Home Alone

For the first time in over a decade, we are home alone. Unbelievable, no?

Oliver is visiting the west coast of the US (Los Angeles, San Fransicso, Yosemite National Park......et cetera

Charlotte is having a whale of a time in Corsica, and next week Sardinia. She on holiday with at least 15 boys and only 3 girls, what a group.

Gabrielle is down in the south of France, staying in Cassis and only a 20 minute drive away from our old home in Sanary

And finally Alexis and Marie-Kate are with their grand-parents in Brittany.

While we've been at home alone. We did plan on a hiking holiday, but the weather has been capricious, so we took a raincheck on that one, and instead haven't done much at all, which has been wonderful.

We have managed to eat out once, despite the pouring rain in Paris at a good bistro called Le Vin de Soif.

And visit the Rodin Museum which wad just fantastic.

We bought few books, including this one

and have been cooking and eating recipes from it

This split pea and ham soup was just so good

and some cheese souffles, yummy

and an onion tart before going into the oven. Unfortunately, it got a little burnt, but was still good

And yesterday, we went to Ikea and bought a couple of things, including these spice pots and metal board. No more bending down now.

Yesterday I started painting oliver's room (he didn't like the colour I chose...before I discovered F &B, and I agree with him) So I am doing the room in Charlotte's Locks and white tie, but have been stalled as I have run out of the latter. So I'll carry on with that next week sometime, because we have far more interesting things to do this weekend.

Somethings to brighten this grey day

Friday, I received four boxes from the US, with something amazing to assemble.

Paintings from Germany (just need two more I think, better in fours here)

Yesterday, another package from Germany, and today, one from London.

Ian Stevenson prints from London( It's been in a tube and I'm flattening this one, which is destined for our stairs)

Needless to say, I'm one extremely contented person, and I'm not the only one, as Marie-Kate got a painting for her last milk tooth (I'm a bad mum and forgot to inform the tooth fairy to pick-up her tooth for the umpteen time.

Now she's trying to get another tooth to wobble, so she can have another painting from the tooth fairy or is it the little mouse...

And after months of looking for a frame for our Paris metro map, I got impatience and put it up with some drawing pins, and there it's going to stay.

Glutton for punishment...Bedroom

I felt like being lazy this morning, the younger children are happy, and teenagers are either sleeping at friends or here and I probably won't see either of them till way pass lunch-time.

Alexis asked me half an hour ago, what was I going to do today and before I could answer he said our bedroom was yuck (his words), and I've decided to get started on it. It will probably take all morning to fill in all the holes but at least that's something.

On the walls when we moved in, there was an orangy coloured velvet fabric that covered the entire bedroom which really was awful. Mr H used this room as his office, hence all the holes to be filled, because he had a floor to ceiling shelving system where we have the headboard now.

I'm going to keep the room as empty as possible, just our bed, armoire and bedside tables and a comfy chair under the second window...rocking chair which was there, is now downstairs and the small table too. Nedd to find a place for the chest of drawers that's empty, pictured in our bedroom.

The patches of paint, colour pigeon, was what I really wanted to use here, but I'm worried about the long winters and lack of light, even if this is a big south facing room.

This is one of our two windows. My H had the original ones changed for these modern ones which is a shame. On the other side of our little road you can see our neighbours house. Guess what, after almost six months here, she came and introduced herself on Friday. She's really quite shy (like me) and she has her hands full with her job and children and their house needs lots of work doing too. She told me that she had visited our house, but there was too much work to do and the kitchen just put them completely off.

Floor finished..sigh of relief

The job I hoped to finish weeks ago, was delayed due to the fact that I was sick for a whole week , which is unusual for me. Anyway, I managed to finish the floor and the painting the other day, now I just need more varnish but have unfortunately been housebound due to an abundant snow fall (third time in the last couple of weeks).

I'll post better photos tomorrow, maybe even Alexis' new red bed (thrift shop find), when I have finished...yes you guessed....painting it!

pompoms

No baking today, MK made pompoms, well we made a pompom each using wool that had mini pompoms already on it, the result was a bit OTT, so we kept the second one "wreath" shaped.

Alexis' bedroom is coming on, I'm sanding and need more bands, lots more bands (used 4 up till now). Painting and varnishing should swiftly follow and he should have his room back for Thursday...still looking for a locker type wardrobe and another bookcase (found a bed, just have to decide between grey or red paint..)

M-K's blue bedroom

The bedroom wasn't finished on Friday, I was way too optimistic. After a weekend of getting the glue off the walls, cleaning et cetera....painting all Sunday and Monday it was time to seal the wood. Still lots of finishing touches to make like paint the bookcase, hang up art, and school board ( I found on of those school blackboard's which in fact is green in a second hand store, which is made up of three parts, the biggest part is in the entrance and the two others which are smaller will go in MK's and Gaby's bedroom.

I'm not going to paint the desk, luckily, M-K likes it as it is, too.

More photos when the floor is completely dry.

M-K's Bedroom

I started chipping and scrapping the cement off the floorboards last weekend and phew I've finally finished. I've a third of the room to sand still, and then I can strip the walls ( the green wallpaper is lovely in comparison with the black woven wall covering in Alexis' room and the same but in brown in Gaby's...sorry no photos, stripped that off the first chance I got).

Impossible to finish today, but I'll give it a go...

Update at 17H15.... was a little optimistic, got started late as I had to wait for a chronopost parcel ( we have a telephone after a a 3 month break). Anyhow floor sanded, and half a room stripped and I did clean out the grout between most of the floorboards too..tedious job!

Tomorrow will be more productive, I hope!

Marie Kate's Autumn Leaves.

While Alexis wrote a story and Gaby, Charlotte and Oliver completed their homework, Marie-Kate painted. I told her to think of the colours that you see in Autumn and to choose leaf shapes from the garden to cut out to make a Autumn Garland.

Garland (with autumn sun), drying in the porch

Spray Painting by Alexis and MK

It's really too hot here to do much in the afternoon besides taking a dip in the pool or sheltering from the heat inside. So we try to do things before lunch.

As we are in the midst of clearing out the clutter from the garage to allow the children to have half of it as a hobby room, we needed a room divider.

I found and old sheet and the children found our old "Busy Book" that I bought for the children years ago and they decided to use an old spray bottle and some paint to brighten it up a little.

They had heaps of fun and still haven't managed to get all the paint off themselves.

Finshed Sheet, drying in the sun.

Newpaper cityscapes

Alexis and Marie-Kate did a cityscape each of our town by the sea today using newpaper and paints.

Alexis was inspired Van Gogh.

A nice house was Marie-Kate's priority.

Cookie Party

The one that was saved (for now anyhow)


Yesterday, Gaby had a small birthday party with three of her girlfriends from school. This years theme was "cookies" as Gabrielle recently read the book Cookie by Jacqueline Wilson (one of her favourite authors) and thought it would be fun to make some together. Now, I know how to make cookies, however, these French girls did not, but they were very sure that it would be easy...Oh I nearly forgot, they decided to make "nutella" cookies, and I have never made those before.


They made the cake, too.



And in-between making and baking they decorated their cooking aprons and cookie plates.

Gabrielle loves pigs, however she didn't like how her one turned out.

Finished aprons drying

The girls decorated the plates, one at a time, all together

Busy hands

No.1 Miam (yummy) Plate

No.2 My Dad Swallowed A Goldfish inspired plate(without a Dad) No.3 La Fête Party Plate

No.4 Musical Plate

Afterwards, the girls picked numbers from a hat to see which one they'd take home. Gabrielle got the "yummy" plate, Jodie, the goldfish one, Noemy got the "fête" one, and Elisa the "musical one.

It really was a super afternoon, the five hours just flew by, the girls went home with their hands full of cookies, plates and aprons. The next birthday is next month, we're off to London for a couple of days, we'll invite a couple of excited five year olds when we get back.

Gabrielle and her best friend Jodie