A Mystery

Here are some shots my lovely and talented daughter took of a project I've been working on. This is just to whet your appetite, the big reveal will come soon. I think for a 15 year old, with a simple point and shoot digital camera she just got, she has quite an eye. I am going to encourage her to pursue photography as a hobby. You never know where it might lead. I'm very proud of her. She is in one of the photos, but for the life of me I can't figure out what that face she's making is all about :)

I hope you enjoy. I will reveal this, and another project I'm still working on in a few days.

~Teri~

Just Watch!

This is the craziest post, but I feel us women have to stick together... when something is good, we must share!

If you have trouble with your hair, and like smooth styles, run, don't walk to your phone, computer, or Target and get this thing... it's great.

Forgot to mention, there are NO styling products in my hair whatsoever... no mousse, gel, smoothing creme, hairspray, anything. I washed it this morning, blew it dry and ran out the door.

The whole time I was doing my hair, I was thinking of my blog friends and family! Hope you enjoy this minimercial!

Love ya,

~Teri

P.S. I cannot divulge what I paid... Scott will be watching!

So Random...

Okay... we are FREEZING here in Florida. It's really out of control. It's been like this since New Years. It's making me be in a bad mood. Tomorrow's high is in the low 50's. Our regular temps this time of year are in the 70's. Please don't write me and make me feel guilty if your area of the country is much worse off. I get it... I'm not asking you to feel sorry for me... but I'm STILL COLD!!!

What's a beach girl to do with these unseasonably cold temps?

Well, there are a few things...

First, I keep my most favorite thing in the world all plugged in and ready to go...

That's a Keurig Coffee Maker. It's great for Starbucks- like coffee at home. My personal favorite? Paul Newman Extra Bold. It's just so.... yum!

Secondly...

To add insult to injury of the cold weather, hubby left on a business trip to Phoenix this morning.... and yes, it's in the 70's there... but there was a cool surprise for me when I clicked on my TV at 5:30am when he kissed me goodbye.

I've told you all how much I love my TIVO. I hardly ever watch real-time TV anymore. About once a month, I go through my TIVO selection of movies on TCM, and choose a few to record. They show up at random... I never know what's coming.

Well... this morning, I hit the JACKPOT. Three absolute favs were all sitting there in my queue, just waiting for me!! I can't wait to snuggle down tonight, and just veg out after everyone is fed and in bed.

I love my husband and everything... but if he were home, he would insist on hour-by-hour Olympics. That's cool and all, but may I just say, I'm glad they only come around every 2 years... of course I would rather have him home, but, if one must be alone, having all these great movies softens the loneliness just a little.

Are you just dying to know what the three movies are???? I'm so excited I barely know what to choose first!!!

Casablanca (1942)

Little Women (1949)

The Parent Trap (1961...the original, of course!)

Can you even stand it?????????

It seriously doesn't take much to make me extremely happy!!!

It's the little things :)

~Teri

A Special Valentines Day

Valentines Day is upon us, and I couldn't let it go by without a quick post. I want to tell you about the most special Valentines Day ever...

It was 1985. My husband, daughter and I were living in Oklahoma away from friends and family. We had moved there for the promise of a better job and higher pay, and once we got there, the "boss" reneged on the deal.

We were so young and naive,

but we did learn something... "put it in writing."

We were struggling financially, the cold wind blew constantly, and our tiny apartment would not get warm. If it hadn't been for my new daughter Meagan, I would've cried everyday.. but she brought such joy to my life... I knew I would make it.

As Valentines Day approached, I knew it would be without gifts and fanfare. How depressing... then, the most miraculous thing happened... my dear sweet grandmother sent me a crisp, new ten dollar bill in the mail. She wrote... "Do something special for Meagan and Scott with this money." I took off to Walmart with money in clinched fist. Now you may be thinking... "What can a person do with $10?" You'd be surprised!!! I was beyond excited.

I searched the aisles with Meagan in tow. I bought some red plates, some $1 candy baskets for each of us, a Happy Valentines Day banner, some cards, and a German Chocolate cake mix and icing... Scott's favorite!

When Scott came home that evening, he was so surprised! I decorated the hand-me-down table with cards, a toy, red candles, and the cake. I had dressed Meagan and I in red. The finishing touch was a box of candy Scott brought me. We had such fun that evening. We felt like a million dollars.

This started a Valentines Day party tradition that continued until Meagan got married and left home 20 years later. I tried to carry on the tradition, but it just wasn't the same. We do different things now, but nothing will ever top

February 14, 1985!!!

Hope your Valentines Day is happy and full of love.

Sending hugs and kisses your way!

~Teri

Blog Award

I've been totally under the weather for the past few days, so I am really behind on blogging and blog reading, but much to my surprise, I checked my blog today, and received a blog award... so happy!!!!

Thank you so much Jenny! Hop on over and check out Jenny's blog...

Pleasant Places

It's full of fun travel stories, and travel information. Really detailed, if you are planning a trip to Paris or London, this is a great place to stop by. I admire her nerve to travel overseas with little ones in tow, but I know they are making great memories!

Bonus... she's from my home state of Texas!

So head on over to Jenny's blog, and I'll be posting again whenever I catch up on EVERYTHING!!!!!!!

~Teri

Paris in Real Time

Since I'm on a diet all month, naturally, all I'm thinking about is FOOD.

I thought I would post two videos of our favorite lunch in Paris this year.

In this first video, I was trying to show the street scene. This is a street 2 blocks off St. Germain. I never was able to film what was in those boxes literally touching the back of my head, but it was a raw seafood stand. The boxes were full of crushed ice and all kinds of sea creatures... octopus, sea urchins, shrimp, oysters, etc.

Due to the smell of raw fish, we opted for steak... which is risky business in Paris... they are not known for their steak. But it was fantastique!

This next video is self explanatory. I know it seems crazy to film a meal, but this was such a perfect afternoon, that we wanted to capture it.

Those french fries... oh how do you say, "died and went to heaven" in french? The steak looks questionable, but it had such flavor. It was very thin, but perfectly cooked. The salad... how do they make lettuce, one tomato, and walnuts taste SO GOOD? The dressing? I could've taken a bath in it!

A few days later, we decided to go back and eat the exact same meal again. Problem? You wouldn't think so! We hopped the metro, got off at St. Germain, and began searching all the side streets. We must have walked 10 miles up and down and in and out of streets and alleys, until finally we gave up. It was so frustrating. One street looked especially familiar, but our restaurant was gone! Could they possibly pack up and move a restaurant overnight???

We were so sad. We really wanted to eat there again. That evening, I got a brilliant idea... we took out the camera, and studied the street scene I filmed while at the restaurant. We finally noticed the name of the restaurant printed on the awning across the way. We googled that restaurant, wrote down the address, and went there the next day... and

VOILA...

there was our restaurant right across the way! We were only one tiny turn away from it the day before. We were quite proud of our sleuthing abilities.

We have learned over and over again, that if you like something in Paris, write it down. We always think we will remember, but we don't. The streets make no sense, and after awhile, they all begin to run together in your head. I've said it before and I'll say it again, most of the cool stuff in Paris, we find quite by accident.

Bon Appetit and have a wonderful weekend!

~Teri

Keepin' It Real

Okay... a lot of you have left the most lovely comments about Scott and I sketching at the Louvre. It was fun, dreamy, romantic, etc... but I never want to leave the impression that that's normal for us.

It's just not! We are a totally normal couple with faults and flaws and every once in a while we can't stand the sight of each other... hope we aren't the only ones!!!

I will admit fully that Paris changed us. We treat each other so much better now, and our outlook on life has changed 180 degrees, but we still have our moments. I've decided to share one such moment with you here... a moment in Paris where we didn't... dare I say?... get along...

I will NOT tell you what we were fighting about, but I was upset with Scott. We were in our Montematre apartment, at the TOP OF A GIANT HILL, and it was ten o'clock at night. I was starving, and of course there was nothing in the apartment to eat. I told Scott all I wanted was some potato chips. Mind you, on the hill in Montematre, at night, there are restaurants open, but that's it! There are NO grocery stores, NO convenience stores, and trust me, if there were, they are NOT loaded with junk food in any form.

Scott told me NO WAY was he going out to search for potato chips on a cold night in Paris. I whined... I know...it's ugly... but I was CRAVING salt. So while I laid in the nice warm bed, he got up, got dressed, and took off... and I didn't even feel guilty!!!

He was gone at least 45 minutes. He had to go DOWN the hill and walk and walk. Nothing was open. He finally found a crepe window, and then had to walk UP the hill. When he got back, he handed me a COLD cheese crepe. I knew I should be happy, thankful even, but it was so NOT what I wanted.

I started CRYING... does anyone besides Scott think I need intervention????

So... the next day, I still wanted some chips. Seriously, I love Paris and all that, but sometimes you just want something junky to eat. I didn't mention to Scott that I still wanted them, but I had my eyes open. Finally, at a metro stop, there was a tiny place to buy cigarettes and gum... then... I spied it...

A can of Pringles!!! Scott started laughing and went to buy them. Once we did the exchange rate, that one can of Pringles costs $7.50!!!!!!!!

Here I am... the absolute MOST immature person in the world, eating my chips...

and bonus... the chips didn't even taste normal. They weren't salty enough, and they had a weird after taste.

I learned that day, that if I see a package of chips, and I'm even thinking I might want some, get them! I might not see them again for a long time.

Here I am... sitting along one of the lakes at Versailles... do you see what I'm eating??????

The moral of the story is... a person can act like an immature baby on either side of the globe!!

Just keepin' it real...

~Teri

P.S. Disclaimer... this post makes me sound like a psycho. I am perfectly well adjusted, not a whiner, and I usually go with the flow pretty well...usually :)

An Artistic Parisian Day

Scott and I do some crazy things in Paris. Life is just so different there, so open to possibilities. I decided one year, that we would take sketch books with us, and draw. Scott really can draw (although he won't admit it) and I can't draw at all. I have always been jealous of my childhood friend Deanne, that can draw ANYTHING. For me it's like singing... I just didn't get the gene... but that certainly doesn't stop me from trying!

So we loaded our sketchbooks in

our bag one day and took off for the metro. Mind you, Scott was not into this idea at all... he just went along with it. We had no idea when or where or if we would draw, we just wanted to be prepared.

We started off here....

we were not impressed.

So of course we ended up here...

where we are always impressed.

First we ate lunch...

As we sat in the courtyard, we wondered why it was so empty. Very few people were milling around. I decided to go underground to the lobby to use the restroom, and when I got to the glass pyramid to take the escalator down... I figured it out. The Louvre was closed that day!

So we decided to sit and sketch, right there in the courtyard. We spent at least 2 hours there...we were so lost in what we were doing. It was so relaxing, it almost put us in a trace. We hardly spoke, we were so involved in what we were doing. I'm am a champion multi-tasker here at home, and I think I miss out on so much, because I'm not paying attention. But in Paris... your senses are so full, so aware... you are just in the moment. I loved that feeling.

Notice Scott chose to draw a lightpost... and me, always over ambitious, decided to draw the entire building! A mistake... once I started, I noticed layers and layers of carvings, kings, queens, objects... it was totally overwhelming.

We have done this in a few areas of Paris since. It's relaxing and fun, and when we look at my sketches, it's usually hilarious. You might as well laugh, instead of cry!!!

~Teri~

My Inspiration

There are many people in my life that inspire me, and today I want to highlight one such person. I usually don't blog about my kids... I try to respect their privacy... All three of my kids are SO AWESOME and unique, but my youngest gave me permission to blog about her today.

Lexi is my baby, and she recently turned 15. She inspires me because she has an incredible 'can do' spirit, is an extremely hard worker, and never, ever, gives up.

Lexi has some pretty significant learning issues. As a mom, I noticed it when she was about 2 yrs. old. I knew she wasn't learning and doing stuff "on schedule." I put this on the back burner of my mind, but I just knew in my gut that we would someday face an uphill battle when she started school. Mind you, this wasn't obvious to anyone

but me...

Let me just say, we have done it all... Private Christian schools, homeschool, Charter schools, the works. Each of these places had great challenges. She's been through lots of testing, lots of tutoring... you name it, we've done it. She and I could seriously write a book about her experiences. We finally settled in a public charter school for her middle school years, and it was the first place she felt accepted for who she was. She thrived there, but her absolute goal was to go to "regular" school, with no extra help, and no labels.

All this to say... yesterday she had her first day in our local high school. She is going in there with no extra help, and even got put in Honors History, because all the other classes were full. This did NOT deter her in any way... she is always ready for any challenge. Because of all she's been through, she has great empathy for struggling kids. Not long ago, some kids at church were making fun of another student because she was 'different'. Lexi really let them have it. I was so proud of her. She will approach anyone with a smile, regardless of race, religion, economic status, or disabilities.

So here's to my brave and beautiful daughter. She is willing to try anything once, and faces her challenges with sheer grit and determination. I want to be more like her.

Here are some snapshots of her in action.

Disney girl

Florida girl... teaching herself to skimboard.

On a mission trip with mom in Peru.

Skateboarding in action. She set up the camera herself!!!

New experiences in Japan!

So Lexi, good luck in your new endeavor. I know you'll do great!

Thanks for reading...

~Teri

The Purse That Started It All...

This would be Paris Purse blog #3. I've blogged about my obsession with purses from Paris, so I thought today would be a great day to blog about the very FIRST purse I got in Paris, and as usual, it was quite by accident.

It was 2006, our first trip, and as usual, we were lost. I don't remember the circumstances, (being "slightly" lost was a running theme), but I remember being in a huge underground train station. I think maybe it was coming home from Versailles. I can work the Metro stations like the back of my hand, but oh the train stations are SO confusing.

Anyway... walking, walking, walking... soon we came upon an underground mall area of sorts. What to do when you are lost anyway... SHOP.

I saw a cute little purse store, and of course had to go in. I found the CUTEST leopard purse, all furry and wonderful, for only 25€. I was so excited. I carried it everywhere, and I still carry it. It doesn't exactly fit the FL lifestyle, so I only carry it when it's cold weather.

My purse and I on the draw bridge of some castle right in Paris.

Purse hanging on my arm in Marseilles, France.

Have a great week everyone. Lots of fun posts really soon, I promise!!!!!

~Teri~

Sweet Award

Sweet!

I got an award from Dreaming In Pink With Roses. She is a doll. Love her blog... check her out!

I will be passing this on to others when I have time...

Now the rules state I'm to list 10 things about me, but I talk about myself ad-nauseam, so I will list 10 things I love...

1. The Lord, prayer, Bible study class

2. My family and friends

My friends and I at our annual Christmas party.

3. Paris, London

4. Blogging, Facebook, meeting all of you even, if it's only online

5, The beach, the sand, the sun

6. Pearls

7. Audrey

8. Jeans and a black tee

9. My wedding day weight

10. People that are honest, real and transparent

And drumroll, #11, last but not least, is my husband Scott. He did something for me today that I can't even type (I'm not that transparent) because it was so lame that I wouldn't do it for myself.

Ever let the grip of fear take over, and then feel like a fool?

That was me today... Then I sent him quite a few text messages thanking him for being SO sweet and understanding (ok... the look on my face kinda gave him no choice) and he sent me a text message back...

"Please stop texting me, someone has to make a living around here... I'm working!"

How DOES he put up with me???

He should be getting the award!

Lost in Lameville~

Teri

I'm supposed to be blogging about one more movie, and my guest bath, but my camera is on the blink...actually it just needs charging, but can't find the right wire :()

The Christmas Chainsaw Massacre

Every time I tell you what my next post will be about, something more urgent seems to come up. I STILL need to blog about my bathroom, Le Whif, more Paris purses, many more funny Parisian experiences...the list goes on and on...

But in the spirit of many of you recently taking down Christmas decorations, I thought of a "funny" I just had to share!

My husband will basically, do anything I ask him (within reason). In fact, when I ask him to do something, I better be ready, because he might start the something in 10 minutes. Once years ago, I mentioned how our front doors would look really good painted a dark red. Mind you, this was a PASSING thought. I mentioned it, and went off to the grocery store.

As I was driving down our street to come home, maybe 30 minutes later, I could see a cloud of dust out by the mailbox. As I got closer, I heard a very loud sound. Guess what??? It was the sound of an electric sander! He was in the process of sanding the front doors! I hadn't even picked out a color or anything... it was just a thought!!!! I'm happy to say, we grabbed some paint at Home Depot that night, and the doors turned out perfect!

So... about taking down Christmas. We had this pre-lit artificial tree, and by the second year, lights started going out, and the top wouldn't screw in straight anymore, and was always leaning. How we hated that tree. Scott kept threatening to get rid of it, but year after year, I hung on to that blasted thing.

One particular year, we had that one in the living room, and bought a huge live tree for the family room. It was so beautiful. We wanted the kids to know that some trees have a scent, unlike the palm trees in the yard.

The live tree...

Again... he kept telling me that artificial tree had to go. The day we were taking stuff down, I noticed him dragging that tree out the front door.

I knew it was time.

But then... I heard a loud noise! I went to investigate, and there he was with his gas-powered CHAINSAW, cutting that tree to pieces, wires and all, so it would fit in the back of the car to go to the dumpster.

THEN, he drug the live tree out front, and began sawing it apart (he was on a roll)... when he came back in, he saw the millions of tree needles that had fallen throughout the house. Next thing I know, he opens both front doors, gets the LEAF BLOWER, brings it inside, and blew every needle outside. It was really funny...

We like to call it "The Christmas Chainsaw Massacre."

And yes... the neighbors were staring!

~Teri~

P.S. Oh, and this year he pulled his back out trying to haul our new GIANT artificial tree up the stairs to the attic closet... he really hates Christmas :) LOL.

Movies To Die For

I watched some really fantastic movies over the holidays, and I feel it my duty to pass a recommendation or two on to my friends...

First of all, I must recommend Netflix. If you are like me, there is SO nothing on TV, ever... I could do without it. However, I do like to watch TV late at night, or when no one is home, and my choice is always a movie from Netflix, or something I Tivo'ed. BTW, both of these things are awe~some!

Let's go way back first... a few Sundays ago, I was getting ready for church, and Scott was sitting in the den watching TV. He found himself on TCM, and watched the first 15 minutes of an OLD movie that really intrigued him. Before we went out the door, he had me hit record, and we finished it when we got home. The name of the movie was "The Enchanted Cottage"... 1945. It has Robert Young and Dorothy McGuire in it, and it's the story of two people who fall in love, and only see the beauty in each other, even though one is considered homely, and the other was disfigured in the war. Netflix doesn't have it yet, b/c it isn't out on DVD (only VHS) but I just had to tell you to be on the lookout for TCM to show it again...it's so sweet.

Another movie I came across (TCM again) was a 1957 movie starring Gregory Peck and Lauren Bacall. It's called "Designing Woman" and it is adorable, and her clothes and apartment... to die for! Netflix has it... get it!

My son has a way of buying people exactly what they would love for Christmas. I mentioned an all time favorite of mine, and low and behold, I opened it Christmas morning. It was the movie, "A Summer Place" (1959) with Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue. It's the tragedy of what happens when you marry one person, when you are in love with someone else. I know there's the unwed pregnancy, but I think the other storyline is the real killer.

Oh... let's go way back again to another TCM movie I found... it's called "Brief Encounter" 1946, starring Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson. It's another sleeper...so good! Two people accidentally meet in a train station, fall in love... and well, I won't spoil it. It's available on Netflix.

There are a few French movies I love...

most of you have seen them all, but here I go anyway...

My Best Friend (2007, subtitles, has a real twist at the end)

Amelie (2001, subtitles, great cinematography)

Marie Antoinette (2006, eye candy, cool music, Versailles, clothes, need I say more?)

La Vie en Rose (2007, subtitles, sad...horrible... but you must see this if only to witness the transformation they do to the beautiful Marion Cotillard)

Avenue Montaigne (2007, subtitles, really interesting movie, makes you think... I loved it)

I can't say my French picks might not have a bad word or two...and strangeness... just a warning... they are French afterall :). There were a few films I left out because I had to turn them off...too risque...case in point~Paris Je T'aime. Everyone of these are available on Netflix, and no, I'm not affiliated with Netflix at all, I just love the system and ease.

Hope you enjoy some of these on long, cold, winter nights. Cozy up with someone you love, and have a ball.

Teri

P.S. Don't mention the subtitle thing to husbands or boyfriends...they'll find out soon enough, and by the time you two are ensconced on the couch, with blankets, pj's, wine/coffee... it's too late!

Next post... I will focus only on one must-see, and my guest bathroom...they are related... got your attention yet???

French Girls Go Shopping

A few weeks ago, I gave you all a fashion update straight from the street of Paris.

There were a few trends I mentioned...

Jeans, jeans, jeans

Leather jackets

Giant leather purses

Here's a picture of our French exchange student and her friends going shopping not long ago. I don't know if they are in Paris, Marseilles, or somewhere else.

They are right on trend!

Makes me want to go out and buy a giant purse!

~Teri~

(Don't miss my previous post)

Pardon This Interruption Please...

Ok... so... (have you ever noticed how I like to start my blog off like we are in the middle of a conversation?)...

I was sitting in church Sunday, and as I do every year this time of year, I was thinking about the past, present, and future. What did I accomplish this year? Where did I fail? Where do I want to improve next year?

I was thinking these things during the singing, and all of the sudden, I heard the words to a simple praise song, that I had heard a thousand times, but the words touched me in a new way.

Here they are:

He knows my name...

He knows my every thought...

He sees each tear that falls...

and He hears me when I call.

I began thinking how over the past few months, I've had my own agenda, my own thoughts, my own plans. Oh, sure, I prayed... but I realized in my heart, that for sometime now, these prayers were thrown up, without too much thought, so I could get on with MY plans.

Wow... how's that for honesty?

I asked you to pardon this interruption of all things Parisian... I even added these words to my blog banner, "...and other random thoughts" so I could occasionally blog about other things...

But these are not random thoughts, they hit my like a ton of bricks. Even though I've been busy, busy, busy, He is STILL there, He still knows my name, my every thought, He sees my happiness and my tears...

and He cares!

So as I thought about who's birthday we just celebrated, I thought about my relationship with Him... it's lacking right now...

He didn't move, I did.

So really without saying it, I guess you know my goals for 2010. They are to keep

the main thing the main thing.

I know this post is different... thanks for sticking with me. For some reason, I felt someone, somewhere, might need to hear this as much as I did.

I leave 2009 with this one final thought..

How precious are your thoughts about me O God!

They are innumerable!

I can't even count them;

they outnumber the grains of sand!

And when I wake up in the morning,

you are still with me!

Psalm 139:17-18

Here's to a fantastic and exciting 2010!

Teri