Smallesthings

Space.

2012-01-27T08:35:00.001+01:00

My first attempt at video editing. Seven years ago, I used to create heaps of slideshow movies for work. It sounds so uncool today, to make a slideshow movie from photos, but I swear that back then it was pretty neat. Only at the time, I didn't have iMovie. Oh boy, what I was missing out on! It's probably old news for many of you but last night, I made the greatest discovery since Photoshop. I think this is the beginning of the end, when it comes to borrowing Mr. Franglais' MacBook. Sorry love. You just shouldn't be so well equipped and I will stop stealing all your gadgets, hee hee.

Wishing you all a relaxing weekend! I'll see you on Monday.

ps: This movie was shot in early January in Normandy when L. & I visited my mum and "little" bro. And the music is Grown Ocean by Fleet Foxes.

Soldes.

2012-01-24T16:23:00.002+01:00

Some bargains found in the sales over the weekend : 1) one pink knit and one starry jumper from my favourite clothes shop, Vicxite.A; 2) a set of Marimekko bowls from the new 1962 shop (these were really "fake bargains" since they were only 10% off, mais bon!); 3) Smiling Planet bear sweater from Smallable; 3) Cushion from Petit Pan (originally for the little man, but his mama keeps pinching it from him).

Vicxhite.A
47, rue des Abbesses
75018 Paris

Boutique 1962
4, rue Tholoze
75018 Paris

Petit Pan
10, rue Yvonne Letac
75018 Paris

I'm at home sick today, getting lots of sleep and drinking heaps of herbal tea (thanks Jocelyn!) to be back on track tomorrow.I hope you are all having a good week so far!

L'hiver est là.

2012-01-16T13:45:00.000+01:00

Bonjour! A few random photos from our weekend. The sun was shining, the sky was clear, the air was freezing, and we the light was... dear (for the sake of rhyming, eh). First time this year it actually felt like winter. We hung out in our neighbourhood all weekend which was delightfully relaxing. I know we aren't moving into our new place until another couple of months, but I am already starting to feel nostalgic of our vie de quartier. I suppose it's normal though, right? After almost six years (blimey, six years!)...time flies.

ps: 1. Pompom garland (which I've finally hung) from this lady (whom I hope is having a baby right now!); 2. Dried bouquet I received when L. was born; 3. Blanca Gomez's city prints (I've got Paris & London).

England

2012-01-13T23:26:00.002+01:00

A few photos of our little four day getaway to London the week before last. I luurve London and could totally see myself living there one day. People are generally so much nicer and friendlier than in Paris, it always takes me a day or two to adjust, i.e. take down my anti-aggression shield. We were there between boxing day and new year and it was by far one of the best times to visit: the city was e.m.p.t.y! A real treat.

On our first day, we woke up late, filled our bellies on a full English breakfast (grazie Isabella!) and headed off on foot through Holland Park and Kensington Gardens, to the V&A. I wanted to see the new photo collection about the history of photography. It was an amazing travel through time. You can find pieces by Henri Cartier Bresson, Diane Arbus, Irving Penn, Man Ray, Lee Miller, to name a few of my favourite. It is truly worthwhile and you can see it all for free (I always forget that museums are free in London which makes it a pleasant surprise).

Day two was a crazy shopping day. Bond street, Oxford street, Carnarby street, Liberty's... we shopped until we dropped! Everything is much cheaper than in Paris now so it was all a bargain for us. One little gem of a shop our friend showed us was Skandium. It was filled with the most sumptous Scandinavian goodies... which I managed to resist but it was hard. Instead, I privileged buying a few cute little outfits for our wee man as clothes for little ones in the UK are more vibrant and whimsical than what we get in Paris. Our exhausting consumeristic day ended with our must-have curry on Brick Lane - a classic, yum!

The following day we visited some of my relatives in south London and met our new baby cousin (once or twice removed, I can never remember) who is so adorable and teeny weeny.

And before our trip back on our last day, we went for an expeditive walk around the picturesque Notting Hill to check out Fara Kids, a charity shop recommended by my friend Vanessa. I came out with an awesome pair of red jeans and an indoor football (the boy was ecstatically pleased with his pressie) for less than 10 pounds. Not bad me thinks, when the neighboring shops would almost be ready to charge you for looking at their clothes.

Wishing you all a happy weekend. I'll see you back here on Monday. x

23 mois.

2012-01-09T23:40:00.010+01:00

So here it is: the last month of counting in months. I can't believe that we are a mere 31 days away from your second birthday. That it was almost two years ago already that I gave birth to you. We sent out your party invites today as we will be celebrating your birthday with your little friends next month. I am already looking forward to all the preparations and the party chaos. And given how often you are singing "aaappy biiiir'day" to yourself at the moment, I think you are pretty impatient for your big day too.

Joyeux (dernier) moisiversaire my little monkey!

1 mois - 2 mois - 3 mois - 4 mois - 5 mois - 6 mois - 7 mois - 8 mois - 9 mois - 10 mois - 11 mois - 12 mois - 13 mois - 18 mois - 20 mois - 22 mois

ps: I hope you don't misread the "do not copy". It is just that, despite the little note I have on my blog, I have often found photos of L. on Pinterest, and I would feel more comfortable to have my little boy stays on my blog only.

Bonne année.

2012-01-04T23:55:00.007+01:00

Helloooooooo and bonne année! I hope you have all had an amazing holiday season. I disappeared from the face of the blogosphere a little unannounced, but it has been a busy few weeks around here. Lots of intentions of blogging and zero time in the end.

We celebrated Christmas eve, Christmas day and Boxing day at our place this year. Needless to say, many hours have been spent in the kitchen of late. We had three days of delicious franglais food (foie gras, oysters, turkey, mince pies, & many more naughty treats) and a fair amount of delicious wine and Champagne to go with it. If you're interested to know what our franglais traditions are all about, I did a little guest post on Diana's stylish blog Express-o last week. Pop over and take a peep if you'd like.

As Christmas has come and gone and we have now bided farewell to 2011, my head is full of hopes and plans for the coming year. Mainly, I hope it will be more stress free (see my guest post about this on my friend, Vanessa's lovely blog Coisas Minhas) and that, selfishly maybe, I will have a little more time to myself. Not easy with a toddler and a busy job. But here's to hoping: below are 12 things I would be happy to achieve in 2012.

Be. More. Organised - Priority #1 to lower my stress levels.
Exercise - I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't done any regular exercise in almost six years. Some days, I have to run (literally) to be on time to pick up my son from the child minder and I am splattering my lungs out each time. How did I go so far in my "unfitness"? The plan is to start off slowly: yoga lessons for now and maybe later, when we are in our new flat, bikes rides on Sundays in the forest.
Prints photos - Especially, make a photo book of L's first year and his second (which is almost over - blimey!).
Be less pragmatic - And more romantic.
Learn how to sew - my oh so generous brother and his girlfriend bought me a sewing machine for my 30th birthday though so far there has been zero progress (*cough* sewing machine is still in its box *cough*) but the plan is to become a regular visitor of this fabulous place.
Finish my knitting projects - I have two on the go: one scarf and an ear warmer. Better get knitting if I want to use these this winter!
Move flats - I mentioned a few months ago that we are *whoop whoop* in the process of buying an apartment but France being France, the paper work isn't yet complete so we are still waiting to become the official owners. Once we get the keys, there will be a lot of refurbishing to do, and by March we hope that we can move into our new home. Fingers crossed!
Get more sleep - I am terrible at going to bed. Even if I am exhausted, I will find any old excuse to stay up (movie, blogs, books, photo editing, etc.); I'm never ever in bed before midnight, if that. Trouble is, these days there's no more sleeping in at the weekend to catch up on all that lack of sleep so I need to change this bad habit. It might help with my moodiness too, ha. Two birds with one stone, eh.
Say goodbye to my glasses & contacts? - After speaking to several friends who have undergone the surgery themselves, I'm deciding whether or not to go ahead and have the laser eye surgery. I have been wearing contacts for almost ten years but I'm always having trouble with them and my glasses, well I've never liked wearing them. Thoughts anyone?
Revamp my blog - six months ago I drafted a new blog layout but it is still sitting in my drafts.
Follow these wise words (photo above) - with no limits.
Plan a wedding - oh, did I forget to mention last year that we are getting married? Well, we are! Just as soon as we find time to organise a wedding.

ps: thanks again to Diana from Express-o and Vanessa from Coisas Minhas for inviting me to post on their blogs. It was a great experience. x

{images: right via Justbesplendid ; left via Kenzalab}

22 mois.

2011-12-22T23:52:00.005+01:00

Yesterday, someone asked me how old little L. was and I actually had to think about it. Now that he is almost two, it feels sort of silly to still be counting in months. Twenty two months, he is. That's a lot of months. And yet after all this time, he manages to become more and more loveable. Every. Single. Day. I could spend hours standing at his bedroom door, observing him in his imaginary world. "More water Monkey? No, Miaow miaow! C'est for Monkey le drink". It is the sweetest thing.

The power of toddlers' 'record button' is mind-blowing (although the monkey and cat gibberish is not from me, hmm). Often, we don't even realise that L. is listening to us and the next day, bam! new words. His vocabulary has expanded to the point where he is now speaking in sentences. Sentences! What a long way we have come since he was a wee baby. I am simply in awe with my lil' bilingual parrot: by his English, because he spends so few hours with us each day yet it is the language he speaks the most; and by his French, because we don't teach him any of it so hearing him speak is always a delightful discovery. Maybe he has the same love for languages as his mummy? I wonder.

But for now, he sure does make us smile our mini franglais boy. To his daddy's delight, and my dismay (two football lovers in the house, huh), he cheers "Arsenal, gooooal!" with a raise of the hand whenever a football game in on. I'm not sure he quite understands what it all means this football lark, but he sure knows it makes us laugh, so he repeats.

The best part about baby talk is that there is no beating around the bush: WYSIWYG. When we were in Greece, he held a pair of my knickers around his neck one morning and called it a bib (implying I have a big behind, per-lease!). He also tells us "I'm stuck! I'm stuck!" when we try to steal a cuddle from him and last week, as he came out of the bath and I was brushing his hair, he suggested combing his daddy's hair and then start combing his chest (yes, he is a tad hairy, à la 007). And did you know that toddlers are also professional ego boosters? Almost each night, I get "ouhlala, miam miam, c'est booon!" as he eats his home made (or not) diner and when I've been showing him my crochet/knitting projects he is always so impressed and tells me "oooh, mummy it's pretty!" (which of course, it isn't. Otherwise you would have seen it up on the blog).

Anyway, happy (belated) 22 months, my little boy! What an exhausting and wonderful journey parenthood is.

La diva aux pieds nus.

2011-12-17T21:06:00.016+01:00

Hoje, "o mundo da musica ficou mais pobre, mas uma artista, um poeta, nunca morre".
Tito Paris

Paris snapshots.

2011-12-13T21:30:00.000+01:00

I had to snap a few photos of Paris on our way back home on Sunday. After five years, I love that I can still so blown away by the beauty of this city.

Quartier latin: The great escape.

2011-12-12T23:57:00.000+01:00

Hello! How have you been? Are you getting into the holiday mood? It's bloody madness over here. Every other person is out shopping and walking around the streets with more goodie bags than their little hands can carry. I tried going into a toy shop on Saturday to have a "look around" and walked straight out. I didn't see much other than hasty people and tempted kids. Not for me. Thank you, but no thank you. I'll be doing all my shopping on line from the comfort of my couch and maybe taking a day off for the remaining bits & bobs. The pressies this year are also going to be simple and useful. I read this quote on Claudia's blog the other day which gave me food for thought: "A good friend told me that they just focus on four gifts for their children: something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read"... the best gift guide, don't you think?

I woke up on Sunday craving for a trip to a museum or an exhibition - something I use to do lots of in my pre-baby life. So we jumped in the car and drove off to the Latin quarter to visit the Grande Galerie de l'Évolution at Paris' Natural History Museum. The little man was euphoric. Animals + space to run + others kiddies = hours of fun! It was such a fascinating and timeless museum. A true getaway for the mind. We came back to the reality just long enough to cross the street (literally) before entering a whole new world as we stepped foot inside the restaurant of Paris' mosque. In a traditional North African decor, we had the most exquisite lunch which brought back fond memories my frequent travels to Morocco when I'd visit my parents were living in Tangier. On the menu: tagine for me, couscous for the Mr. and a bit of both for the little man; followed by mint tea and pastries, which we weren't able to finish so a little birdie came and helped us. How very nice of her.

Restaurant de la Mosquée de Paris
39, rue Geoffroy Saint Hilaire
75005 Paris

Muséum national de l'histoire naturelle
Grande galerie de l'évolution
Jardin des Plantes
36, rue Geoffroy Saint Hilaire
75005 Paris

Bread loaf.

2011-12-06T23:14:00.001+01:00

Lack of time and good will are keeping me from maintaining this space up to date like I would like to at the moment. Blame it on my end of year to do list which is never ending -- I always seem to adding items to it, never ticking anything off. Do you have that same problem? So while I'll be away this week fretting about various deadlines and running after time, I leave you with this hilarious bread loaf*. Smile!

* Mr. Franglais says you're going to think I'm weird for posting this picture, but I'm hoping some of you out there have the same sense of humour as me. I hate this webbie abbreviation, but I seriously lololed when I saw it!

{via Think Big Chief}

Yellow. Winter. Women. Work.

2011-11-29T23:49:00.012+01:00

Autumn 2011 has been unusually warm and dry on our side of the globe; like a treat to make up for the summer we never had. But with Xmas fast approaching, I'm (sort of, brrrr!) looking forward to colder days. Big woolly sweaters, hot baths, steaming cups of tea, and snuggles on the couch under a warm blanket. There's just something irresistibly charming about winter.

On a completely different note, I thought you might want to know -- since this blog's readership is mainly (if not solely) female -- about this special report on 'Women & Work' in The Economist of this week. The country comparisons are particularly interesting. So what do you say, shall we all pack our bags and move to Scandinavia?

M&S.

2011-11-24T23:06:00.000+01:00

At the risk of sounding totally materialistic: today, my life in Paris reached a whole new level of greatness.

Marks & Spencer
100 avenue des Champs Elysees (oui, oui!)
75008 Paris

{image from here. See some photos here and read the article here}

Normandy: Rouen.

2011-11-21T22:53:00.001+01:00

Our little family headed to Normandy this weekend to visit friends of ours living in Rouen. It was where Joan of Arc was burnt in 1431 and where Monet painted his famous series of Rouen’s Notre Dame cathedral (you can see these paintings at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris). Our friends live in a beautiful house outside of the city just minutes away from the forest and, to L.’s delight, within (toddler) walking distance from a farm. We spent two lazy days drinking delicious wine, eating too much cheese (two raclette meals in two days…*gulp*), going for walks, and catching up on sleep with afternoon naps. Another delightful mini-break* from Paris' hustle and bustle.

*Rouen is 1h10 train ride from Paris Saint-Lazare train station and 1h40 min drive on the motorway by car. Easy peezy!

Ps: thank you for all your kind comments on my previous post – I am glad to hear I am not boring you (I can totally bore myself sometimes, hence my asking!).

Promenades automnales.

2011-11-17T18:04:00.000+01:00

Some more photos from last weekend: A romantic stroll by Samoreau lake and a family walk in the Chateau de Fontainebleau gardens. I do apologize for boring you with so many photos of late, but I am uncontrollably clicking away. Blame the new lens and the fact that Mr. Franglais bought me an 16 GB SD card to go with it and there you it: photo frenzy! Hope you are all having a good week. It's another busy one around here so I'm signing off until Monday. Here's wishing you a relaxing weekend! Bye for now x

Bandit dolls.

2011-11-16T10:07:00.002+01:00

Loving these whimsical bandit dolls by The Black Apple. Perfect Xmas pressie for a little girl.

Ps: The Black Apple's illustrator, Emily Winfield Martin, is on the cover of next year's Frankie calendar.

{via with two cats}

Coup de coeur.

2011-11-15T08:02:00.000+01:00

My iPhone could really do with a little make over and this case by graphic designer Marco Cibola would fulfill that and more.

ps: this would also be a really nice Xmas gift for a girlfriend.

{via Baby Space}

Golden.

2011-11-14T18:04:00.000+01:00

Magical Fontainebleau forest. Don't you just love those colours? T'was a golden escape from the city.

ps: Fontainebleau is only 40 min from Paris by train and 1h by car making it a perfect weekend getaway.

Back home.

2011-11-13T23:58:00.003+01:00

After a delightful three-day weekend in the country. I'll miss walking around in wellies all day.

Good night! xx

Ps: they are not mine.

11.11.11.

2011-11-11T11:11:00.005+01:00

Our neighbour's cat this morning. Getting his daily dose of fresh air. Him and L. have awesome staring competitions.

Happy weekend!

2011-11-10T23:52:00.000+01:00

Pas de metro, ni de boulot. Tomorrow is a bank holiday in France so we are lucky to be having another long weekend. TGIF. It's been one of those weeks. Endless workload. Some arguments. Many tantrums. And a big health fright. I need to unwind. We're heading to Troyes tomorrow and then Fontainebleau for the rest of the weekend. I'm looking forward to the peace and quiet of the forest which is at its best this time of year. Hope you all have exciting plans for the weekend. A bientot!

Celebrations.

2011-11-08T21:32:00.002+01:00

Bonjouuuur! I hope you are all having a great start to the week after a lovely weekend. We celebrated my birthday – again – on Saturday and had such a fun evening by the Canal Saint Martin. It’s been so mild in Paris lately, my friends and I were lucky to be able to sit outside for a couple of hours sipping glasses of bubbly before heading to Hotel du Nord for a fantastic meal in a great 1930’s decor (I highly recommend this restaurant if you ever visit Paris). And just as I thought my birthday celebrations were over, my sweet colleagues sprang a surprise “joyeux anniversaire!” on me this morning and treated me to a gift voucher from Zara. Shopping spree it is for me this weekend :-) Birthdays, what delicious treats you bring! So far so good with this 'turning 30' lark, if you ask me.

ps: sorry for the lack of visits to your blogs lately. It's the same old story: so much to do, so little time. I hope to be back on track soon. In the meantime, thank you for always sticking around.

{images from Hotel du Nord, pterjan, and PhF1}

Merci.

2011-11-03T23:48:00.000+01:00

Some photos from the popular Parisian "charity shop" which I visited earlier this week. I have no idea how come it has took me so long to go to Merci but at least it was worth the wait. In fact, it was far better than I expected. I found lots of great ideas for Xmas pressies (gotta start thinking about it, right?!) and I was pleasantly surprised to see that the price tags were mostly reasonable. Granted you can't compare to these prices to charity shops in the UK, but given that most items are from renowned designers you can still somewhat shop guilt-free. I *only* walked out with some Japanese washi tape but I am already looking forward to going back and thrifting some unique designer items for our new home.

Read more about Merci's concept here.

three-oh, ho ho ho.

2011-10-31T23:46:00.002+01:00

It was my birthday last week. The big 3-0. Don't tell anyone, but so far it feels very much like being 29. Mr. Franglais and I both took the day off work for my birthday (I always do that; me no likey workey on my special day) and enjoyed a quiet afternoon being tourists in our own city. We walked, ate, walked some more, ate some more, and I spent all afternoon bearing a happy smile on my face as I snapped away on my brand spanking new lens (thx luv!). We celebrated my birthday a second time with my folks during the weekend and will do so a third time next Saturday with my friends. My birthday has been a welcomed little distraction from all the stresses of buying (at last though, yay!) a flat. So it's now official: I'm 30 and...broke, ha!

Pictures: jardins du Luxembourg, restaurant Alcatraz, Pont des Arts, cupcakes from Chloe's, parc Monceau.

Happy Halloween.

2011-10-31T22:54:00.002+01:00

Spiderbreadman - found at my local bakers for Halloween.

++++

2011-10-19T23:43:00.003+02:00

I'm taking a little bloggie break for the rest of this week to recharge my batteries. I'll see you on Monday bright & early avec le sourire. Till then, have a great week! xx

Giveaway winner.

2011-10-17T21:38:00.000+02:00

...Shannah from New City Arts - congratulations! Cass & I will be in touch with you pronto Shanna. Thank you everyone else for participating in my very first giveaway. It was fun! If you've missed out but are interested in buying one of these gorgeous prints, please visit Cassandra Allen's shop. And if you would like a variation of something that is already in the shop - a different colour text, adding the date of birth, or indeed no text at all - that is possible too. Just contact the lovely Cassandra and she will make the print your little heart desires!

Bises et bonne semaine a toutes
xx

Thief & Bandit...for kids!

2011-10-17T06:45:00.002+02:00

The amazing Thief & Bandit shop has just launched its children's line: Thief & Bandit Kids. I'm totally smitten with their Navajo-style leggings and headbands. All I need now is a baby girl to have an excuse to shop there (i'm not too big about that style for boys, but that's just me). They are offering a 30% discount this week so pop over to Etsy and take a look.

ps: the winner of the giveaway will be announced this afternoon... stay tuned!

{via Bluebird}

Have a sunny weekend!

2011-10-14T14:23:00.000+02:00

TGIF! It's been a long and exhausting week around here and I'm looking forward to catching up on a bit of sleep these next couple of days. Our friend's little boy who was born on 10.10.10 @ 10:10 a.m. (ok, 10:06 a.m. but let's pretend) turned one this week so tomorrow we are going to their place for a little fiesta. Some would laugh at throwing a birthday bash for a one-year-old but actually these are the kind of parties my body copes best with these days. I mean, where else can you 1) get a nice sugar rush from wolfing down so much cake and guzzling litres of soda, 2) socialise with fun people who are totally empathetic with your boring conversations about your not-sleeping-tantrumy-pen-eating-kid, and 3) (this is the best part) wake up on Sunday morning without a hangover? Babies' birthday parties are totally underrated if you ask me.

Wishing you all a sunny weekend! Next week I will be sharing (boring you with?!) my photos of Greece, at last. Yay.

Pssst! last chance to enter the giveaway - don't miss out!

A tea towel.

2011-10-13T16:43:00.000+02:00

This pretty tea towel was waiting for me in the mail box this morning when I woke up. After one lost parcel, I'm glad this one managed to travel safely all the way from Texas to Paris. There's only one problem with this tea towel though. It's so darn pretty I feel like hanging it on my wall rather than wiping my dishes with it!

Here's Leah Duncan's website, blog, and shop. I could literally buy everything single item she's selling...!

ps: don't forget the *giveaway* folks!

wowsers, 200 followers and a giveaway!

2011-10-11T08:30:00.004+02:00

Last week my little blog made it to 200 followers! Thank you wonderful peeps for visiting this space, for sharing your stories with me via your comments, and for showing me so much bloggie love! The thought that anyone else other than my family and friends would ever have any interest in what I write is truly flattering.

To celebrate your loveliness, here's a special something just for you. Cassandra Allen, an Australian born artist specialising in children's books and illustrations, is generously offering one Smallesthings reader the chance to win a print from her shop! That's right, you get to pick whatever one print you prefer from her entire shop - lucky you. And if don't have kids, don't forget this would make the perfect gift (for your nieces, nephews, godchildren, best friend's baby shower, etc.!).

✭✭✭For a chance to win this awesome giveaway, please visit Cassandra's shop and leave a comment below before Sunday telling us your favourite print. The winner will be announced next week.✭✭✭

Good luck everyone. And if you'd like to say 'hello' to the talented artist or follow her Swiss adventures (Cassandra is also a cooking/knitting/crochet/DIY queen + a busy mum!), it's this way to her blog.

Twenty.

2011-10-10T12:58:00.003+02:00

My little boy is 20 months old since yesterday and continues to amaze me with his expanding vocabulary. He's become excellent at boosting my ego, exclaiming candids "Hmmm, c'est booooon!" at every homecooked meal and "Ooooh, c'est pretty!" whenever I make or draw something for him. The other day I also accidentally bumped into him and my "Sorry darling" was followed by the sweetest "Sorry mummy". The cuteness kills me, I tell ya. The boy is still over the moon crazy about music, begging for "more, more, [squeal] moooooore!" as soon as a song finishes and his manic obsession for pens is also still well in place. He finds immense pleasure in counting e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. he sees or collects ("three, four, five, six, eight, ten!") and he has started naming the colours as well (though so far his world seems dominantly red). I'm so proud this little fella. Less so maybe when he drops heavy toys on my toes and bursts out laughing while I am in utter agony. Or when he draws and throws food on our white walls and then goes "oh dear" not meaning a word of what he just said. Toddlers - ever so challenging and charming at the same time. Happy 20th month birthday to my cheeky boy!

ps: be sure to check back here tomorrow for the petite surprise. You wouldn't want to miss out.

{images above taken at 19th month old}

Autumn food.

2011-10-08T23:44:00.005+02:00

We had a scrumptious autumnal meal tonight after an exhausting day of flat hunting:

1. artichoke dipped in vinaigrette sauce
2. butternut & sweet potato soup with avocado on toast
3. apple crumble
4. tea & biscuits (my weakness before bedtime!)

Thank you Em, Kellie and Cass for the recipe ideas. You can read more after the jump.

ps: Smallesthings reached 200 followers this week... and there's a little surprise in store to celebrate!

pps: trying to learn Photoshop and this is my first collage attempt... it only took me two hours to do (patience is a virtue, n'est-ce pas?).

1. Artichoke and vinaigrette sauce
- boil artichoke until soft (approx. 20-25min on medium heat)
- vinaigrette: 3 tbsp olive oil, salt, 1 tbsp vinegar, 1 tsp mustard. In a bowl, mix mustard and salt first, add the olive oil little by little until it blends with the mustard, then add the vinegar.
To eat, simply peel off the artichoke leaves and dip the tip (the side with the flesh of course) in the vinaigrette sauce.

2. Butternut & sweet potato soup, with avocado on toast
- see recipe here. I used one garlic clove instead of three, added a sweet potato to the recipe and replaced the ground coriander with fresh coriander leaves. I also did not add the dried chili flakes because I wanted our little man to be able to eat the soup without burning his tongue so instead I added a few drops of tabasco directly in our bowls before serving.
- avocado on toast: I toasted a couple of slices of baguette and crushed a ripe avocado with pepper and olive oil seasoning.

3. Apple crumble
- peel and chop 6 apples and place in a dish that goes into the oven
- mix with fingertips 100g sugar, 100g butter and 200g flour
- pour the mix over the apples and cook in the over on 180 degrees celsius for 20-25 min

4. Biscuits au beurre
- see recipe here. I added some cinnamon to my batch of bickies.

Bon appétit!

{images from here, here, here, here, here and here}

Things organised neatly.

2011-10-06T23:59:00.000+02:00

I could spend hours browsing Austin Radcliffe's tumblr. Go check it out. It's a feast for the eyes.

{image via Things organised neatly: here, here and here}

Wellies.

2011-10-05T23:54:00.005+02:00

Now that autumn has officially settled in - after two (hot, hot, hot!) Indian summer weeks - it's time to prepare for the long, cold, wet winter months. And as I picture the rain in my head, I can't help but think of wellies. I've secretly been wanting a pair of Hunter boots for a while but as they are quite pricey, I've been holding off any kind of compulsive purchase. Only in a few weeks, I'll be saying 'adios' to my twenties and I'm thinking that these would be a nice birthday present 'from me to me' to mark the occasion. What do you think: are they worth the extra money? I love the fact that they are elegant and that I could wear them around Paris without feeling like a frumpy mummy.

ps: a fun wellies photo found via Pinterest :)

{images via Atlantic-Pacific and Marion WD}

Incroyable, mais vrai.

2011-10-03T23:22:00.001+02:00

Yippee, I won the Seventy Tree giveaway from my bloggie friend Diana over at exPress-o! I'm a big lover of Kerry's art work so I couldn't be happier to know that two of her prints will shortly be on their way to Paris. Lucky gal I am (especially after having already won this fabulous giveaway not so long ago) and what a good start to the week! :)

Hope you all had a great weekend!

{image ©Kerry Layton}

Children's capicity for learning.

2011-09-29T20:35:00.001+02:00

Just popping by to share this engaging video on children's learning capacities that I spotted over on Claudia's blog. Sponges these little kindlywinks are, sponges!

i-Wood.

2011-09-28T23:38:00.000+02:00

This wooden laptop for kids is genius. At home, I can never really be on the computer when L. is around because he'll often do something like this fdhjsgkaslgfhrjgkfdgjdghfjdgkrgirialghrjavnfj or better yet, he'll hit the delete button and wipe out emails I didn't even get a chance to send. Yep, bright screens + keyboards = two things a toddler finds hard to resist. And although at his age I am not 100% convinced an i-wood would distract my son from hovering over me when I have the computer on, I do think the concept is a good one. Kids learn by watching us and love repeating what we do. Granted, I am not currently writing this post with a white chalk but if I were a kid I would surely have the imagination to think that it were possible. Especially with a magic chalk. With the i-wood you could almost say "computer time!", guilt free for while you'd be creating emails/blog posts/younameit, your kiddos would be creating their own imaginary stories through drawing.

{via Swiss miss}

The short life of a cupcake.

2011-09-25T23:17:00.060+02:00

It's been a fairly quiet but enjoyable weekend around here. Saturday morning we visited another potential flat to buy but sadly it was yet another disappointment. We have visited over 20 flats in the past four months, but we still have hope to find the perfect home before the end of the year (it's important to dream).

Today, I spent quite some time in the kitchen baking for our little afternoon outing and as it turned out, my purple cupcakes were simply not meant to be. First we ended up catching the wrong bus and not going to the park we had in mind. Then, just as we sat down to experience an intense sugar rush, L. tripped on the picnic blanket and landed hands first in the freshly baked goodies. And finally - as if that wasn't enough - some kid accidentally kicked his football my way and knocked the glass of hot tea I was holding, all over the squashed cupcakes. Et oui, c'est la vie!

Bye, bye summer.

2011-09-23T23:37:00.007+02:00

And hello autumn. I hardly had time to blink and here you are. Again. Already. I'm never really happy to see you because your arrival means that with the cold winter months are just around the corner. And winters in the north of France are long. Very long. This will be my seventh one and regardless, the damp and cold still get into my bones. But there's a bright side to you, autumn: Indian summers! And it appears that one is just on its way, especially for the weekend. So thank you for being sympathetic and holding off a little while longer on those crisp days and chilly nights. For after two weeks in Greece*, it will be nice to feel the hot sun on my skin again and pretend like summer is not over. At least for now.

Bon weekend!

* photos coming next week.

Nursery inspiration.

2011-09-19T23:38:00.007+02:00

Thank you for the warm welcome back. You are too nice.

Our first day at work was not that bad after all. L. apparently didn't even shed a tear this morning and when I picked him up earlier, he ran towards me, threw his arms open and yelled "mummyyyyyyyyy!" followed by the sweetest I love you. Such a darling. I almost cried again! ;)

As I am still in the process of sorting through all the photos of our dreamy vacation, in the meantime I thought I'd leave you with the most mind blowing nursery I have ever seen. The lucky owner of this gorgeous room is 8 months old Eulalie though really, almost-30-year-old-me would be more than happy to sleep in a bedroom like this one. I think what I love most is how Claire and Paddy have avoided the classic nursery look and instead created a space which is so much more unique for their little girl. You can visit Claire's blog for the complete tour, but beware: One Claire Day is such a delightful place to hang out, you won't want to leave.

{all photos ©One Claire Day}

Bonne rentrée to us.

2011-09-18T23:54:00.000+02:00

Hello, it's been a while. Nice to see you again. Our Greek adventures ended this weekend and (sadly) we return to work tomorrow after three blissful weeks away. It is always peculiar to come back from holidays: it feels like you have been gone for ages, yet at the same time you get back into your pre-holiday routine so quickly it also feels like you never left, and that it was all just a dream.

After spending 21 days 24/7 together, the separation tomorrow morning is going to be rough. I (have already) cried my eyeballs out this evening after putting my little boy to bed because I cannot bear the thought that I will only see him until after I get home from work tomorrow night. It also breaks my heart to picture him going back to our child minder's teeny weeny flat after two months of exciting outdoor (wild)life. But as Mr. Franglais has had to remind me in my mini post-holiday depression, it is thanks to our days spent sitting behind our office desks that we were able to have this magical time in Greece so yes, I'm looking forward to working my arse off until however long it takes to save up for our next getaway as I'm already missing my boys, the beach, the sea, the sunsets and 30 degree temperatures way too badly.

More on our Greek holiday next week. I have like, a zillion photos to bore your with so stay tuned.

Bonne semaine!

Freedom!

2011-08-26T23:58:00.003+02:00

I'm free at last. And for three weeks. First good thing I am going to do on my holiday: sleep, sleep, and sleep! I can't tell you how good it feels to know that nothing (hello alarm clock) and no one (hello baby) will wake me tomorrow morning. Yes, as a working mum you get pathetically excited by these kind of things. Bon weekend tout le monde!

{image via La Maison Boheme}

Red wedding dress.

2011-08-24T23:46:00.001+02:00

I stumbled upon this incredible English country tea party wedding last week and was gobsmacked to see I knew the bride (we used to be a co-workers). But I was even more gobsmacked to see Marie-Claire wore a red wedding dress. Yes, red! And she looked simply amazing. Take a peep at the rest of her dreamy wedding day over at Annamarie's blog, the talented lady who took these stunning photos.

{photos ©Annamarie Stepney Photography / via Rock n' Roll Bride}

Skies #2.

2011-08-23T23:23:00.003+02:00

Plane was cancelled last night. Drove 40min to the airport and back to drop off my boys and had to head back out there again the minute I arrived home. Good old Easy Jet. We ended up going to bed so late, it was a struggle to keep my eyes open at work all day today. So much to do and so little time. L. and the mister managed to catch a new flight today and now won't be back until very late Saturday night. The flat already feels so empty without them but I am also secretly enjoying the peace and quiet.

I found this hot air balloon photo on Pinterest, my latest addiction. Do you know it? Best to stay away if you don't or you'll be wasting hours pinning away like I did this evening. But oh how seeing this photo reminded me of how much I would like to visit beautiful Turkey again and especially Cappadocia which looks like a world out of dreamland... What is your travel fantasy?

Skies.

2011-08-22T13:58:00.025+02:00

Lots of time spent at Paris Plage this weekend. But the newish version, on the canal de l'Ourq. So much nicer and more relaxed than the quai de Seine. We ate ice cream, built (and immediately destroyed) lots of sand castles, played in the water and people watched. Sunday afternoon was so hot, we improvised a little swimming pool on the balcony so that one lucky person could cool off. It was great to have a taste of summer after endless days of grey skies.

Tonight my boys are off to Liverpool to visit the family until Friday. First time L. is going to take a plane and I won't be there. Though it's probably best as I'd stress them out with my irrational plane phobias. Lots to wrap up at work this week while they are away and I've some reading to do in preparation for our trip to Greece (it actually works. I read it before every flight).

Paris - Normandie - Paris.

2011-08-16T21:44:00.002+02:00

Hello. Back to work today after another long bank holiday weekend (for a secular State, we do get a lot of days off thanks to little baby Jesus. I’m not complaining but it is ironic). It was a bit of an odd weekend. Lots of emotional ups and downs. The ups were spent with my little fella à la campagne and with my big fella en tête à tête in the city. The downs, well... I spare you those. Only ten days to go until I’m officially on holiday, but who’s counting?

City photos taken at Paris Plage.

18 mois.

2011-08-09T23:54:00.017+02:00

Eighteen months old. Not so much of a baby anymore this little boy of mine. I know I say this all too often but it is hard to believe how quickly time whisks by when you have a child. To think L. now plays jokes on us, eats by himself, talks, laughs and gets up to no good... we've come such a long way since this. Each day I watch him learn and each day I smile as he proudly shows off his new tricks. This little boy brings so much happiness into our lives that life without him would be so dull in comparison. He's our daily dose sunshine and I am endlessly amazed by how much love is in our life now that he's a part of it. Happy half birthday little boy!

1 mois - 2 mois - 3 mois - 4 mois - 5 mois - 6 mois - 7 mois - 8 mois - 9 mois - 10 mois - 11 mois - 12 mois - 13 mois

Bonjour lundi!

2011-08-08T11:24:00.002+02:00

Three spectacular videos to ease this painful Monday morning. Enjoy!

Move, Learn, Eat by Rick Mereki.

{via Eye See}

Have a delightful weekend!

2011-08-05T18:16:00.004+02:00

Our trio reunites again, after a (long) week apart. Have a good one peeps and see you on Monday!

A sewing shop (in Barcelona).

2011-08-05T12:23:00.001+02:00

As my urges for being crafty incessantly increase, I have been looking for somewhere in Paris where I could learn how to sew, knit and crochet. I have stumbled upon a couple of places but nothing like this shop in Barcelona. Founded by three mothers from Spain, Argentina and Japan, Costura is a place to learn how to sew. You can rent professional sewing machines, buy DIY kits, or attend workshops where the staff will teach you how to use patterns for making clothes for your kids (2-7 years). Costura also offers unique fabric and craft supplies from around the world. And if you don't have time to do the sewing yourself, you can choose any pattern, fabric and accessory and they'll make it for you. How amazing is that? Maybe I should start thinking of opening a similar place in Paris!

Costura
4, Doutor Dou street
08001 Barcelona
Spain
http://www.costuratienda.com/

{via Bloesem Kids}

Oh, sailor!

2011-08-04T14:53:00.001+02:00

A salute to stripes.

Image sources: 1. YannPendaries; 2. FollowMeMoon; 3. Ribandhull; 4. Tialys; 5. Alicja Vintage; 7. sorry, can't remember the shop! 8. Contemori; 9. Brown Paper Packages

Weekending - in the city.

2011-08-03T23:50:00.002+02:00

After a glorious weekend (someone up there must have heard my whining on Friday), it's gone cold and rainy on us again. So much for enjoying all the great summer activities in Paris whilst we are childless. Speaking of which, August is quite something around here. No matter how many years I live in Paris, I am still struck by how life comes to a sudden halt as of August 1st. The streets are empty, shops are mostly closed but, parking is free (true luxury!). Little L.'s childminder has taken the entire month off work so he'll be spending the next few weeks with his grandparents. I miss him so much already, it'll be hard not to be in a totally ecstatic mode when he comes home in two weeks. In the meantime, we at least get to be with him at the weekends in order to avoid an acute baby L withdrawal syndrome!

Here are some photos from Paris which I've been meaning to share for quite some time.

Knitted delights.

2011-07-30T10:36:00.019+02:00

A couple of months ago, I was the lucky winner of Nell's first giveway. And how exciting to win my first ever giveaway prize from one of my favourite persons in blogland? I couldn't believe it when I saw my name up there on Nell's sweet blog. One lost package and a first trimester later (the talented lady knitter is expecting her first bubba for 2012!), Mr. Postman delivered the knitted delights at our door yesterday and we adore them! Thank you so much Nell belle :-)

Be sure to visit Nell's Happy Circus shop for more hand knitted treats.

Siberian summer in Paris.

2011-07-29T20:39:00.000+02:00

I am not happy. We are three days away from August and the weather is still cold and grim in Paris. I don't think that summer should be allowed to come and go as it feels. I get it - we are 'paying' for having had such great months of April and May. But that's enough now. We are the end of July and I expect it to be sunny. I am tired of wearing socks, trousers, jackets and scarves, and that the main topic of conversation amongst people is the weather. Damn you people who were smart to take your holidays in July. We've still got a whole month to wait to go anywhere... but then we're off to Greece. Ha, I can't wait. In fact, we'll be booking our hotels&co this weekend so if you have any recommendations, drop me a line. I'd love to hear!

Bon weekend peeps!

Weekending - in the country

2011-07-24T17:46:00.005+02:00

Some photos from past weekends when it was still summer around here.

Bon dimanche!

Paris vs London.

2011-07-20T16:40:00.000+02:00

Two friends, Xanthe who lives in London and Irene who lives in Paris, have recently started a photographic treasure hunt to share the beauty of day to day life in both cities. For obvious reasons, the Franglaise I am is totally smitten with this new blog!

Ps: it reminds me of Paris vs. New York series from last year. Remember?

{via exPressso / images London vs Paris}

Thank you Mr. Postman.

2011-07-19T23:34:00.002+02:00

---------------

Our postman has been good to us this month: (1) Shinzi Katoh lunch box and a trekking bottle bought from The Little Happy Shop; (2) Hana Blomst Elephant plate; (3) Smiling Planet Circle of Life plate; and (4) Bobo Choses bloomers (which Mr. Franglais says I'm cruel for making L. wear! Luckily, I'm not alone in this case).

Good night everyone. See you tomorrow for our long weekend recap!

xx

Cocktails + Barcelona

2011-07-11T23:57:00.000+02:00

Howdy friends, what a weekend. Little L. was sick yet again (that's three times in two weeks) and this time he threw up, not at home but in the middle of the supermarket and all over his dear mama. I had his lunch all down my jeans and inside my top, it was delightful. A very lonely motherhood moment. Luckily, we were in the middle of the clothes and baby section so mister Franglais was able to quickly grab some clean outfits for both me and L. The poor cherubs then spent the rest of the weekend with a soaring fever and no appetite, and as soon as he started to feel better it was Mr. Franglais' turn to get ill. Needless to say, it was not a great two days for any of us.

That said, I personally did have fun on at least two nights out of three. Friday, a friend of mine took me to a fun bar called the Experimental Cocktail Club in quartier Montorgueil. It was more hip than I expected, but the staff was extremely friendly and the international crowd brought to the place a more relaxed atmosphere. The bar had old fashioned wood beams on the ceiling, cosy dimmed lights and comfy chesterfield couches to lounge on. And of course, as the name suggests we spent the evening sipping delicious cocktails.

Yesterday, I went with the same friend to La Cite de la Musique to see Swedish band I'm From Barcelona and wow, what an entertaining concert! I hesitated for so long before buying the tickets because I didn't know the band too well but I'm glad I went ahead and spent the money because it was such a treat. It felt like we were at someone's party rather than a concert, and everyone - with no exception - was participating in the fun. Their songs are irresistibly catchy and their energy totally contagious (there were 17 of them on stage!) - it was refreshing to see a band have such a good time and simply play music for the sake of loving music. I came home with a big smile on my face, humming light but bubbly melodies and feeling happy that I treated myself to a such sunny concert.

Experimental Cocktail Club
37 rue Saint-Sauveur
75002 Paris

Cite de la Musique
221 avenue Jean Jaures
75019 Paris

Toy Baskets.

2011-07-06T17:19:00.002+02:00

This past weekend, we got rid of L's playpen from our living room. It had been very handy, but since we live in a flat and are always craving for more space, it was time the playpen went (instead, we have made L.'s room completely secure and put up a kiddie gate at the door*). As it was full of toys, I've transfered everything into a bag for now but I like the idea of these colourful toy baskets to keep the living room neat & tidy. They are handwoven shopping baskets from Ghana which you can buy from here (UK) or here (US). What do you think?

* in case you're wondering, we don't have a habit of 'locking' our little boy in his room but we did need a secure place for him in the morning when we are alone and need to get ready for work. How do you manage with your babies/toddlers when you are alone and need to shower, cook or clean up? I usually let L. follow me everywhere except in the kitchen when I'm cooking (too risky!) and in the bathroom when I'm showering (he plays peek-a-boo with the curtain and tries to climb in!).

{via Little Lottie Loves / photos ©The New Domestic}

Hello, July.

2011-07-03T18:14:00.002+02:00

Is that really you? I can't believe that half a year has come and gone already. Where's the pause button? Speaking of time flying, on Saturday I went to the hairdresser for the first time in eight months. Eight months! I think that's my all time record. My hair was looking pretty shabby to say the least but funny enough I got used to my crazy-long-root-showing hair and do not like my new look. I asked for a good trim and instead got half of it chopped off so I'm not too happy. Now I'll probably have to wait another eight months for it to grow back, ha. Tonight I am off to see one of my favourite artists play at the Salle Pleyel, a venue traditionally devoted to classical music concerts so should be extra special... that's if, she actually shows up and doesn't cut short her performance like she's known to have done in the past. Fingers crossed! Hope you are all having a great weekend wherever you are. xx

{image via Natzfirefly}

Happy first day of summer!

2011-06-21T10:53:00.003+02:00

Time to rock those shades, folks!

ps: I've been encountering some technical issues to comments on certain blogs, so if you haven't heard from me in a while, that's why. I hope Blogger will get this fixed very soon! xx

Anish Kapoor in Paris.

2011-06-20T23:54:00.005+02:00

After months of sunshine, the weather has not been great here lately so we’ve been sending a lot more time indoors. On Saturday, L & I were supposed to go watch Mr. Franglais play in a music festival in Sèvres but the minute we walked out the door, it started pouring buckets of rain – huh. So it was indoor fun for us again. We did manage to go out on Sunday and in fact the highlight of our day was yet another indoor activity: Monumenta. Have you heard of it? Each year the French Ministry of Culture, invites an internationally-renowned artist to create an artwork especially for Paris' Nave of the Grand Palais. This year Anish Kapoor was invited to challenge the 13 500 m2 of the Nave, thirty years after his very first first exhibition in Paris. As you can see from the photos, Leviathan is a giant PVC sculpture and seems like an object straight out of a sci-fi movie. The monumental size of the artwork was captivating. So much so, we actually spent a long time walking around it before deciding the go inside. Whilst we queued to enter the artwork, I found it fascinating to watch every other visitor be so completely immersed in this contemplative experience. We all stood there in absolute awe in front of this gigantic "baball", as L. called it. Once we were inside, a whole new experience began. It was all red, warm and peaceful. It felt like being inside a human body (some say the womb; I felt like it was a pair of lungs). It was truly incredible. Luckily for us, our little fella also had lots of fun: running around with the other kiddies when we were outside the scuplture and surprisingly when we were inside, he became all calm and cuddly, almost falling asleep (did it remind him of the womb then?!). If I had time, I would go back in a heartbeat and relive the experience again. Should you happen to be reading this and are in Paris this week, go to this exhibition - you will not regret it. We saw another Kapoor exhibit in London back in October 2009 which was also enthralling but with Leviathan, the British artist takes us to a whole new level of grandeur.

ps: and I'd like to smack myself for forgetting my camera. What a silly girl. Here's what it really looked like (all photos are © designboom)

And more photos here if you are interested.

Monumenta
Nef du Grand Palais
Avenue Winston Churchill
75008 Paris

From 11 May to 23 June 2011, 10:00 - 00:00
Admission price is EUR 5, with concessions EUR 2.50.

Bilinguism.

2011-06-16T23:47:00.004+02:00

I adored your reactions to my first "I love you" from little big L. It truly was one of the most magical moments in my short life as a mum. In fact, this whole new talking phase is ridiculously cute. Our little fella's vocabulary is getting richer by the day, I feel like I'll barely have time to blink before he starts chatting away with us. To be honest, I had no idea that he'd be talking and understanding so soon. I thought it was something kiddies did when they were much older. I remember realising how much he actually understood when a few months ago I asked him if he wanted to read the Hungry Caterpillar and he went to his bookshelf and picked the right book. I don't know about you, but there are actually heaps of things I had no idea about when it comes to babies and which I am learning about along the way. I find it great to discover these new steps as we go along rather than read about them in advance and then be worried that L. is has not reached this or that milestone "on time".

What I am most fascinated about at the moment is to watch his little bilingual brain develop. For now, he speaks a mix of English and French, using whatever word is the easiest to pronounce in either language. He'll say "apple", "ball", "cheese", "oh dear" but "tiens" [here you go], "ca" [this/that], "c'est quoi?" [what's that]; and sometimes he'll speak franglais like when we says doudou (a mix between dog and toutou). He can distinguish the difference between both languages but is still unsure which one to actually speak. The other day when we were walking in the forest he was calling for me in French and since we speak English at home, we explained to him that I am "mummy, not maman" and he got really affirmative, repeating " noooon, maman!". It was so cute.

We would really like for L. to be bilingual like us. So many people around us tell us different stories about the best way around it, but it is seems impossible to really know what the best approach is. For now, we both speak English to him and he learns French with the childminder. The only thing we are trying to change is to switch from French to English between Mr. Franglais and me. We feel that L. might otherwise be confused as to why we speak to him in English, and French to each other. It has been really hard to for us switch but little by little we are managing.

Do you have bilingual kids or are you bilingual yourself? I'd be very interested to hear about your personal experiences.

{photo by akynou, taken at the Wall of I love you's near the Place des Abbesses, Paris 18th}

Dolce fare niente.

2011-06-13T23:08:00.002+02:00

We are back from our holiday which went by in a flash! Our first few days off we spent them hanging out in Paris and last week we visited my parents in La Turbie, a small town located just minutes from Monaco. I was born in that mini country and lived there until the age of 12 so it was very special to go with L. for the first time and relive some of my childhood memories. Since the weather wasn't all that great and our little fella got very sick, we ended up spending a lot of time 'at home' -- though it was completely different from our home time spent in Paris because we had what we usually crave for the most as city folks: s.p.a.c.e! A house, a garden and a pool - what more could we ask for? That's right, scrumptious food I hear you say. Well Italy being less 20km away, we went crazy food shopping in Ventimiglia when we arrived and happily spent the week eating fresh pasta, juicy tomatoes, and 'real' mozzarela di buffala which we drowned in sunny olive oil. Hmm, time for a diet now.

Mini polaroid magnets.

2011-06-09T10:52:00.022+02:00

Ever since getting an iPhone I have become a little obsessed with photo apps: Instragram, Camera Bag, Hipstamatic, Polarock - you name it, I have downloaded them all. And though they are great for web purposes, printing a shot taken with the iPhone is mostly disappointing because of the low resolution. So how to best make use of all these photos sitting on your hard drive? Well, here's an idea: make tiny polaroid magnets out of them! Jennifer Kirk came up with this great tutorial which I'll be following as soon as I get back to Paris in an attempt to revamp our fridge.

ps: and how about printing your Instagram shots on mini tiles?

{via Design Mom / photos Ambrosia Girl}

Enfin les vacances.

2011-06-08T20:06:00.160+02:00

Bonjour friends, how is your week going so far? We are on a family holiday in the south of France this week which has so far been very relaxing, despite the gloomy weather. How ironic that we've had two months of non-stop sunshine and that the one week we are off work it's been raining cats and dogs?! Tomorrow though is meant to be sunny so we are planning on having some pool fun in the morning before heading off the beach in the afternoon. It'll be exciting to watch L. to discover water other than in his bath.

As I logged in to my account this afternoon while it was raining, I briefly saw some interesting posts in my blogroll which I look forward to read later tonight. I have some serious catching up to do in terms of blogging. In fact, I wanted to thank you for all the sweet comments you have been leaving me these past few months. Since I started my new job in January, I feel have been receiving far more than I have been giving on the little space, and it often makes me wonder how come I still have any readers at all. I feel guilty for not always taking the time to reply to each comment and e-mail, but despite my lack of response I can assure you they do mean a lot to me - way more than I could ever express so thanks for sticking around!

Turn your magazines into a stool.

2011-05-31T22:52:00.010+02:00

What a good looking way of recycling old magazines. Designed by Njustudio.

{via Think Big Chief}

Tuesday Tune: Fleet Foxes

2011-05-31T13:53:00.011+02:00

I’m still on a high from the concert I went to last night – it was amazing. I think I even let out a squeal of excitement when my friend e-mailed at 5pm to say he had a spare ticket for Fleet Foxes. I do miss those spontaneous moments, so it’s nice when they magically appear again. Two hours later, instead of spending a dull evening alone at work whislt the mister was at another concert, there I was at the Bataclan sipping beer and listening to great music. Here’s a video of Fleet Foxes playing live at a venue a tad bigger than the one where I saw them last night. Bonne écoute people!

Je t’aime maman.

2011-05-30T23:48:00.020+02:00

Hello! How was your weekend my dears? We went down to Fontainebleau this weekend to leave our little fella with his grandparents. His childminder is on holiday this week so they will be looking after him until Wednesday evening (Thursday is a bank holiday and we are ponting). At lunch time today, my father-in-law rang me for a quick chat because apparently L. kept calling out for me and as soon as he put him on the phone, the first thing he said was “t’aime maman”. I was gobsmacked! He repeated it about four or five times so it wasn’t an imaginary I love you. He really meant it. My heart totally melted and I almost shed a tear it was so cute. How much more magical can these moments get? Life really is so much sweeter since this little cherrubs became a part of our lives. And I am one lucky lady to have not only one, but two cute boys in my life.

Happy (French) Mother's Day.

2011-05-29T23:47:00.008+02:00

Happy Mother's Day to my mum and all French living mamas out there! I received my very first mother's day gift made by my darling boy (with a little help from his sweet and thoughtful nourrice). Isn't it cute?! :) Hoping you all had a happy Sunday. xx

Midnight in Paris.

2011-05-25T23:34:00.001+02:00

Did you know? Over here, Woddy Allen's new movie is out in cinemas: a romantic comedy set in Paris! I already have too much on this week to have time to go to the movies but I will be shooting over there first thing Monday evening to check it out.

And speaking of Paris, you may have noticed that I created a new category on my blog a couple of months back called "Paris city guide". It is pretty scarce at the moment but I will, in the near future, start posting more about some my favourite spots in town*. I enjoy so much receiving e-mails from readers asking for recommendations on things to do in Paris but I am mostly crap at replying. I was bad enough as it was before, but motherhood has permanemtly damaged any sense of time I had left. As my friends and family know by now, if I don't reply to e-mails immediately then you'll probably never hear back from me (I might be exagerrating a little when I say "never" but you get my point). That's my reality at the moment: running after time, counting every minute, trying endlessly to find my wonder woman outfit. So to avoid my silence "sounding" rude, I thought you'd be happy to find some Parisian treasure on my blog instead. And of course, it goes without saying that I'd love to hear some of the places you've visited in Paris and which you would like to recommend to me!

*note that my days as a party animal are over, so if you are looking to find out more about the Parisian night life, you will be disappointed. These days, I'm more interested in finding secret cafés and yummy restaurants than the latest trendy bar & club. Times have changed!

Four seasons.

2011-05-19T22:36:00.001+02:00

Hello friends, just popping by to share with you these graceful illustrations by Japanese artist, Natsko Seti. Four paintings, four seasons. Beautiful.

{via à petit bruit}

Belated weekend round up.

2011-05-09T23:12:00.010+02:00

Hello friends, how was your weekend? I'm a bit late in asking, aren't I?! Well, ours was amazing if you'd care to know. We spent two days en tete a tete, living the carefree life again. We had lazy mornings in bed, went to restaurants, cafes, strolled hand in hand, reminisced about our days in Paris as a child free couple and laughed as we remembered the amount of spare time we had on our hands back then. Those were fun times, and I am glad we both keep the fondest memories of life our BC*. Speaking of which, our little man also enjoy his couple of days without us -- running around naked in his grandparents' garden, picking flowers all day and paddling in his wee pool. That's the life! When we went and got him up on Sunday he didn't even really care whether we were there or not. Too right: for a little city boy like him, exploring life a la campagne is way more interesting than kissing & cuddling his parents!

* before child

Oh, and something else happened over the weekend but that'll be for another post so you'll have to stay tuned!

Brahms' lullaby.

2011-05-05T23:06:00.001+02:00

A little parcel was waiting for me in the mailbox tonight when I arrived home. It was the musical owl I ordered for L. last week from the lovely mimishop. There's a little story behind ordering this owl. You see, I had a musical peek-a-boo bunny that played Brahms' lullaby when I was a baby and the funny coincidence is that Mr. Franglais had exactly the same one. We realised this because the other coincidence is that, amongst all the things our mums could have kept from when we were little, they both hung on to these musical bunnies. So whenever L. visits his grandparents, he is rocked to sleep by the same sweet bunny that played our childhood lullaby. The melody is so enchanting, L. loves it - and so do we! Which is why I couldn't resist buying this cute Brahms' lullaby owl on Etsy the other day. And as you can see in the photo, Mr. Owl has already found a special place in L.'s room.

Sweet dreams everyone xx

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

2011-04-29T23:16:00.005+02:00

Hello! I'm back again. What have I missed this week? Not too much I hope. Can you believe tomorrow is Friday already? I'm a little confused with the days this week as we had Easter Monday off. Three-day weekends should be the norm', don't you think? I took a day off work the week before as well so that's two long weekends in a row for me. It's been great to have a bit of extra time to relax and spend en famille. After almost a year back at work from my maternity leave, I still find it so hard to see my little boy only a couple of hours a day. But, in just five weeks we'll be on holiday all together, which seems like an eternity right now but close enough to start counting down the days. And while we impatiently await the dolce vita on the Côte d'Azur in June, we've been lucky to enjoy amazing summer-like weather in Paris these past weeks. I love going to markets this time of year as there is such a large choice of fruit and veggies and it's a great way to teach the colours to little L.! I've also been on the look out for some plants to brighten up our balcony because it is looking pretty bare at the moment. My favourite summer herbs are already planted though: basil, mint, and coriander... hmmm, those smells, that taste are heavenly! Like most Parisians, we've been having a lot of outdoor fun thanks to this gorgeous weather. In fact, we've been spending quite a few Saturdays outside of Paris as we are becoming less and less tolerant to the city crowds and fumes. We have never gone far - places like the Bois de Vincennes, Bois de Boulogne, Bois d'Arcy - but it makes such a huge difference. Especially for our little monkey who just never gets tired of living the adventurous life of an explorer. It is fascinating to watch him observe the world so keenly.

{Veggie photos inspired by my friend Alienorbd}

Oh dear.

2011-04-18T23:57:00.002+02:00

Hello, and thank you for the walm welcome back! Though far sooner than expected, I am going to have another blog break. Yep, I know. But our computer is kaput.

Fatalistically, I suppose it's the logical continuation of our jinxed life at the moment. While I was away this past month, we experienced quite a few - mainly financial - hiccups: my scooter broke down and I was told it would cost €900 to fix (*gulp!*), then I was told it was anyway only worth €100 (*gulp, gulp!*), then our car got towed and we had to pay €180 to get it back, then I lost a €70 cheque (yes, we still use those in France!), and low and behold yesterday our laptop screen broke (true story is, I left it on the floor by our bed by mistake and Mr Franglais stepped on it in the middle of the night). So thanks to me, we are now computerless.

Anyway, the sad thing is we have decided to cancel our mini getaway to Amsterdam this weekend. Luckily, our train tickets are reimbursable and I am hoping I can still cancel our hotel which was going to cost an arm and a leg given it was Easter weekend. Instead we will be heading to the IT shops and spend our money on a new computer. So Amsterdam, I will see you some other time. I didn't manage in 2010, nor this year... third time lucky?

ps: this is why I want to go to Holland in spring. It looks magical.

{photo - unknown source}

Knock, knock. Still there?

2011-04-15T15:05:00.001+02:00

Hello blog, it's been a while. Winter came and went and here we are in the middle of spring - already. I feel like all I need to do these days is blink and vroom!, the day has gone.

I have missed being here. Thank you kind blog friends who e-mailed and commented when I dropped off the face of the earth. I did keep reading some of your blogs but mostly, there is going to be a lot of catching up to do. There were many evenings when I attempted to blog again and though the desire was there, I found it difficult write anything. So many things happened since my mammoth absence, where would I begin? Well, I'm going to tiptoe my way back into blogging, so for now here's a simple collage of the past few months:

More soon, I promise. It's good to be back!

A très vite xx

Bonjour!

2011-03-21T12:58:00.001+01:00

Dear readers,
I am just dropping in to say a quick hello as I have been very quiet here lately. It has been a busy two months in our franglais lives and I have to admit that I have also secretely enjoyed taking a blogging break. But I promise to be back soon with more regular posts and new features which I have had on my mind for a while. Until then, here's wish you a sunny week!
A bientôt, la franglaise xx

{images bunnyandthekids and dazeychic}

13 mois.

2011-03-09T23:16:00.099+01:00

And so the monthly portraits continue. It has already been a whole month since L. turned one, and five tiny posts later (you may have noticed I have been somewhat absent from blogland lately. Pardonnez-moi!) here he is at 13 months old. He is almost walking, but still prefers to crawl when he wants to get somewhere quickly. When he decides to 'take off', part of me will miss the crawling bubba but I am also looking forward to the day we will be walking hand in hand together in the street.

I find he has changed so much in just a month. I remember thinking the same at six months old - it was as if from one day to the next he became so grown up. Again today, I feel like he has become so much more of a little boy since his birthday. He loves to play tricks and is always giggling (my heart melts when I hear him chuckling to himself). He is repeating more and more words (in his own babbly way) and whenever I speak to him in French as a joke, he gives me the strangest look as if to say "why on earth are you speaking that language to me?!".

The boy is also quite obsessed with music though he is still in search of his musical style. At the moment he's into cacophony - loves listening and bouncing to the sounds of all his musical toys playing at once - although his cherished music still remains his dada's guitar playing. In the mornings, before heading off to work, the three of us often boogie woogie to our happy song for a cheerful start to the day. Happy times!

11/03/11 update: he is officially walking! :D

getting it right.

2011-03-04T23:32:00.002+01:00

As I was on my way out of the office today, I found a sweet surprise waiting for me in my letter box: a postcard from Tallinn sent by Mr. Franglais who traveled to Estonia for work earlier this week. The drawings put such a big smile on my face as it pretty much sums up our family life at the moment. Although these past 48 hrs, L. has not been the happy bundle of joy from this picture. He was extremely sick yesterday and we ended up spending all afternoon at the hospital. It was so stressful to see him suffer and not be able to help him in any way. Today our little man seemed a bit better so we are hoping he will recover over the weekend. These moments make you put everything back into perspective and realise how trivial everything is in comparison to his well-being. All I care about right now is seeing that smile again.

Tuesday Tune: Serge Gainsbourg.

2011-03-02T23:59:00.001+01:00

I know, it's Wednesday. But here's a Tuesday Tune I couldn't miss, as today marks the 20th anniversary of France's greatest musical loss.

First birthday - partie 2

2011-03-02T23:47:00.004+01:00

And finally partie 2 of the L.'s first birthday: the party with our (and his) friends. It was so much fun to have a house full of babies, though it did all of a sudden make me feel old!

When I originally thought about organising a birthday party for L.'s big ONE, I had such a clear idea in my mind of how I wanted things to be. I was motivated: scouting every blog out there in the search of inspiration for the perfect birthday party. I even practiced my baking skills (I never ever bake). And then, well, the usual happened: I got caught up in life's everyday hustle and bustle. Too much work, not enough energy, lack of time, sleep and slowly, I was no longer in control. I am envious when I see those perfect mums on other blogs and I sometimes try to keep up with them, but no matter how much I try, I just-can't-do-it. Exhaustion always seems to take over, especially since I have started my new job when all I want to do as I come home is spend time with my boyz, eat, and go straight to sleep. I know it is just a phase, that when the project I am working on is finished I will be able to enjoy life outside of work again, but in the meantime I have to say that this experience has actually been positive because I have decided to give up on trying to be a wonder woman (remember this post?). I keep failing anyway and to be true, I'm quite happy with my messy flat and unorganised life. In fact, the improvised birthday party we had for L. is the perfect example of the success of my non-perfection. Aren't improvised parties always the best ones anyway?

With the help of our friends, we created a simple but colourful party atmosphere. I spent many hours baking and was delighted with how my number 1 cake turned out!





Isabella set a beautiful table full of goodies whilst the boys impressed us by making a banner in just 30 minutes (!)...

We blew up about 30 balloons which perfectly decorated our living room and amused the birthday boy.



In all, there were 19 adults and 7 wee people. I would love to share our groups photos with you but to respect my friends privacy, I shan't. Instead, I'll share these photos with you and allow you to make fun of my terrible baking skills...

Inspired by this very talented Canadian lady, this dude was supposed to be Eric Carle's Very Hungry Caterpillar! My friend Ciara made the cupcakes and I made the head and we whipped him together in 5 min, improvising his antennae and feet with liquorice. Our chubby caterpillar friend made quite the impression.

I am glad we marked this big milestone in L's life and our lives as parents (c'était un peu notre anniversaire aussi) and it was great to see how everything turned out so wonderfully. As my dear grandfather would have said: " it was smashing"! And this little cutie had the best of fun...

First birthday - partie 1

2011-02-23T23:58:00.015+01:00

At long last, I have found a minute to share some photos of L.'s birthday with you. It was exactly two weeks ago today that our baby boy turned one. His grandparents (all four) and uncle (one out of three) came to Paris to celebrate this special day with us.

We went for lunch at Sizin, one of our favourite restaurants in the neighbourhood. It serves delicious Turkish food and contrary to many restaurants in Paris which stop serving at 2pm, here the kitchen stays open until 3pm so we were lucky to avoid the midday rush and have a relaxed lunch en famille. The restaurant staff is also always so friendly. The first time we ate at Sizin, I must have been about eight months pregnant and the sweet waitress brought me extra food saying "c'est pour le bébé, de la part du chef"*! I thought that was so cute.

I love the photo series below taken over lunch. L. was so happy and smiley on his birthday - I think he loved being the centre of attention :-).

I've mentioned before that Paris is not a very baby-friendly city. Ever since L. became more mobile we found it hard to eat out as there were never any highchairs available or there was simply no room for us to enter places with a pushchair so we recently decided to buy a travel highchair, by Totseat. We used it for the first time on L.'s birthday and it worked great: real easy to set up and put away. L. sat at the table with us on his own chair during the entire lunch - it was so enjoyable.

After filling our bellies with scrumptious Turkish food, we went for a walk in hilly Montmartre...

...it was such a gorgeous day.

Later, we came back home to open cards, presents and blow out THE candle. My mum made a delicious chocolate cake which she brought over in seperate pieces, whipped together and voilà: an amazing duck cake! We were all so impressed.

Happy Anniversaire again to the sweetest, most amazing baby boy. And thank you to our families for making his first birthday one to remember. xx

Next up: the birthday party with our friends. Stay tuned!

* "this is for your little baby, on behalf of the chef"!

This moment.

2011-02-18T23:46:00.005+01:00

{This moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savour and remember. Inspired by Soule Mama.

ps: party photos coming tomorrow...stay tuned!

update: photos on their way... as soon as I get a chance to blog again...!

Bonne Saint Valentin.

2011-02-14T10:53:00.001+01:00

Happy Valentine’s Day. Although it is not a holiday we usually celebrate in the Franglais household I did just send a cute e-card from Kate Space’s b-mine collection after seeing them on the lovely Captain KK's blog.

I hope everyone has had a good weekend. We are totally worn out by after spending all last week celebrating L’s first birthday but it was such a treat having our friends and family with us to share all the fun and love. I will be posting some photos here very soon for you to see.

Bonne semaine!

12 mois.

2011-02-09T23:58:00.016+01:00

One.

1 mois - 2 mois - 3 mois - 4 mois - 5 mois - 6 mois - 7 mois - 8 mois - 9 mois - 10 mois - 11 mois

Birth story (364 days later).

2011-02-08T23:07:00.006+01:00

Tomorrow, one year ago, is the day L. was born and the memory of that moment is still so vivid in my mind. It was Monday morning and I was on my wobbly way to the hospital for a final check-up. I was exactly 41 weeks pregnant and showing no signs of labour, which was ironic at this point given that back in December I was signed off work early because I risked pre-term labour. It had already been three weeks since I had been diagnosed with excessive levels of amniotic fluid (explaining the oversize of my belly) and the doctors still did not know the cause. When I met with my obstetrician I knew he was going to tell me I would be induced. As I heard the news, I was overwhelmed by mixed feelings: relieved because it had been weeks that I was eager to have this little bub out of me, scared of what it meant to be induced (I had heard ‘artificial’ labour could last longer than usual and that it was extremely painful) and overjoyed at the thought of finally meeting our baby boy or girl. The moment we had been waiting for nine months had finally arrived - it was exciting.

On my way out of the hospital, I rang Mr. Franglais to announce the news and as soon as I heard his voice, I knew something bad had happened. He was in an ambulance on his way to the emergency room after injuring his knee playing football. It was surreal. How could this possibly be happening today?

I wobbled all the way back home by metro, packed, took a shower, and went back to the hospital again – on my own. I did another sonogram, more blood tests, more monitoring and by 7:30 pm Mr. Franglais finally arrived. What a relief to have him by my side, even though he was now the one who was wobbling.

Once all the tests were complete, we spent another hour anxiously waiting to find out whether I was going to be induced that evening or the following morning. Finally, we were told that the delivery rooms were already full and that I'd therefore be induced the next day. I wanted to come home for one last pregnant sleep, but the midwife convinced me to stay, "just in case". At 9pm, I checked-in my room and we took one last photo of the bump.

As I was left alone in my tiny space I tried to imagine what was coming next, hoping that everything would go well the following day, that the excess amniotic fluid meant nothing and that I would give birth to a healthy baby.

After that, it all happened really fast. I climbed into bed to read a magazine and before I knew it my waters broke. Just like that - no warning (and no induction). Half an hour later, I started feeling my first contractions which were already less than five minutes apart so I was quickly whisked off to the delivery room. I was in so much pain, my arms and legs were uncontrollably shaking and I remember thinking how stupid I was to get pregnant in the first place because I really didn’t want to go through the pain which was simply unbearable. Shortly after, I got an epidural and the relief was almost immediate. I even fell asleep for a couple of hours while the mister snoozed off in the chair next to me. Six short hours later, it was already time to push. At 6:35am on a snowy winter morning in Paris our baby was born: it was a boy.

I was crying tears of happiness, tears of relief and tears of joy. We couldn't stop gazing at this little human being we had created and whom we were now holding in ours arms. He seemed so perfect. After the nurses had finished cleaning him up, we were left alone to indulge our first blissful moments as a family. It was so incredibly magical. I would relive that day a million times over if I could.

Ps : I wrote this with the intention of posting it yesterday, but never actually got round to it. So I have decided to “cheat” with the posting date. Pardon.

Nursery inspiration.

2011-02-04T12:41:00.000+01:00

Having decided not to find out whether we were having a boy or a girl when I was pregnant, I would always be on the look out for gender neutral baby rooms. This modern owl-themed nursery filled with creative DYI elements is a perfect example of a beautiful non-pink/non-blue room for a surprise delivery. How impressive is the baby bottle lamp?!

{via Design Sponge}

Happy Monday.

2011-01-31T23:07:00.002+01:00

My 2011 calendar has finally arrived - all the way from Seoul, South Korea. It is smaller than I expected but gorgeous nonetheless. I love the quirky and colourful designs which I will be able to frame once the calendar expires.

Be sure to visit Mipa Lee's shop on Etsy.

Les retardataires.

2011-01-26T23:21:00.000+01:00

These little beauties are Christmas gifts I received a couple of weeks ago from my Franglais bro-in-law. After spending several weeks stuck in the middle of nowhere due to the heavy snow storms, they finally made it to Paris. Thanks a lot L's uncle for the gorgeous necklace by Elephantine and for the stylish iPhone case by Nimoo :)

images ©elephantine / ©Nimoo

Le chef d'oeuvre.

2011-01-24T23:47:00.000+01:00

My master piece(s)! They didn't taste as good as they looked, but it was a good start to many more hours of baking to come. Do you have any tasty recipes to share?

Bonjour et bonsoir.

2011-01-24T23:34:00.001+01:00

Bonjour, how was your weekend? Mine was very lazy, entailing not much else* than going for a walk, having hot drinks, and perfecting my baking skills. Cupcakes are really big in Paris these days so I thought I'd follow the trend and make these wee cakes for the wee people who will be celebrating our little man's first birthday with us. I also went out and bought a few craft supplies to prepare my own cupcake toppers, birthday banners, and other bits and bobs for the party. Motherhood is bringing out the creative side in me (or at least I like to believe I have a creative side). Bonsoir!

* ok, that's not entirely true. There was also some wine drinking involved and a restaurant en tête à tête. My mum was visiting and looked after L. on Friday night + Saturday morning so that we could have a sleep in. Boy oh boy, do I miss those lazy mornings in bed.

Saudades.

2011-01-22T23:58:00.006+01:00

Feeling a little nostalgic of my bump as little big L.'s first birthday is fast approaching. This video was taken one year ago today. How I loved that feeling inside my belly.

New kid on the block.

2011-01-20T23:26:00.001+01:00

I think this image pretty much sums up my week. I have been wanting to come here every day to post about so many things I have in mind but I started my new job on Monday and have been feeling overwhelmed by the simplest adjustments to this new position. Maybe, since I only changed departments and not company, I didn't expect to have to deal with so much novelty? Or maybe it is because there has been very little space for spontaneity in my life since little big L. 's arrival that I got liking routine a little more than I should? Go figure. Most importantly, this change is what I wanted so I have to start kicking the old habits, meet new people and enjoy these rare routineless moments.

More posts (and reply to comments) soon, I promise.

À très vite! xx

{image via loverbeau}

Balloons for Sunday breakie.

2011-01-16T16:38:00.009+01:00

Here's what we cooked for breakfast today (minus the balloons). Little big L's godmother is visiting from London this weekend and we've been loving the yummy English treats she brought over for us. If only Paris and London could become one - it'd be my perfect home!

{image David Sykes}

Dancers among us.

2011-01-14T23:45:00.004+01:00

Dancers Among Us is an ongoing project by photographer Jordan Matter, featuring professional dancers in everyday situations around the Big Apple. When is he coming to shoot in Paris?

Bon week-end les amis!

Polaroid iPhone decal.

2011-01-13T17:18:00.000+01:00

Looking to jazz up your iPhone? Transform it into a Polaroid camera.

Et voilà!

{via Think Big Chief}

Les soldes - coups de cœur.

2011-01-13T10:48:00.000+01:00

Here is a selection of some of my favourite items while I was shopping on line for little big L. yesterday.

Striped Donkey Scarf, April Showers

Pink Eiffel Tower T-Shirt, Bobo Chose

Dolly Gold Shoes, Tip Toey Joey

Oups Jacquard Dress, Talc

Striped Sweater, Imps & Elfs

Branca Baby Blouse, Gold

Bat Boy Hat, Oeuf NYC

Camera Jumpsuit, Bobo Chose

Robe Balo Indigo, Dis une Couleur

Car Jumpsuit, Bobo Chose

Crunchy Tennis Shoes, Tip Toey Joey

Monster Joe T-Shirt, Nissalisa

Wellies, Spring Court

Les soldes d'hiver.

2011-01-12T23:51:00.001+01:00

Les soldes are finally here.

In France, we only have sales twice a year - from mid January to mid February and again in the summer. So when les soldes begin, it is like Christmas all over again: the stores are clustered with eager shoppers and every other person in the street is walking around with a bag full of goodies. Although the deals get more interesting as the weeks go by, the best bargains are for the early shoppers. In fact, I have to confess that in the past, I have even taken a day off work just to go shopping on the first day of les soldes.

Now, as a busy working mama, my days of shopping after work are over; and I have a rule not to go near the main shopping areas on Saturdays because I cannot cope with the crowds and queues. Instead, I will be visiting my favourite, more quiet little local shops this weekend. And as for L., I bought all his goodies on line today and got the bestest bargains. God bless the Internet.

image ©Mlle Bé