Yesterday was SUPER busy
because
a certain granddaughter is coming over today.
I was getting things ready for Matilda and baking gifts for Larry’s clients.
Also, yesterday, I posted a recipe.
Here is the link: https://robintolbert.com/recipe-chaud-noix/
The recipe is for flavored {spicy hot} nuts. Perfect for parties or gifts.
Please check it out!
Enjoy a lovely weekend.
Be kind today….it is so much easier than being b-i-itchy.
{excuse my French}
Love you!
Me
Dear Larry,
Happy Birthday.
You are the icing to my cake,
the flower to my soil
and
the joy in my life.
May your birthday be one filled with many smiles
and
special moments.
I love you so much….
Me
It is interesting how we all have our own perspective.
Are we born with a certain perspective or do we learn it from those around us? 
I confess. The oil paints have not been out in months
but
I cannot get enough of watercolors.
I make paper and take it with me on trips…bringing along brushes and paints.
Paris was interesting this year. I made 12 sheets of paper
and have only 4 paints to show.
It is all in the perspective I guess, but I am happy.
What is it about new places that shake up your senses
and
inspire you beyond belief?
“My imagination makes me human and makes me a fool:
It gives me the entire world.”
~Ursula Le Guin~
I love knowing that the entire world is mine….if I just close my eyes.
Love you.
Me
Last Sunday, I made a picnic, bought Champagne
and
took my Larry to the ballet. OK. I admit, he loves the music to the ballet better than the ballet itself.
After sandwiches, cake {please do not tell my Weight Watcher leader}
and Champagne,
we went into the Windspere Opera House for the Nutcracker Suite.
Larry’s Birthday is this week
and
I plan to celebrate him all week long.
Yes. We split the cake in half and ate every bite.
After all that awesome food in France last month
we were hungry for just plain old junk food.
It looked like a disaster hit when the cake was finished.
Happy Birthday My Larry.
Love you beyond the buttercream icing.
Me
It was a glorious, rainy weekend in Texas.
Christmas decorations twinkled in the drizzle
and
my days were filled with love and excitement for the holiday season.
On Saturday, we joined Matilda for The Nutcracker.
The Nutcracker was a puppet show at Dallas Children’s Theater.
Matilda met the puppets after the show.
and then posed at Snoopy’s dog house.
***
Since I have been home from France, I have been thinking about my Mother. A lot.
She was one of the most wonderful women I have ever known
and
I wonder, am I doing this parent & Grandmother thing OK?
How would she have liked being a Great- Gran?
The Christmas holidays have come to me,
filled with smiles and old memories.
Goodness, I love this time of year.
My Larry and I love watching Matilda experience this thing called Christmas.
We love knowing that Lauren and Josh are healthy and living their wonderful country life.
We also smile for our sweet Jamison Louise.
In life, we all must make choices. Some are easy ones and some more difficult.
I find myself in awe of Jami.
She has NEVER done anything the easy way
but she seems to manage just fine.
No matter how you feel about the holidays, please know that we all struggle.
May God Bless you during this holiday season.
Love you.
Me
It is hard to believe that last Sunday, I was still in France. Packed and ready to come home, but still there.
I have been thinking about my last day in Paris. Knowing that it will be months before I return.
We had a light breakfast and left the apartment to go to the brocant. {flea market}
Larry bought Lauren a sweet painting. The ARTist was such a nice man. His work is wonderful.
I found this awesome ’70’s dress for Jami.
But….I left it there. The dress was a lot cutier in person,
but Jami would have hated it.
I fell in love with this tablecloth. With MY initials! It was 90 E. To much money.
Sad face.
I met this pig. I LOVED the pig. The booth was selling healthy lozenges.
The money goes to the animal rescue.
Of course we bought some.
I loved that pig so much.
French kiddos were running and skipping all over the place.
It made me miss Matilda.
Then we met the girls from Roma for dinner.
We ate at Tribeca, a family favorite on rue Cler.
Our good friend managed this restaurant for many years,
but has moved on. Paul Merot….we miss you!
At Tribeca, we had lemoncello confessions.
{a story for another time. Besides, my lips are sealed}
Rebekah and Danielle. You two were so sweet.
Thank you for taking time to visit with us. of course your confessions are secret
After strolling the market, having dinner at Tribeca and lemoncello confessions,
we walked toward the METRO station to hug the girls good bye.
{they would go back to Roma early the next morning}
When we got to the METRO, we hugged the Rome Girls,
and that is when they said:
It is 5 min till 9:00.
The Eiffel will light up soon and we are going to see it light up!
They hugged us again and ran into the Paris night.
I looked at Larry and he said:
they will text if they need us….
We will never forget watching them run toward Champs de Mars.
Happy giggles and so much energy.
After so many years of going to France….I am always inspired and want more.
Till next year….I will be counting the days.
Love you beyond the Eiffel Tower lit up…
Me
Thanksgiving 2016 was so much fun. The amazing spirit of this holiday was shared by my cousin and her friend from Roma. Larry and I were trilled to host them in the Prais apartment for Champagne and nibblies, then on to Le Grand Colbert for dinner. We visited like old friends, laughed, enjoyed the Paris night….and laughed a lot. Most of all, we were thankful. There are so many blessings for us all this year.
This shot is blurry, we think Larry had started drinking the wine before us.
Le Grand Colbert is named after Jean Colbert. Here is his half bust.
Our food was very good, service charming and we made friends with the diners that were close-by.
The escargot and rum baba….traditional French Thanksgiving cuisine was enjoyed by all.
Having Rebakah and Danielle with us made the holiday so special!
Thank you ladies for joining us, I love you both.
Le Grand Colbert is perfection. We all had a fun time.
My Larry is such a good sport…I am thankful for him every moment of every day.
Love you beyond the moon.
Me
I have an amazing passion for Matisse and Picasso. Their lives were intertwined, they loved and disliked each other. They inspired each other and fought for their own point of views. I cannot get enough of them and the history behind thier ART.
I also love these two….
This is the same photo location, 7 months apart in Paris France. Next time, I will have My Larry and Matilda together in front of this painting at the Picasso Museum. This wonderful museum is worth the visit. You will be in awe, inspired and in love.
Please have an inspired day today. I feel joy in the air.
Love you,
Me
Every few days while in France, Larry and I play chess.
We carry the little chess set around like a couple of nerds,
looking for a bench where the view is good and we can concentrate.
One morning last week, Larry woke up talking about chess.
He wanted to go to our favorite panini place at Champs de Mars,
take wine and beat me once again at our favorite game.
At around 2-ish in the afternoon, we packed up and went to the park.
I left him at the restaurant, while I ventured off to find the perfect bench.
I found it and had his back pack so I would get out the wine glasses and prepare the chess set.
{ My OCD husband does not like to drink wine out of plastic, so we carry wine glasses}
Ok, smile and remember I did confess to being nerds.
I sat down and started digging into the back pack
and….
there was no chess set.
He did not pack the glasses either.
A few moments later he showed up with our favorite paninis in hand and two plastic cups in hand.
Laughing he said: can you believe I forgot the glasses.
I said yes: I noticed.
Waiting for him to sit down before I broke the news about the chess set.
He was smiling and happy.
Then I broke the news.
He was kind of pissed at himself. I laughed.
He was frustrated and had to drink wine out of plastic cups from the panini man.
Not to mention no chess game. {I would have won anyway}
Imagine us, in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower,
kind of bummed out.
So we drank wine with 14% alcohol,
ate the best veggie panini in Paris
and
watched the donkey man give children rides.
The donkey man circled us each time he passed.
I think that he did it on purpose.
Larry said: darn donkeys
but I personally think that he had fun like I did.
Ahhhh, another perfect day in Paris.
Did I mention that I spilled wine on his treasured back pack?
The back pack is 30 years old…and has character.
He was a little angry when the wine spilled…
I laughed and called it tie-dye!
It took him a few days to laugh about the donkey man day…
but, OH what a day!
Have you ever had a Donkey Man Day?
You know the kind of day I mean.
When things do not go right, but they don’t go wrong either?
Have a happy day today.
I love you beyond the moon.
Me
Libby threw up on the bed very early this morning. After all of the vacation laundry I did yesterday, today was to be a non-laundry day. Insert my frown face here.
Last week, while in France, My Larry would go to the patisserie for our breakfast while I slept in. He would bring back our favorite, raisin pain. I would drink tea or diet Coke {in my new mug} and of course Larry drank Orangina while we had breakfast at the table by the window. Larry only drinks wine and Orangina while in Paris. To be honest, he is like a man possessed about Orangina. It is kind of funny.
One day, I walked to the patisserie and took a picture of our neighborhood from the tables in front. It is a lovely area, with families and kiddos on push scooters. Happy family voices choosing bread and pastries for the day. I wish that I spoke French better than I do…
After twenty years of trips to Europe, I love the feeling of home. My appreciation for life is magnified during and upon return from any trip for me.
This past year was not a happy one for our family. My view of some people is somewhat jaded. The good news is, My favorite color is green and I adore Jade….going away was once again a blessing for us. Being away. Not thinking about how hurtful people can be and how a lovely family can be fractured by the actions of one outsider.
I am happy. Larry is awesome. We are ready for busy holiday weekends and remembering that the the joy of this season is because of love and forgiveness.
Love and Forgiveness.
Love you.
Me