Pointe du hoc, omaha beach, and points in between

Mere words can not express the raw emotions I felt on the day we visited Pointe du Hoc, 

Arromanches-le-Bains, Omaha Beach, the American Cemetery in Normandy, and points between.  Somehow the cold blustery day was befitting the solemnity of the visit.

Pointe du Hoc

Arromanches-les-Bains

Normandy American Cemetery at Omaha Beach

Paris at night

Twinkling stars

paris nights

magical moments

shared alone

looking forward to the time when we go together

artwork 

memories

shared & treasured

Scenes from France

Hello!  or rather Bonjour!... the greeting made to/by EVERY shop owner in France.  The past few weeks have been a true whirlwind of activity.  End of the term, Easter, preparations for a trip to Washington D.C. with the 8th grade class made by my husband and Evan, and then all the preparations for the trip to France that Sean and I made with the high school French program.  A whirlwind hardly describes life for the past few weeks.  After 8 days in France with 40 high school students and 10 adult.... well let's just say I am typing literally typing with my eyes closed right now.  And sleep, what's that?  Yes I am currently in withdrawal mode.... but I'm enjoying it.  The weather is fantastic here at home... in the 60's (something we did not see in France at all... in fact it was unseasonably cold... we even saw snow!)  but is was simply beautiful! oh i am not enjoying the withdrawal from good coffee though.  I kept my beverage of choice consumption to a minimum because I knew once I returned home the withdrawal symptoms would be monumental.  No not from the lack of caffeine but rather from the lack of good quality coffee.  It has been so long since I've had a truly wonderful cup of coffee.  One that was so smooth... so incredibly smooth that no sugar or cream was needed.  no trace of bitterness, just pure decadence!  Yes I miss my coffee!!  So if any of you have ever been to France, currently live in France, or have ever had that sublime coffee of France before please, please offer up some advice.  Yes I am willing to pay the price in order to get that kind of coffee once again.  With no further adieu I present to you but a few scenes from France.  There will be more to come in days to follow... days where I am more wide awake and can actually type with my eyes open.  days where the washing machine isn't whirring continually in the background.  Days where soft music is playing, bread is rising, and projects are underway once again.  

 

Just a few shots from our last evening in France.... spent in Montmatre and the Eiffel tower.

the shops

Montmatre... the classic view of the city

eiffel tower on our final night

 the quintessential carousel of France

Snow day!!

Just a few quick photos to share of our spring "storm"

(not the prettiest as I wasn't willing to venture out in pjs while waiting for the laundry to finish)

(more to come as the day progresses!)

Through the front window... our Korean Lilac bush

Drifting a little anyone?

Where is the step and the dog's bowl?

Snow anyone?

12 inches and still coming down!

As you can see I didn't venture out the doors yet... maybe once the boys are up!  

Have a wonderful day!

Mid-West Meet Up

I am so excited!  In a little over a week I'll be heading up to the Illinois to spend the day with a group of ladies whose blogs I've admired for some time.  This event is being hosted and coordinated by the lovely Jennifer Rizzo.  Karianne from Thistlewood Farms and Heather from At the Picket Fence will joining us as well.  And if I play my cards right I will even be able to spend a little time with family who don't live all that far away either!!  

If you think you might be interested the cost is $25 (payable in advance, space limited to 25) which includes breakfast, refreshments, and a lovely swag bag followed by a few hours of shopping and just enjoying each others company!

All in all it will be a nice getaway! 

p.s.

do you think i just might be a little bit giddy?  

A little day to day....

Just wanted to pop in to say hello!  No I haven't forgotten about you... in fact I think about you all and this blog quite often.  I've been taking more to time with my family recently... they grow up too quickly.  So between swim practices/meets, getting ready for a trip to France, battling colds and winter crud, taxes and college registration, college visits and more clutter control this is pretty much what has been going on in our home....

Been listing to a lot of this and this... 

Adding a bit of greenery in the form of this.

 new storage!  gotta love a good deal at TJ Max!  

pretty beads from here

and if we had smell-o-vision you would smell hints of chocolate, homemade pasta sauce, and the underlying hint of acrylic paint. 

Have a wonderful day!!

Baking....

Recently our days have been filled with a lot of this 

(the makings for homemade French toast)

and this 

and this

which means the grain mill has been dusted off, the wheat berries dug out, and there are some very happy young men in our household! 

I forgot how much I enjoy baking our own bread.... its good to take a step back and re-evaluate. 

Have a wonderful weekend!