her husband bought a house that didn’t seem like it would be their perfect home. It isn’t the style they thought they wanted, but it is strong and solid and flooded with light, though, as well as close to everything they wanted to be near. So while they may not have chosen a home that lived in their dreams, they’ve found that they’re living in one in which they can easily build them. There’s a really good lesson here, Friends. Enjoy the tour!
Q: Tell us a little about the family who fills up this house!
A: This is the home to my husband, our four-and-a-half year old daughter Maelle, our three year old son Desmond, our cat Heidi, a fish called Tom, and myself. I grew up in Europe and moved to Canada nine years ago, and my husband is Canadian — from the East Coast — ocean, lobsters, and all!
… The Family Van
It must be moving season! Lately, I’ve had lots of emails from families moving abroad, wondering what we did for a car when we arrived. I mentioned in an early post about our move, that we intended to arrange a short-term car lease while we were here. But that didn’t happen. Here’s what did happen:
Turns out, we couldn’t lease a car, or get any sort of auto financing, because we needed to have an active French bank account for at least a year before we could apply. So. We had to purchase a car instead. Ben Blair found a used VW Transporter without too many miles — and it had seats for 9 people! Perfect for a big family like ours.
The VW wasn’t cheap, and we didn’t have enough cash to pay for the whole thing up front. So we asked a favor of the seller and payed for the car over 3 months. That just about wiped us out! We assumed we would be making small monthly payments and hadn’t budgeted for a big purchase like that. But then it was paid off and ours, and we felt great about the decision.
Ultimately, we’ve been delighted with the car. And man oh man have we put some miles on it! It’s taken us to The Netherlands, England, Spain, Germany, Belgium, and all over France. It’s designed for 9 adults, so it feels extra roomy to our family of little kids, and it’s been the perfect car for road-tripping. We love it! We wish VW sold this in the U.S. because we would buy one in a snap!
P.S. — Did you know almost all cars in France (and maybe Europe?) are stick shift? Even rentals! Our VW is too. Luckily, my first car was a stick shift, and a few cars I’ve owned since then as well, so it’s easy for me. Do you know how to drive stick? Language Report
I’ve been getting requests for an update on my children’s experience learning French, so I thought I’d write up a little report. For a timing reference, March 1st marked one full year in French schools, and at home, we speak almost exclusively in English. Here’s an update kid by kid.
In school situations, Betty seems pretty much fluent. If she’s out of school and speaking with a neighbor, sometimes she needs more context to understand (but at her age, that’s true in English as well). She gets complimented on her accent (or the lack of it) all the time. Here’s a little video of Betty telling part of the story of Little Red Riding Hood.
Oscar is doing great as well. When we ask him to speak French at home, he sort of huffs and puffs about it, and is very resistant. But when friends come over, he doesn’t have to think twice and communicates with them only in French. He also thinks when I attempt to speak French in my thick American accent, that it’s hilarious!! He about dies laughing every time.
Olive is also excelling. She gets compliments on her accent as often as Betty and if we’re not listening, she speaks freely with any friends or neighbors she encounters. She never hesitates to answer the phone in French, and you may remember, she went a week-long ski trip with her class and spoke only French.
Maude gets compliments on her ability to construct a sentence correctly. She works hard! Maude is more hesitant to speak because she wants to get it right. And she’s doing great. Her grades are where they would be if she was in an American school, and she does all her homework in French.
Ralph’s French is impressive. Last week, his Language Arts teacher wrote on his paper: Your French is getting better every day. He often has top scores in his classes — even courses like history and physics which involve pretty challenging French. When the Hunger Games Movie came out last week, Maude and Ralph watched it in French (with no English subtitles). Previously, they’ve only wanted to see English movies, so that seemed like a major milestone.
As for Flora June, she’s almost 2, and we’re delighted with every sound that comes out of her mouth. She is a charmer!
Overall, they’re doing marvelously with their language and both Ben Blair and I are constantly impressed with how hard they work. Learning a language is tough! It makes your brain tired. For reals! It’s surprising out physically challenging it feels. For all of our children, it’s true that they understand more than they can speak — I’m not sure when/if that evens out.
My thoughts on kids + a new language, in case you’re curious:
It seems like, if you want to give children the gift of a second language, and make it easy for them, bringing them to a foreign country and putting them in school at age 5 and 6 is a wonderful way to do it. After a year or so, they’ll be pretty darn fluent without even trying! Ideally, you could then enroll them in a language immersion program when you move back to your home country so they can keep up their language skills. But the downside is, at those ages, they’ll probably have almost no memories of their time in a foreign country.
Keeping that in mind, if your goal is to give your children a broader world view or more cultural experiences, moving to a new country at age 10+ seems ideal. But picking up a new language will definitely be harder the older your children are.
P.S. — If you’d like to read them, earlier kid reports are here and here. Living With Kids: AB Chao
You may call Anna Beth Chao AB, ABC, or Anna Beth, but never Anna. Unless, according to AB, you are her mother. She is a witty writer, insanely talented decorator, and interior stylist with a refreshing editing prowess. Before I run out of effusive synonyms for amazing, I’ll tell you one of my favorite things about Anna Beth. If you saw her on the street, you would probably think that she looks like a super stylish teenager. You would be shocked to learn that she is not, but she has a daughter who is! Which is exactly why I reached out to her. We’ve seen how some of us are living with kids – what about those of us living with teenagers? I just know you’ll enjoy this tour!
Q: Who lives in this fabulous home?
A: Well, let’s see. There’s me, and my husband Vince, and our daughter Madeleine. We also have a dog, Hank, who is very, very bad, and a cat, Spike, who is not.
I am a former corporate communications writer (I’m sorry, I see that you just fell asleep) turned interior decorator, stylist, and blogger. In fact, my one-year anniversary of leaving that corporate job is in just a few days, so yay to that! It’s been quite an adventure. My husband Vince Chao is also self-employed. He does something something with some things in China. There is possibly manufacturing involved. (I like to tell people that he exports potato chips and imports fake mustaches.) And finally, there is Madeleine, our only child, who is sixteen and a junior in high school. I’ll say one more thing about that, and then you will understand why I have to be medicated some days: she drives. A car.
… Spa Themed Party Invitations
These are the invitations we made for Maude’s spa themed party. They would work equally well for a beauty-parlor themed party too! The bobby pins make a cute 3-D addition — and they’re a sweet little gift for the party attendees.
The invitations were super easy to make and I was pleased with how they turned out. I’ve included instructions below if you’d like to see.
… Beard Care
Last fall, I mentioned Ben Blair had grown his first beard. (He’s still wearing it now and I still LOVE it!) But I didn’t tell you why it was his first beard.
Once or twice over the years, I had asked him if he was interested in growing one, but he said that after a few days of beard growth, he was so itchy he just had to shave it. So what changed last fall? We finally asked for some good guidance on beard care. We inquired of our favorite French pharmacist, who happens to be bearded also, and got the skinny on itch prevention.
For those of you with men in your life dealing with itchy chins, here’s what Ben Blair learned about itch prevention and beard care.
1) As it’s growing out, comb your beard often with a fine tooth comb. This will help keep dead skin cells moving on their way.
2) Use conditioner on the beard, even when it’s just barely growing out. Leave on the conditioner for a couple of minutes before you rinse it off.
3) If your bearded skin develops some redness or bumps, use a soothing lotion. Our pharmacist gave us samples of this
and it worked great.
And that’s it! Ben Blair is now long past the itchiness. These days he’s figuring out his preferred beard length, favorite trimming tools, and wondering if he’ll ever shave it off.
How about you? Do you have a bearded man in your life? Do they have to do much to maintain it? How long is too long in your opinion?
P.S. — I love how red the beard is in the second picture. When I married Ben Blair his whole head was that red! Things We’ve Said to Our Kids
Nathan Ripperger says things to his kids, and then turns his words into posters. They’re so spot-on they make me giggle! Have you ever said something to your kids and then realized how ridiculous it sounds? Please share! I love hearing stuff like that.
Thanks to Design Taxi for introducing me to Nathan’s work.
