It's Me, Sara Louise

And whiskers on kittens… you can’t really think of that without it putting you in a good mood, can you? It’s impossible to fight the cheeriness. Julie Andrews. Bless.

Super glam, Mama, at Fabulous! (pasta not included) has asked me about some of my favorite things. And since I’ve been awake since 5am on this Sunday morning and can’t fall back asleep (grrrr… that’s an unhappy noise), while The Husband is upstairs soundly sleeping, and Fifty is dozing next to me (and doing that doggy dream thing where occasionally he makes little breathy barking noises) I figure, it’s a pretty good time to answer them.
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My Five Current Loves: Reading. I love to read. Sometimes I go through periods where I don’t read much, and then suddenly I pick up a book again, fall in love with it, and rediscover the relaxing joy. Last night was spent on the couch with Philippa Gregory’s, The Red Queen. (I‘m a sucker for historical fiction). In my relaxing state I was almost able to block out the exasperated noises of The Husband as he watched West Ham lose to Arsenal (my French husband is a West Ham fan. It’s so so sad. And completely my family’s fault. They bleed claret and blue).

Sunshine. I don’t think I have SeasonalAffectiveDisorder or anything, but I have to say, I’m a whole helluva lot more productive when the sun is out. The sun has been shining brightly the past couple of days and I love it so very much. (Really hope I haven’t jinxed anything).

Soap & Glory hand lotion. It smells really really nice. Since this blog isn’t scratch & sniff, you’ll have to trust me. It’s like angels and roses. Delightful.

Date nights with The Husband. We’ve made a resolution that we would have at least one a month. This may sound easy and natural, but when you live in a very small place, in the middle of nowhere, it’s hard to do anything without friends tagging along or bumping into them. Case in point: Friday night we went out to a restaurant in another village, after we ate and were walking out, we bumped into two friends in the bar. Yes, of course we’ll stay and have a drink with you. For an hour. Date night over.

Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume 2. This was a wonderfully thoughtful Xmas gift from my friend, J.R, who had already given me Volume 1 for my birthday last year. I guess she figured that since I’m in France and all…

Five Questions:
favorite makeup brand?
There isn’t really any particular brand I’m loyal to, but I do love Benefit and it’s packaging. Chanel makeup always makes me feel luxurious and ladylike. I think Bobbi Brown and MAC are great, and Clinique never fails to deliver. (ooh, apparently I’m a bit of a brand slut. Or salope as the French say).

favorite clothing brand?
Zara. Duh.

indispensable makeup product?
It’s hard to pick one because without at least the following, I look like death:

As long as I have at least the above on, I can venture out without scaring small children. And can I say, I’d love to be a makeup person, but I’m not. I’m terrible at it. The smokey eye continues to allude me. (Mama totally has the smokey eye down).

What country would you like to visit and why?
Tricky. I’m lucky in that I’ve traveled quite a bit and I’ve been to the places that I really really want to go to. That said, I’ll pick London (yes, I know it’s not a country) because even though I’ve been loads of time when I was little visiting family, as an adult, I’ve never really done London (except for a quick two days with an ex a few years back). I want to go with The Husband and spend a day in Harrods (oh can you imagine the huffing and puffing in there? It would be glorious) and see a show and such.
I’m also going to say Sardinia. This is mainly because Papa, Papa’s Wife and Brother-in-Law are obsessed with Corsica. They talk about it A LOT. They drink Corsican wine, eat Corsican sausage, Corsican cheese, and for some reason, home videos of Corsican holidays are put on for The Husband and I to suffer through. So now I say I’d like to visit Sardinia. It’s a feather ruffling kind of thing. (If you live in the south of France you might be able to relate. What’s up with all the Corsican symbols on so many cars? If all these people are Corsican, well I think they may have drastically underestimated the Corsican population).

What is the last concert you went to?
This one needs some serious memory digging. I’m not a concert person, I’m not that big of a music person. I like it, but I don’t LIKE it. I like my ipod and all the music on it, and how it keeps me company while I’m jogging, but as for concert tickets, I’d rather spend my money on something else. So for me, spending loads of money on a ticket and then cramming into a large stadium with loads of other people and having to stand in line for the bathroom, having to stand in line for a drink, having to stand in line to leave… no thank you. That said, I think the last concert I went to was the Red Hot Chili Peppers in Phoenix Park, Dublin. This was like six years ago. And the only reason I went; The Pixies were opening up. The Pixies. That’s a rare freaking occurrence. Seeing The Pixies is like seeing Hailey’s Comet. Yeah, it’s that rare (and I remember waiting in line to buy a beer F O R EV E R. I’m surprised I’m not still waiting).
(The concert I saw before that was the Beastie Boys, and I got kicked out. But managed to sneak back in. I’m a wee little devil).
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I bet Samantha from Life Love and Living in France would have some good answers.