Paris - Part deux

I wrapped up my last post about the Paris trip with our visit to the Eiffel Tower.  

The following day, we headed to the Louvre, which was just a short walk from our apartment. 

Going to the Louvre has been on my life list since I took French classes in high school!  And I must say, it did not disappoint.  However, I wasn't quite prepared for the size of this place. It used to be palace and it's massive.  I actually got lost at one point.  
  

I didn't bring my big camera on this day because my shoulder was aching from lugging my bag around, and I definitely regret it.  My pictures would have been much better with my SLR.  So excusing the quality of my pictures, here are a few of my highlights:

The Venus de Milo was probably my favorite piece.  In fact, this wing, that was full of ancient Greek and Roman sculptures, was my favorite part of the museum.  I couldn't believe both the size and the detail of these pieces. 

I knew the Mona Lisa was going to be smaller than expected, but she was still impressive to view and her eyes definitely follow you!

 Of course there were numerous beautiful paintings, too many to post.  One of my favorite parts of this experience, however, was just walking through this beautiful palace.  It was gorgeous!

That afternoon, after we had lunch, we headed back to our apartment to relax and work on our presentation, which was the following day.  

On Friday, we spent most of the day at the conference.  Our presentation went very well, and to celebrate we decided to take a cruise along the Seine that evening.  The weather wasn't the best, but I got some really good shots of the city.  I just loved seeing these beautiful old buildings along the river. 

The Louvre

Notre Dame

On Saturday, we awoke and had our standard chocolate croissant.  Then we headed out to do some shopping.  I had decided that I wanted to bring home some pottery to display in our house.  I read about a pottery shop La Maison Ivre and so we headed that way.  And this store was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

I would have bought half of the things on display if I could.  It was full of beautiful linens and pottery. 

I came home with this beautiful piece which is displayed on one of our shelves. 

I love that every time I look at it, it reminds me of this fabulous trip.

After buying our trinkets, we went to a delicious crepery for lunch.  After that, Angela and her mom headed to Sacre Coeur.  I was kind of tired of the tourist scene and really just wanted to soak up my last day in Paris.  So I wandered the streets, popping into various boutiques and finally landed at a cafe where I sat and people watched and wrote in my journal.  

Our trip ended that night with a fabulous French meal where I had the most delicious risotto and chocolate mousse for dessert, of course. 

I feel so very grateful and so very blessed to have had this experience.  It was a wonderful trip, and I will cherish the memory.  The French definitely enjoy life, and since I've been home, I've been inspired to slow down a bit, savoring a few special moments of each and every day. 

My hope is that one day, I can return to France and explore the countryside.  I would love to see more of this beautiful country. 

Pumpkin Pie

For Andrew's birthday, he requested a pumpkin pie, which is his favorite.  

I usually do not bake for his birthday, not since the first year we were dating anyway!  That year I decided to make him a chocolate cake.  It was a hilarious disaster.  So much of a disaster, in fact, that he's never asked me to bake for him since.

Let's just say that baking is not my thing.  I love to cook!  But my attempts at baking haven't proven to be the most successful.

This year, however, I rose to the challenge.

Making a pie from scratch was on my life list.  Since I wrote that list, I have dabbled a little in pie making.  But I've never had the nerve to make my own crust.  

My cousin recently came to our house for dinner, and she brought along the best apple pie.  When I asked her about the crust, she shared with me this recipe that she uses, which sounded completely non-threatening, so I decided to go for it.  

This crust is super low maintenance and easy to make.  It's not the prettiest crust, but it tastes great.  I was a little nervous because I used coconut oil instead of vegetable oil and it still turned out great (excuse the horrible photos, it was at night and I was using my iPhone).  Hopefully, with some practice, I'll be able to make some nicely scalloped edges.

Ready for some filling!

I also used the pumpkin pie recipe on the same link, although I used canned pumpkin.  I do not, and likely will not ever, have the time or the interest to roast and puree my own pumpkin, and I'm okay with that!

Baking

For the sake of keeping it real, here's what my pie looked like when I pulled it out of the oven.  See my stab marks?  That's the result of jabbing a knife into the center multiple times to see if it was done.  Note to self...next time use a toothpick!

Yummy

The end result wasn't necessarily pretty, but it was delicious!  So delicious that last night my two year-old actually buried his face in his bowl and started licking it.  No joke.  And as for that crust?  It's a nice, flaky crust and much better than the store bought ones.  

Based on this experience, I'm no longer afraid of making pie!  In fact, I'm ready to start making all kinds of pie.  So if you have a good recipe, please pass it along!

xoxo



 

La-La Laundry

We did it.  We finally got a new washer and dryer, which has changed my life!  Who knew all that was standing between me and a love for laundry was a new washer and dryer?!  

Doing one load of laundry on our old set took hours.  We were up to 5 drying cycles per load.  And a load of towels? Forget about it.  Needless to say, I was about to lose it and decided to just take the plunge.  

What an amazing difference!  I'm still slightly shocked when I open the dryer after 40 minutes and everything is dry!  

We went with the Whirlpool Cabrio set and got a very nice deal from Sears. 

I went back and forth trying to decide between a top loader and a front loader.  I finally decided on this one because it fit our budget and got very high reviews.  I really wanted to upgrade to the dryer with the steam option and almost did.  However, our doorways in this old house aren't standard size and the steam dryer would not fit through our basement door.

Anyway, after a couple of weeks of doing laundry with these bad boys, I couldn't be happier.  

Laundry doesn't seem like a chore anymore. Truthfully, I kind of look forward to it. I love how our clothes come out fluffy and soft and smelling wonderful.  

It's also on my life list to own a high efficiency washer and dryer so I get to check that off!  I love that this set as an Eco option and results in major energy savings.  

Now, if only someone would invent a machine that would fold laundry and put it away...but until then, I'll just enjoy the luxury of these new machines. 

On a Whim

I dyed my hair red last week.  It was an unexpected decision.

I was walking through Target and about to buy my usual "warm medium brown" semi-permanent hair color.  Then I picked up "medium auburn brown".  I figured I would just go for it...thinking it would still be more brown than red.

I was wrong.  It's definitely red!

What do you think?

I'm still undecided as to whether I love it or hate it.  The good news is that it will wash out so I'm not really committed to it.

I know that it's not a coincidence that I did this one day after learning I'll be submitting my proposal in six weeks.  When I'm stressed, I tend to do these kinds of things on a whim.  I've also been re-staging our bookshelves....trying to integrate some turquoise into all the red.  Nothing like a little home decorating project to keep you focused!  Don't even ask my husband about this one.  He thinks I'm certified crazy.

By the way, he also thinks I'm nuts when I ask him to take pictures of me for this blog.  It could have something to do with the fact that I make him take them over and over again, but the picture above speaks for itself.  I mean really? Who poses like that?!

Here's another great one for your viewing pleasure.  I'm not chewing anything.  I swear.  How's that for keepin it real ?!

Anyway, I'm going away for the weekend with some of my girlfriends and I can't wait to surprise them with my fiery redheadness!  

After dying my hair, I remembered that being a redhead is on my life list!  So there you go....now I can check that off!

Speaking of my life list, I looked back and there are a few other things that I managed to check off in the past year:

6. Quit my job so I can spend more time with my son  

49. Dye my hair red

31. Take Liam to a music festival

43. Learn embroidery

I quit my job in June, which was the greatest decision ever!  I'm so blessed to be able to spend more time with Liam while also focusing on my studies.

We also took Liam to his first music festival over a weekend in September.  It was a very family friendly event.  One that we'll definitely return to again this year.  Here he is with my sister-in-law dressed up as a gorilla for the parade.  Cutest. gorilla. ever.

I just recently started embroidering.  I don't necessarily have a lot of time to dedicate to it, but I find that when I do, I really enjoy it.  I like to keep my hands busy!  Plus, it's fun to learn the different stitches and to make something pretty in the process.  Once it's done, I'll share the end result...you can expect that probably sometime in 2017.

Now that I've re-read those lists, I'm inspired to do more fun things!  I just need to write that dissertation proposal first.... 

Life List Part Two

Recently on my birthday, I decided to write a Life List of one hundred things I would like to do with the time I have left.  Here is the second half of that list.  


As I read through this list, I find myself inspired.  In fact, I've already chosen five things to check off this list, this year.


Life List Part Two:

1. Visit Morocco
2. Read the Outlander series.  
3. Have dreadlocks
4. Stay in the Stanley Hotel where Stephen King wrote The Shining
5. Teach my son to love books and music
6. Spend the summer at a cabin on a lake
7. Start playing the piano again
8. Learn to write a grant
9. Make jam
10. Visit Oregon
11. Go on a meditation retreat
12. Be a foster parent
13. Own a VW bus
14. Go to a blogging conference
15. Visit the northeast during autumn
16. Learn to make my grandmother’s chicken and noodles recipe (Mom, I’m going to need your help!)
17. Take a hot air balloon ride
18. Live in an RV for a year with my husband and travel around the U.S.
19. Revisit making jewelry as a hobby
20. Travel to Bali
21. Reread the Anne of Green Gables and Little House on the Prairie series
22. Spend a week out at sea
23. Visit the Great Wall
24. Have my own crafting studio
25. Learn to can the vegetables that I grow in my garden
26. Make a pie from scratch…successfully!
27. Have an Etsy shop
28. Spend a long weekend at a spa
29. Write a children’s book
30. Visit New Orleans and the Louisiana swamps
31. Take Liam to a music festival
32. Dive a big shipwreck
33. Learn to hula hoop around my legs
34. Go on a 7 day backpacking trip
35. Try acupuncture
36. Ride in a helicopter
37. Bury a time capsule
38. Hold someone’s hand as they give birth
39. Have a portrait wall in my home
40. Visit British Columbia
41. Go on a girls’ trip with my closest friends
42. Tap a tree and make maple syrup
43. Learn embroidery
44. Make my son a Halloween costume
45. Rock climb
46. See a bear in the wild
47. Visit all 50 states
48. Visit Prince Edward island
49. Have a hammock in my backyard
50. Float the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon

Life List Part One

A week ago today, I turned 35 years young.  I do not fear aging.  The way I see it...every birthday is a blessing.  Right now, I'm happy...I'm healthy...I'm surrounded by love.  I have all that I need.

With each birthday, as I embrace another year, I tend to get a little reflective.  Turning a year older has this symbolic meaning for me...it makes me assess where I am and what I hope to do with my life.

As I look back on these 35 years, I'm pretty pleased with all that I have accomplished, but looking forward, there's a lot more I hope to do. 

To celebrate this birthday, I was inspired by this lovely lady and decided to write a life list of one hundred things I would like to do with the time I have left. 

So here it is...in no particular order, the first half of my life list:

1.       Write my life list (which I have to write because I LOVE checking things off my to-do list!)

2.      Finish my PhD (I did it!!!)

3.      Write a book

4.      Own a chunk of land and a home surrounded by trees

5.      Visit every National Park

6.      Quit my job so I can spend more time with my son

7.      Travel to India

8.     Unplug completely for one week

9.      Learn to play the violin

10.  Plant a big, huge garden

11.   Run a marathon or 50K trail run

12.  Own horses

13.  Help my son find and follow his dreams

14.  Learn to sew my own clothing

15.   Own a home with a fireplace, a big great room that opens into the kitchen, a walk-in closet, my own sink, a hot tub out under the stars , a crafting studio, and a huge fire pit on a patio

16.  Backpack part of the Appalachian Trail

17.   Own a high efficiency washer and dryer

18.  Take a painting class

19.  Grow lovely flowers year around

20. Have a huge farmhouse table where we gather and eat amazing meals

21.  Travel to Alaska

22. Practice yoga on a regular basis for an extended period of time

23. Learn Aerial Arts

24. Own a camper for camping and music festivals

25.  Stop driving so fast…learn to slow down and enjoy the moment

26. Go on an African safari

27.  Take a cooking class

28. Visit the Scottish Highlands

29. See the Northern Lights

30. Have everything we own paid off

31.  Travel to France and visit the Louvre

32. Take a photography class

33. Learn to quilt

34. Become a bee keeper

35.  Go on a long, romantic trip with my husband

36. Keep chickens so we can have farm fresh eggs

37.  Go diving in the Sea of Cortez

38. Write a letter to my son every year on his birthday

39. Take an outdoor survival class

40. Learn to knit

41.  Have a library with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves filled with books

42. Go to Squam or some other creative gathering

43. Buy a really nice piece of art

44. Own an espresso machine and learn to make my own delicious lattes

45.  Go on a vacation with my parents, all of my siblings, and their children so we can spend more than a day together at a time

46. Have my house completely organized from top to bottom

47.  Learn to climb trees like my husband

48. Make wine

49. Dye my hair red

50. Create a meditation alter and sacred space in home