Super-duper fabulous Sunday

Sunday ended up being a spontaneous date day with my handsome husband! It seems that our schedules don't match up much at all during the week so it was extra special to get to spend a whole day with him doing random fun stuff.

First we went to the flower store. It was wonderful! It felt like spring has already arrived here in France with all of the flowers out already.  Being surround by flowers and gardening really makes me think of my Mom as she loves her flower gardens and spends large amounts of time showcasing all of the beauty. I had to take some pictures and a video to share with her and rub it in just a little that planting season is near here.

Some of the flowers and citron plants. So fun to see as those are not common in MN

After the flower shop we went to a few other stores and did a bit of window shopping. Then we ended up walking into the city center to a cute bakery cafe. We had amazing cappuccinos...

Cappuccino with chantilly (French for whipped cream)

 ...and dessert. Only one of those desserts was mine, any guess on which one?

This was the winner for me

 I did get to taste the others thanks to my hubby who was willing to share a bite and I was still happy I chose mine (but the strawberry tart was a really close 2nd). We were joking about some of them not being that great and how French that is of me to be able to claim some of the French pastries are sub-par! I consider it research so that when all of my friends and family come to visit I can steer them in the right direction!

After spending some time at the cafe we didn't want the evening to end so we decided to go have a drink at another restaurant. This drink turned into hours of talking and laughing and really connecting with each other.  We ended up sharing a little something for dinner and then headed home.


It's amazing how the unplanned days can turn into such big memories. I look forward to many more of these days!

Tulip surprise

I know it's been a week since the "Hallmark Holiday" of Valentine's has passed but I woke up this morning at looked at the tulips sitting on the table and was happy to still see them.

My history with this holiday is that I have never been a big fan. When I was single it felt like a holiday to remind you that you were excluded from "the club." Being in a couple it feels like someone else is putting expectations on you as to which day you should be celebrating your love and how to do it.

James and I had agreed the weekend before that we would NOT buy gifts as we both had gotten new cell phones (and this was fantastic because I now feel like I am back in the land of the living)! I told him that I did plan to make him a dessert for the day and he was alright with this.

So the night before I tried out another cheesecake recipe that I had received from a friend. She shared that it's always a big hit when she makes it. It was a white chocolate, raspberry cheesecake. It turned out pretty good but I think I can tweak a few things as I try and find the perfect ingredients (I am unable to find chocolate chips here, shocking right?! So I used white chocolate in a bar form and don't think that I had quite enough for what the recipe called for).

The cheesecake right before baking it

Valentine's evening was low key, just dinner and dessert. I had asked James if he happened to find something in his sock drawer that morning (as I had put a card in there) and he said he hadn't but that I should go with him to show him what he missed. I opened the bedroom door and on the bed was a bouquet of tulips! Totally surprised and it was so, so sweet of him. He really knows me pretty darn well since I am not a fan of roses and prefer tulips or gerber daisies over roses any day! He claims that flowers don't count as a gift and that is the loophole he is sticking to in our "no gift agreement."

My Valentine for life!

A week later the flowers have totally opened up and have been a big reason to smile when I see them each morning. There is just something about flowers that brightens the world up a bit!

It's the little things

In addition to all of the birthday notes on facebook, emails and viber texts, I was so excited to be able to skype with some of my family and friends on my birthday. It gave me an opportunity to also thank them for the wonderful gifts that they sent across the pond for me. It's amazing how the little things that people know about you really shine at times like these. Take a look at some of the amazing things I received, it really illustrates how well my family and friends know me!

1. Magazines!!! It is something I really miss about being in the states. I used to spend lazy days catching up on the latest styles and recipes. I could always count on getting my Hollywood news fix from People magazine at my parent's house. James asked me if I was going to read them on Sunday and I told him I felt like I needed to keep them for a special day since I could easily devour reading them in 1 afternoon.

2. Diva Curl hair products! If anyone has curly hair this product line is one of my favorite. It just happens to be a bonus that I have a fantastic hook-up in the hair world who knew these would be perfect for me.

3. Lia Sophia jewelry! When I lived in MN I was a consultant for this company. I had a lot of fun acquiring so many awesome pieces of jewelry and made lifelong friends in the process. It's only fitting that one of my BFFs attempts to improve my glam factor!!

4. This little pouch was a special request I made of the sewing extraordinaire, Molly! I saw this idea on Pinterest and the pouch was used for headphones. I had shared this pin with her and to no surprise she made it happen! I LOVE IT!

5. Gift cards to ITunes and Amazon for Kindle books (I also received a Amazon gift card via email, double bonus)!!! As I have mentioned before my Kindle is a serious lifesaver here and I read books all of the time. So now I get to pick a few more out and pass the time on the train! ITunes is always a great idea, especially when I want to stay in the loop with music of all of my favorites!

6. Fancy earrings! This are great and it will help me stay in the running with all of the Parisian woman who looked dressed up on most days (earrings is where it is at for me since I can't seem to figure out how to walk around in heels all day in the city)!

7. These earrings(also Lia Sophia) are from a sweet friend who owned them and I borrowed them on my first trip to Paris to see James years ago. She remembered this and thought it was fitting that I have a pair of my own, so thoughtful!

8. A swiss cake roll! This brings me WAY back! My brothers and I used to have these treats when we were kids. For some reason we figured out that microwaving them for 20-30 seconds made them even more delicious. Seriously, give it a try! Thank you for this small but very significant gift that makes me feel a little closer to home and you guys!

9. OPI nail polish! I loved getting mani/pedi's back home and had a fantastic salon that where I was a loyal customer. Since being in France I have not had a "professional" mani/pedi. Therefore I have been doing my own nails (and a pretty good job at it too). I am so excited to have a few more colors to add to my collection. However, by no means does this mean that I am not looking forward to being pampered back in MN the first chance I get!

Thank you doesn't seem like enough since all of these things fill my heart with gratitude but it was fantastic to have so many things that I love from the people I love!!  Feeling lucky and blessed!

My Birthday present from France...

I woke up on Sunday morning and was quickly greeted by others with a "Happy Birthday and look outside!" It snowed here! Now this may not be that big of a deal but since arriving in France I have only seen a few flurries of snow and nothing that actually has stuck to the ground. As a girl who spent most of her life in a climate that includes a snowy winter it was pretty fun to wake up to snow on my birthday.

James said that the snow was incredible and I told him that incredible things happen on February 5th (I was proud of my quick wit)!!

I told James that I wanted to walk to the bakery just so I could be outside in the snow for a short while. Everyone was happy with this decision as it meant that they didn't have to go out in the snow and would still benefit from a delicious breakfast from the bakery.

I put on all the winter gear that I have here in France and ventured out.

The street right outside the house

Lots of snow, I had to walk in the tire tracks as there were no shovels in sight

Once outside I was surprised by how much snow had actually accumulated. It was probably 4-5 inches. The roads and sidewalks were snow covered and the few cars I saw out were having trouble getting around. From what I had been told, when it snows any amount more significant than an inch, people in this area of France really react and tend to stay home.

I arrived at the bakery, got all of the goodies for the morning and made the trek home.

The beloved bakery

For the most part I enjoyed a lazy day but spent a little bit of time playing out in the snow.

James getting his snow gear on. Good thing he got that hat for Christmas last year while in MN!

Maëlle trying to attack her Dad

Based on this face you may guess that her Dad won!

Maëlle and Milan in full snow attack mode

James figured out that digging a hole like a puppy created a full force attack

Snow pig pile

The plan was to build a snow man but the snow wasn't sticky enough to make that happen. We still had fun time!

Birthday Eve

Saturday was a good day. I successfully overcame a large obstacle and officially have a bank account in France! The city decided to bring back the carousel, and I am convinced it was all in preparation for my birthday.

I went for a walk and a bit of shopping with James. Then in grand husband fashion he decided we were going to celebrate my birthday with dinner on Saturday night since all of the family was present.

We ordered in pizza and I tried cheese pizza here for the first time. It was four different kinds of cheese and way fancier than any cheese pizza I had ever eaten in the states.

In addition to the yummy pizza and wine. They surprised me with this fabulous strawberry tart for my birthday cake.  It was almost too pretty to eat!

They found it necessary to put ALL the candles on it to recognize my age. It's a miracle that it didn't cause any smoke alarms to go off.

In addition to a fun night and delicious food I got a fantastic new watch! I have wanted a new watch for a long time and this is the beauty that has now found it's home on my wrist! It kinda matches my wedding ring so it's a wonderful addition to my bling factor!!!

Birthday eve was great! And just when I didn't think it could get any better I woke up Sunday to an amazing continuation to my birthday celebration...