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Gatz turns thirty
The Croupier isn’t the only one that turned thirty this month, Gatz rounded the corner into my decade as well (now if The Husband could hurry up and turn thirty too, maybe I won’t feel so weird). Whereas The Croupier was content with a big party in The LPV, Gatz had dreams of traveling abroad to celebrate and naturally wanted The Husband to go with him, and then he even decided that he wanted me to go too (I don’t think the term ‘third wheel’ means much here in France).First there was talks of Malta, and Palma, and then Madrid, and then maybe even a short Mediterranean cruise (although it’s kind of blasé when Marseille is one of the ports that the cruise stops along) but I had to constantly remind The Husband that he also turns thirty in a few months and does he really want to blow his birthday budget going away for Gatz’s birthday, and why couldn’t they just do a joint celebration halfway in between (because that would make too much sense, that’s why).
Then somehow the months of travel talk seem to go poof into thin air, and The Husband felt bad and asked Gatz if he wanted to go to Barcelona for the weekend just the two of them (oh so romantic) but Gatz said no, he didn’t feel like celebrating, but I wasn’t having any of that, so last Friday, on his birthday, I phoned him up and told him that we were all going out to dinner and he just needed to name the place. And you know where he picked? The wine bar (Boohoo for me right? Wrong. That place is like my Disneyland).
And that’s the story of how we went to the bar au vin for the greatest birthday dinner of all time (at least the greatest birthday dinner of Gatz’s time anyway).
We got the evening started with a bottle of Ruinart Brut Rosé.
Ruinart Brut Rosé makes me feel like je suis aux anges.
{Merci Mr.London}And then we gave Gatz his birthday present… a Toulon practice jersey signed by Mr. London, which was definitely the highlight for Gatz, but the best part of my night came when the Sommelier called me his ‘little expert’ because I knew where all the different wines came from.A+ for Sara Louise.(once an apple polisher,
always an apple polisher)bisou
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run it down
++ On Easter Sunday, Gatz, The Husband’s hetero life partner, made me a proud Mama (sometimes I feel responsible for him because he’s like a lost puppy). He was coming with The Husband and me to Papa’s for lunch and showed up dressed beautifully (like one of those really beautifully dressed men you see in Paris or Rome) and not only did he have a bottle of Rasteau for Papa’s Wife, he had a bottle of Cairanne for me. Gold star for Gatz.
++ It’s been raining on and off for over a week. So not cool. And our perfect late March temperatures of 20°C (70°F) have cooled to 15°C (60°F). It’s all very annoying.
++ The mint (la menthe) is blooming in my back garden… that means one thing… Mojitos! And once the sun comes back out to play, I’ll be drinking those Mojitos outside (I wonder where I can buy those little cocktail umbella thingys…)
++ The Husband and Honey Jr went to Avignon to play football (soccer) with Baby Cousin on Wednesday night (driving over an hour for a play date mid-week seems a little weird to me but whatever) but that meant I had an evening to myself… back to back episodes of Tabatha’s Salon Takeover (I have no idea why I like that show but I do) and that bottle of Cairanne Gatz gave me. Score.
++ And I may or may not have just watched every episode of Russian Dolls. Please don’t judge me.
++ British Airways ruined my plans to see The Hunger Games. You see, I was supposed to meet Mrs. London in Aix-en-Provence on a Wednesday afternoon to see it, and her house guests were due to fly out on Tuesday night, but British Airways cancelled their flight, her guests had to stay put and that left me dateless for The Hunger Games. Boo. British Airways… your uppance will come.
++ Rumor has it The Parisian is looking to sell Le Petit Bar in September. I guess he wants to wait one more summer season to see how many tourists he can disappoint first.
bisou -
I'm so boring
I was trying to post about my Easter this morning, but honestly, it wasn’t that exciting. Don’t get me wrong, it was nice and all but it was what it was and that was, wasn’t particularly post worthy.That said, being that I’ve got nothing (again! I’ve had a whole lot of nothing lately haven’t I?) I’m going to answer a bunch of questions (I’m so boring, I’m so sorry) this time, from some I’ve borrowed from a Cod a Bean and Everything in Between . Bear with me please and thank you.
If there could only be one season year round which would you choose?
Summer, hands down. (at least that’s my answer today, who knows, if I answered tomorrow, I could say Autumn, but I doubt it). I love eating outside, barbecuing with friends, and wearing shorts and summer dresses. Plus warm sunny weather is much more conducive for day trips to places like Cassis and Monaco.You get to spend a month in Europe, and can only go to one place… is it Italy or France?
{about a million years ago}Gee, I don’t know. I’m going to have to go with Italy on this one. And it’s not just because I’m already in France, I genuinely like Italy. OK, so I’ve only been to Rome, but I really liked it. I like Italian food (who doesn’t?) Italian wine (sshh!) and I’d love to see Florence and Milan too so yeah, I’m going with Italy on this one. Plus I really like the idea of cruising around on a Vespa shouting, “ciao bella!” at every turn.
Red wine, white wine or champagne?
Hmmm… it has to be red. White is normally my third choice after rosé and red (but don’t get me wrong, if you hand me a glass of white I’ll drink it), and while Champagne is wonderful, it’s also my kryptonite. After glass two and I’m entering the dancing on tables danger zone.Dogs or cats?
I’m going to let you in on a little secret… I’m kind of scared of cats. I don’t know what it is, but I don’t entirely trust them, they freak me out a little.
One job you haven’t had that would be a dream job.
Secretary of State (I’ve talked about this before). I like diplomacy. And speaking of Secretary of State, have any of you seen the blog Texts From Hillary? So clever.
One famous person you would love to meet.
Would it be superficial for me to say Ryan Gosling? Yes? Bummer.
One movie that you could watch again and again…
Giant. I love this movie, and even though it was made over fifty years ago, I still find it’s social commentary relevant. Plus, you get to stare at Rock Hudson and James Dean for over two hours. #oldschooleyecandy
You are given a plane ticket to fly anywhere in the world this weekend, where are you going?
It’s funny, because I just answered this question a couple of weeks ago and my answer is the same, NYC, which I guess means, I really need a trip to the Big Apple (But, if we’re talking more than a weekend, than my answer is Melbourne. I’d visit Bec, her new baby, and The Pink Leopard, and sample every bit of culinary delights that the city has to offer. Melbourne is hopping in the foodosphere at the moment and I want to taste it).
One decade you wish you could have lived in (including this one).
Oh I don’t know, maybe the 1960s. It would be pretty amazing to witness all that change and maybe be a part of it, and of course the fashion was pretty swish. Or, the 12th Century so I could see Le Petit Village when all the buildings were still brand new. That would be weird.
If you had to change your name, what would you name yourself?I never liked Sara when I was a kid, it just seemed so blah, but now I think it suits me. Although, I think Kate would suit me too, or since I’m in France now, maybe something like Amélie or Anaïs.What do you think?Name me please.bisou -
party rock is in the house tonight
The Husband’s childhood sweetheart, The Croupier, turned 30 on Saturday and Le Petit Village’s town hall was filled with balloons, banners, friends, and family all for her.
In France, celebrations tend to run late in the night. Like L A T E. As in the cake comes out after midnight, and in this case, 2a.m. So after I stuffed myself full of birthday macarons, I called it a night and crawled into bed at 3a.m., plenty late for me, but that meant I missed the 3:30a.m. arrival of Brother-in-Law and Child Bride (there needs to be a new term for fashionably late, maybe we’ll call that, unfashionably late). The Husband made it home a little after 5a.m. which didn’t bode too well for Easter lunch the next day but that’s a story for another time.
Back to the party.
The birthday girl was surprised by a flash mob that we performed to ♫ Party Rock is in the House Tonight ♫.
{everybody just have a good time} 
{shake that} 
But The Croupier couldn’t stand to be left out and jumped on the dance floor to join in on the fun (that’s her on the left). You know, because everyday she’s shuffling (that’s funny on so many levels).
bisou -
good friday
Want to know why my Good Friday was a good Friday?
1. It stopped raining yesterday long enough for The Husband, Honey Jr., Honey’s Honey and me to have l’apéro outside (April showers and all), even though it was kind of cold. OK, it was really freaking cold. Honey’s Honey and I were bundled up in cardies and coats asking why we were still outside. I guess Honey Jr. and The Husband figured that since it’s ‘spring‘, l’apéro should be had outside. To this I say hogwash.
2. Honey’s Honey introduced me to these cute little suits called one piece. If feetie pyjamas and an old school sweat suit had a baby, it would be a one piece. They have a hood and pockets and are actually meant to be worn outside the house (for €140 I should think so) and look super comfy but I can say without a doubt, that you will never ever see me wear one. While Honey Jr. and Honey’s Honey could pull off the look (both being so petite and cute and all), The Husband and I would look utterly ridiculous. I’ll be spending that €140 at Zara instead thank you very much.
3. Toulon was playing Harlequins in the quarter-final of the European Cup (we’re talking rugby here my American friends) and since Toulon is Gatz’s favorite team, he decided to come and watch it with us (Toulon is not The Husband’s and my favorite team but since Mr. London plays for them, we cheer them on). So why was I happy about The Husband’s hetero life partner, Gatz, coming over you ask? Because he was buying the pizza.
4. That’s right, Friday night is pizza night in Le Petit Village and the new pizza man does not disappoint. We had four pizzas… Bayonne: jambon cru (it’s a cured ham, kind of like prosciutto), mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, and pistou (a French sauce of garlic, fresh basil, and olive oil), Forestier: fresh mushrooms, crème fraîche, smoked lardons (kind of like bacon), and mozzarella, Armenienne: ground beef, onions, and peppers, and La Kebab: (which was delicious but I can’t really figure out what’s on it. Sometimes you just have to go with it and enjoy).
D E L I C I O U S.5. And then not only did Toulon win, but Mr. London was named Man of the Match. How you like them apples?!
It was a Good Friday indeed.See, it doesn’t take much to make me happy does it? -
how La Petite celebrates
La Petite celebrated her first birthday last weekendwith a fabulous new pair of shoes(floral… very Spring 2012),
some playtime with a new toy,and having her cake and eating it too(she is the birthday girl after all).
But since no party is complete without a little dancing,La Petite knows there is no better placeto shake her groove thing than atop the table(I’ve taught her well),
before calling it a night and falling asleepin the arms of one that she loves(Nanas give the best cuddles).bisou -
it's what's been happening
+ Fifty has a new girlfriend. She comes around every morning to give him kisses. It’s pretty cute. But whereas Vicky always came to the front door, this little one sneaks around to the back.
+ I made spaghetti and bacon meatballs for dinner the other night. Now don’t get too excited, they aren’t meatballs that are 100% bacon (although that does sound delicious) they are beef meatballs, with bacon ground up in them. Yeah, I’ll make these again.
+ I’m a bit scared that my cookbooks are jealous of Pinterest because I’ve totally been neglecting them and giving all of my attention to my delish dish board. I can’t help it, it’s called ‘delish’ for a reason you know.
+ Spring has truly arrived as I’ve been to three BBQs in the last two weeks, was invited to another that we had to turn down, and have one on the books for Friday. Spring time is BBQ time.
+ My French dentist calls me the little cat because he says I sound like a cat when he’s working on me. I’m not too sure how I feel about that.
+ I’ve got the moving bug again. I love The LPV but you know, it’s really freaking small (hence the name Le Petit Village) and although it is probably the most beautiful place I will ever live in my life (and the weirdest), it’s also the most inconvenient.
+ I have now finished reading The Hunger Games series as I turned the last page on Mocking Jay last night. I’m super excited because tomorrow I’m going to see the movie in Aix with Mrs. London, but am also totally bummed because I’ve finished the books. What should I read now? Suggestions please.
+ And speaking of books…
are any of you on Shelfari?bisou -
hotel toulon
I’m a lucky girl. Not only do I get to live in The LPV (I love calling Le Petit Village The LPV, makes me feel like a gangsta), one of the most beautiful places on the planet, get to drink delicious wines as cheap as soda, and sample all the cheese I can stand, but now, as if life couldn’t get any sweeter, one of my cousins has moved to Toulon, only two hours south of here. How freaking lucky is that? It’s lucky.So last Saturday, The Husband and I made a trip down Toulon way to say hi. It was going to be an extra special day because besides getting to hang out with my cousin (who for the purposes of this blog I have christened, Mrs. London), one of my favorite uncles was visiting as well. Except Mrs. London and I decided that we would surprise him and not tell him I was coming. Fun.
The surprise worked a little too well because when I walked into the house, my Uncle gave me a look like he kind of knew who I was, but wasn’t 100% sure, stood up, and introduced himself to me. But in fairness, he is 79, wasn’t wearing his glasses, and I’m sure wasn’t expecting one of his nieces to just happen to be in Toulon. So there you go.
I could have happily sat in Mrs. London’s living room all day, chatting and catching up, but we had lunch reservations to get to. Unfortunately, Mrs. London’s Westie puppy, Napoleon, was none too pleased that he wasn’t invited and refused to stay on the inside of the gate and be left behind.
It took one Irishman, one Englishman, and one Frenchman to hold back Napoleon, but eventually, he was captured and locked inside, exiled, to his own little Saint Helena.Since Mrs. London’s husband, Mr. London, was working, he wasn’t able to join us for lunch, so we thought it would be nice to visit him at his office afterwords and say hi…
And that should have been it. See Mrs. London. Check. Surprise Uncle. Check. Visit Mr. London at work. Check. and go home. Except what Mrs. London and I weren’t counting on was Mr. London and The Husband developing a man crush on each other and refusing to say goodbye (they even snuck off to the beach to drink Rosé alone together).
We finally got home on Monday afternoon.bisou -
pink is so not my favorite color
(at least not today anyway)I’m a moron. And here’s why… you know how a few weeks ago I was all icky and what not with la grippe and conjunctivitis? Well, I convinced myself that my beloved mascara would still be ok since I hadn’t worn it for a couple of days before the onset of the gooey eye pinkness and of course hadn’t worn it during, so naturally it’d be ok. But it’s not ok. And now my eyes are once again, not ok.moron moron moron(But give me a break, do you have any idea how far I have to drive to pick up a tube of Yves Saint Laurent mascara? Far. Far is the answer)So here’s the deal, since I’m super duper cranky and totally irritated with myself for being such a moron (I mean really, how dumb am I?!) I’m cheating today and posting something I wrote back in July for my friend Ami over at Fit With Flash. Pretty please forgive me guys (and Aidan, you don’t get to say “I told you so”, no you don’t).…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….I never used to be much of a jogger, but since moving to France, my day doesn’t kick off right without a jog out of my village. I started jogging for a couple of reasons; 1) I’m currently a housewife and am blessed with time in the morning. Now instead of jogging in heels to catch the bus, I’m jogging in shoes that aren’t conducive to twisting my ankle. And 2) because although ‘French Women Don’t Get Fat’ (according to that book) women who move to France do (well I do anyway). I blame it on the baguettes, and croissants, and the cheese, and the wine… that damn delicious, inexpensive wine. So since I’m not willing to sacrifice my baguette, and my croissant, my cheese, and my delicious, inexpensive wine, I jog. Because really, what would be the point of living in France without all of that French goodness?Every morning (ok, almost every morning) me and my dog head out and catch the rising sun. It’s completely quiet; just me and my dog, Fifty. It’s my favorite part of the day.This is what we see as we bounce along…
Which, I have to admit, makes me love jogging in my little village almost as much as I love all the baguettes, croissants, cheese, and wine.Almost.bisou -
bon baisers
Sini from Bon Baisers de France has tagged me with some questions, which is perfect, because after a weekend that should have only consisted of a day trip to Toulon, but turned into 48 hours in Toulon, I’m shattered tired, and answering questions is about all I have in me.As directed by ‘the rules’ I’m to 1) post a photo of myself (Check. Please see above, but FYI, this is last lavender season, this year’s hasn’t sprouted yet) 2) answer Sini’s questions 3) come up with 11 questions to pass on (but I’m going to go with ten because 11 is a weird number and I don’t like it).Here we go.1. What makes you happy? Those first few moments after I’ve cleaned the house when everything is perfect (i.e; before The Husband and Fifty mess it up).
2. Are you worried about getting older? Yes and no. I’m not worried in an aging sense, but I am sort of worried with a running out of time kind of feeling.
3. Where you would like to travel and why? At this very moment, I wouldn’t mind a trip to NYC and a stay at the St Regis. I’d like a week to walk around a city, visiting some museums and speaking English.
4. Winter or summer? Summer. Bare legs and sandals with brightly painted toe nails makes me cheery.
5. Your favourite artist/band? Beastie Boys.
6. Sweet or salty? Salty. I’ll always take the bag of chips over a chocolate bar.
7. What is your favourite sport activity? Rugby to watch, Pétanque to play (not competitively mind you, in an after Sunday lunch kind of way to play)
8. What do you like about yourself? I like how much more relaxed about things I am as I get older. I think with age you learn how to accept the things that you can’t control, take a deep breath, and move on. It’s a pretty liberating feeling (however my superficial answer to this question is my tookus. It’s pretty fantastic. You can call me J.Lo Jr).
9. What is the most important thing in your life? A sense of security.
10. What languages do you speak? English obviously and Franglais but I’m hoping that Franglais turns to French soon.
11. After a busy day, what is the best way to relax and forget the hectic life? A nice glass of wine, and a good book.And now some questions for…Alyx @ Everyday is a New AdventureAshley @ Run With MeKaity @ Adventures of an American Girl1. What is your favorite book?2. What would you choose for your last meal?3. If you could invite three people (dead or alive) for dinner, who would they be?4. And what would you cook for them?5. What TV show can you absolutely not miss?6. What is your dream vacation destination?7. If you were given a check for $10,000, what would you spend it on (and you can’t stick it in savings or pay off debt with it)?8. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?9. If you could go back in time and choose a different career (or career path) would you, and what would it be?10. What’s your favorite way to spend a Saturday?I’m out.bisou
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It's Me, Sara Louise 