Garage Sale Score

My elementary school put on a garage sale last week to raise money for our students. I was so thrilled to find this little pillow with the word "joie" on it (meaning "joy" in French):

A few years ago, my mom gave me the other pillow "bonheur" (meaning happiness in French). I like these subtle reminders of my life in France... makes it feel more home-y!

Above this cozy chair are two of my favorite pictures of my husband and me:

What about you? Have you found any second-hand treasures lately?

PS: Have you entered the two giveaways yet? Click here and here to win!

Faraway Friends

When I tell people I grew up in France and Germany as a missionary kid, they often say something like "How special!" or "How exotic!"

And while I'm thankful for the many amazing experiences I've had living overseas, I sometimes find myself  longing to be one of those lucky people who stay in one place most of their lives. Who can point to one place on a map and say "That's home!" Who run into people they knew in high school, in elementary school.

This is especially true when it comes to friends. I went to an international boarding school during my high school years and made good friends from all over the globe. I graduated in a class of 75 and we all went our separate ways for college in the States. (When we had our 10 year reunion, we had to take a vote on which city/state we would meet up in!!)

I made a few good friends in college (I married the best one!) but we moved far away from there when it was all over. And we've kept moving around, so it's been difficult to make friends, keep friends, and stay in touch with friends. You know?

But this week, a very good friend of mine from my international high school is in town!! Here we are, then and now:

It's been so good to catch up. Good for my heart. 

I'm linking up with Casey today!

Winter Berry

I took this picture on a walk up behind my parents' house in France this past Christmas:

It inspired me to look for some winter berry beauty on Etsy! Take a look at these gorgeous finds:

Chocolates for my Sweet -Valentine's Wreath from The Wright Wreath

Red Winter Berry Earrings from Girl Loves Glitter

Red Berries and Cream crochet flower brooch from The Brooch Boutique

Hand Painted Necklace from Tuckoo & Moo Cow

Vacationing in France: what we saw

This is the last of the pictures from France. It's some of the cool things we saw.... I wish I could take you all there in person so you could see it all yourselves!! Instead, here's the best I can do:

Drool-worthy store fronts

Tourist office of Strasbourg

The Strasbourg cathedral, surrounded by Christmas markets

 Close up of the Strasbourg Cathedral door

Snowy rooftops in Belfort

The lovely view outside of my parents' house

I sure do miss it all! I can't wait until we get to go back!!

Vacationing in France: what we ate

On top of my mother's home cooking, we had the opportunity to eat out at several local French restaurants in the Alsace region. I'm not a food blogger, so I apologize for the photos, but at the time my mind was on devouring the deliciousness!

"Tarte Flambee"- this is not pizza... it's better! We ordered this one covered in goat cheese, munster cheese, and ham!

Fresh made crepes smothered in Nutella. Bliss!

 "Rosti" - a hashed potato dish served with all kinds of toppings.

"Tartiflette" - a scalloped potato dish served with various toppings.

REAL "pain au chocolat" that leaves your fingers buttery! Yum! 

"Choucroute a l'Alsacienne" - I never thought I liked sauerkraut until it was served hot with meat!

"Profiteroles" - cream puffs stuffed with vanilla ice cream - to die for!

I'm drooling over my memories! Up next: what we saw.

Vacationing in France: the Christmas markets

We're back in Texas now and back to the daily grind. I'm having lots of fun going through our pictures! I've organized them by theme... Let's start out with the Christmas markets our area of France (Alsace) is famous for:

The Christmas markets in the little village of Riquewhir

Bread heaven!

 Spice heaven!

 Cheese heaven!

"Love Apples" are candied apples!

Squeezing out some fresh macaroons!

Up next? What we ate!

Christmas markets

In my parents' little corner of the world (Alsace, France), Christmas markets are a big thing. Charming little booths are set up in the town's square and people sell everything from handmade pens to candles, to gingerbread, to jewelry, to ornaments. Oh, and food! There's always lots of good cheese, sausages, crepes, and chocolate treats. I'm putting on weight just thinking about it!

I'm having loads of fun with my family, and I hope you're all enjoying the holidays with your loved ones too!

Fun in France

I'm finally home in France with my parents (and my sister and brother-in-law too!!). Other than recovering from the seven hours of time difference and the ensuing jet lag, here's what we've been up to:

Eating French pastries

Exploring the local towns

Taking hikes in the vineyards behind my parents' house

What have you been up to this holiday season?

I'm leaving on a jet plane

Tonight I'll be hopping on a plane (ahem... more like going through some stressful hassles at the airport) to go see my parents for Christmas. My parents live in France -- see #1 here if you want to know why -- and I haven't seen them in thirteen months. That's a long time! My sister and her husband will also be there for the holidays, so I'm doubly excited!

My parents live in the Alsace, a part of France that's just on the border with Germany (in fact it changed hands back and forth a few times between those two countries during the World Wars). The houses there have a very distinct style. Here's my parent's house:

And yes, that's a working vineyard in the backyard (belonging to the landlord).

Even though they've only been in this particular region of France for a few years, it still feels like home!