home decor and garden are very famous in the world

A French lady I know ( beautiful, slim, lively and fun) once talked to me about growing up on the Cote d'Azur as a little girl in the 40's.  A magical moment to be sure.

We talked about school and friends, and clothes, and family life.   So many details to enjoy, but one that made me smile was her description of her favourite mid afternoon snack, when she came home from school.    "Pain au chocolat?"  I asked, already imagining her at the baker's counter.   "Non, non" she frowned,  "too sweet, way too sweet".

That little girl's idea of heaven was a slice of bread, a clove of garlic opened up and rubbed on the bread, then a trickle of olive oil.

France and the French never cease to delight!   

Wishing you all a fragrant weekend!

Photo by Ella

Do you ever pause, take a look at your life today, and think "what if...."

"Phew, what-if I had said yes to that job offer, I would

 never have moved to the place I love so much today"

"I remember that boy, the one I snubbed at the age of 15, who was 

taking  over  his family farm ...what if I had married him ....."

"what if I had travelled with that group of student friends, I may have lived in a different country"

I think it must be the influence of all the youngsters we have had around us during the summer.  So many of whom are at stages in their lives where decisions have to be taken, directions chosen.  Sometimes a monumental choice hangs on such insignificant details:  A golden opportunity refused to avoid missing  a day with a best friend;  a vital exam failed because the wrong stuff was revised; 

I know that at the age of 17 my life could have taken a very different direction, and I often wonder what it could have led to.    In my final years at high school I had to choose which subjects to specialise in.  I was  a sort of average student, but did fairly well in the art class.  I would have loved to have taken art as a main subject during the last two years, but that meant studying with a specific teacher.   I didn't like her that much, and  she wasn't wild about me.   Because of that bad impression I dropped my favourite subject.

If I had studied art  I may not have studied languages

if I hadn't studied languages I may not have travelled so much as a student

If I hadn't travelled I would probably not have fallen in love in  France

  ...  hey!  I probably wouldn't even be writing this blog! ...

So to my children today, I often say "keep your options open", " try to see the wider picture", "think about the consequences", but of course we all know that  hindsight is a notoriously wonderful thing!

I'd love to know if you can pinpoint a decision, even from years back, and look back and say, "ah yes, if things had gone differently that day ......"

Today you are 1 year old.  I can't believe it!  Your first year flew by at warp speed.  It seems like only yesterday you came into our lives, but yet I can't imagine our life without you.

Happy 1st Birthday!

I love you from here to the moon and back again my sweet, sweet Caspian Finn.

Love,

Mama

First comes the rug....then come the twins!  The rug is amazing; I had to control my urges to throw myself on top of it.....literally.

        

Our short break in the South was spontaneous, hilarious and exactly what I needed after a long summer and before a busy fall.

Less than  a week before we left, I was still searching for somewhere to stay for ... me .... my dear husband ..... our four children ..... their friends .... and two dogs!!  YUP!

This holiday was meant to be.... as a few days before our leaving date, a huge house materialised, complete with a ton of bedrooms, a pool, space for the dogs to run around, easy access to a sleepy little village and bikes for everyone.  For a week we forgot about internet (well almost) forgot about the news, practically forgot about the car, and wandered from pool to table to river to pool to table in a happy haze.

If you are feeling weary, I can recommend no better remedy than heading off with a bunch of youngsters aged between 15 and 21. 







To make a peach tart for a bunch of hungry teenagers, first make a delicious sweet pastry, I'm sure you have your favourite recipe, I like mine rich in butter, sugar and maybe some ground almonds.

If you are feeling like a saint, you'll blind-bake your pastry base.  This is a good investment of time, because the peach gets so juicy, if the pastry isn't pre-cooked, it will just go soggy.





While the pastry is in the oven, pour yourself a glass of wine, press PLAY on anything by Bob Marley and wash and slice your peaches.  I don't even skin them, because the fruit looks prettier with the skin still on (even if you go for this year's fashionable char-grilled look !!)

Take the pastry out of the oven , choose another CD,  sprinkle a little sugar over the base, quickly arrange the slices of peach, sprinkle more sugar and pop the whole lot into the oven.

Keep an eye on the tart  because there is a danger of it - ahem - caramelising.  I'd say about half a CD and two glasses of wine and the tart will be done!

Voilà  - I hope you also have some happy carefree moments to remember from the summer.  Thank you for reading me!

My dining room table was made by John about 2 years ago, and it is my favorite thing in the whole wide house!

The Chairs  - lot's of them.

The whole point of using my living room as a dining room was so I could have a giant room, with a giant table, and have tons of people over, and hopefully have giant plates of food (that's edible).

So, I needed chairs, chairs, and more chairs.

I find them everywhere. People leave them at my back door. I find them in the trash and at yard sales. I might even purchase some from time to time. And I almost always spray paint them. Seasonally.

When not in use in the dining room, I place them around the house. Bedrooms, hallways, even my powder room has a chair in it.

Dishes - pretty much anything goes.

I mix and match. I buy sets, partial sets, half sets, broken sets, one of a kinds, pairs, WHATEVER I like.

Then I throw them all together on the table, and voila. Dinner for 72.

Fun, quirky, cute, and nobody gets the impression that they need to be on their best behavior, or that anything near fancy is coming out of the kitchen.

In other words, it sets the mood for the whole night. It's eclectic, just like the people there. And that's how I like it.

A place to put all your stuff - a buffet.

If you're like me, your not serving each person individually and plating the food like your some fancy smanchie chef. Nope. Your throwin' it all in one spot and telling everyone to get up, cause it's time to eat.

But I will put in on/in something cool. So, while my cooking is not so hot. I can put together a mean display.

Slap those bad boys somewhere interesting, and you'll have your guest ewwing and ahhing all night. 'Cause the bar of course is the most crowded part of the house when you're entertaining.

So, all in all these are the basic parts you'll need to create your own "ultimate dining room". 

Want more dining room ideas?  You'll have to wait for my Flea Market Dining e-zine, which will be coming to you very soon. FREE. You're welcome.

Or, you can peek into my boards on Pinterest.

Here for Thanksgiving ideas. And, here for dining rooms.

How grown up is she looking?  Four going on sixteen........gosh, I sure love that sweetheart.

So with all these nautical dresses, I couldn't help but let Caspian join in the fun with a cute little sailor suit.

Here is my husband, Brett, and Caspian Finn.  I think Caspian looks so much like his daddy!

Caspian's sisters sure love him.....poor guy.  You can just see the look on his face, 'please stop smothering me!'

Here is Daddy and his boy.

I did sell some kits to make the dress that Matilda is wearing that I listed in my Etsy shop. It included all the fabric, trims, buttons as well as the printed sewing pattern to create the exact same dress in up to size 8.  I shared the kits over on the Facebook page first and they sold out very quickly.  I don't plan to offer anymore of this exact same kit, but if you are interested in future dress kits, please join us over on The Cottage Mama Fan Page on Facebook.

 Images Via Neiman Marcus

 Can you believe how fast the month of August has passed?!!

Today is my fifth and last giveaway, and I have to thank each of the sponsors who have donated so generously each week to make this giveaway season so spectacular.

Thank you also to everyone who has taken part.  Your enthusiasm for each new prize, and your willingness to share on facebook et al, is amazing.

Without further ado, here is today's giveaway, which I know you are going to adore ...

There is a talented lady, bearing the dreamy name of Jessica Chauvot de  Beauchêne, who lives in a century old village in Switzerland.  She is originally from Connecticut, but she fell in love with a frenchman, and has since settled in Europe.

She  took as much as she could possibly fit  with no clear idea of what to do with it all.   [Pass me the smelling salts]    ......  Eventually creativity sparked and the Atelier was born, the Atelier Be website  and etsy soon followed.  Now she  searches from brocante to basement looking for old fabrics to re-purpose and infuse with new life.  

How to enter?

The will be chosen by random draw next Tuesday evening at midnight Paris time

Kim  who writes the charming blog White Whispers 2 U

Congratulations Kim,  and consolations to everyone else who joined in - you can still have a commissioned portrait, just get in touch with Patricia at pve design and put in an order!

Wishing you all a delightful day!