In Between Days

Six months later... Remember the times I said, I would write more, share more, do more? I've shared the past six months with some of you (albeit briefly over the phone or mail) and I've definitely done so much more than I thought I would, but sadly I have not written to you here until today. How are you? Are you enjoying springtime? I'm doing well and spring has brought pretty colors and sweet scents here in Lavender Hill.

We just celebrated my husband's birthday and will soon welcome mine. So here I am reminiscing about last year; thinking about this year and the days in between.

last year's birthday date

celebrated with my bob, ameet and ally

proud and happy moment

patrick's graduation

msu nurse anesthesia class of 2011

celebrated mother's day

celebrated angie's happy 30th birthday!

celebrated life and love with melissa & david

my old (and first) digital camera finally died

believe it or not, this was the little gadget used to take all the pictures on this blog

it's been replaced by a canon, love it!

one of the many sweet holiday displays

at the drake hotel in chicago

adorable advent calendar which i filled with assorted chocolates

merry christmas

mistletoe

holiday baked goods:

almond biscottis

mocha log cakes

almond and pistachio nougat

2011 christmas tree

bob and i and a pixie

nico et belle

me and kuya dohn

niece sophie and nephew jack

on christmas eve at lolo & lola's home

a cute moment on christmas morning.

my husband discovered his childhood toys

in his old bedroom and began to play with them

new year's sunny day

homemade doughnuts. delightful!

updated french specs in saint james ne de la mer

winter's light snow fall on lavender hill

a drive by the river and the woods
meet my new cutie-pie: ben-the-fiat

(we had to say goodbye to bertha-the-rover)

cooked my first paella

baked my first tarte tatin

one of many thoughtful greetings and treats

i received while i was off recuperating...

nested here for two weeks

recycled anthropologie catalog...

...new book cover for my bible

surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and i will dwell in the house of the lord forever.
psalm 23:6

Carmel-by-the-Sea

A little charming restaurant in a French country inn setting is where we had our first meal. Cassanova on 5th Avenue between Mission and San Carlos. We had the perfect lunch in the outdoor garden.

Joyeux Noël

This post is dedicated to our French Famille: Nico, Christina 'Belle', and Emma

Joyeux Noël et bonne année! Tu nous manques.

Bûche de Noël

(chocolate genoise, chocolate mousse, chocolate ganache, and meringue mushrooms)

Poutoux,

Poulette et Mr. Smiley

P.S. We received your loving e-mail greeting!

Pink

think pink. the perfect pretty color motif for mama delia's 60th birthday celebration. kuya dohn is so clever. he's hosting the birthday party and pink is the color of the occasion. we have many things to be thankful for as we celebrate once more: our loving parents who turned 60 this year, our supportive families both near and far, good friends who always gather with us, and the pink icing on the cake--our mom's four cancer-free years. so guess what i made for the party? au revoir for now... poutoux!

me taken by ate delsa

an assortment of pink french macarons

chocolate ganache

pistachio buttercream

crème brulée

much love...xoxo

A Macaron Compromise

The perfect compromise: espresso macaron with chocolate ganache. Another late night of experimenting in Lavender Hill kitchen. Let the macaron-baking obsession begin...