-6C and snowing...

This is not meant to be a weather report but I thought the extreme of the winter here is worth sharing. And yeah after two days of running around town looking for last minute gifts and viewing apartments I caved in and bought some fake ugg boots. The high heel leopard print booties were just not cutting it anymore.I'm not sure whyapartment hunting at Christmas-time in Hungary seemed like a good idea from Paris , I shoud know better then plan any outdoors activity in freezing Budapest wintertime. Feeling better too. though reclaimedmyvoice albeit a few shadesdeeprthen before voiceloss .Feeling Back to myself which seems to be the case when ever I come back home and spend a few days away from work.I also discovered a disk with all myold photos so i'll be sharing thosehere even though some of them are ridiclously over-photoshopped ( like that too strong sepia-tint)still they remind me of tose years full of lofty creative aspirations before I started working.

Enforced silence ..

Somehow everything has been in motion and I'm still grappling with decisions made. Apparently so is my body as I've literally lost my voice over the last few days nothing but painful whispering or shutting up left. The feeling of elation from giving in my resignation has subsided as my company then came back with an offer that driven by fear and resposible adult thinking I had to accept. I have stayed working at the same company in marginally better positioon with marginally better pay and feelin more then marginally trapped. Alas hope for a change in some not so distant future lives on . Only thing left to do is shake off this cold regain my voice and somehow manage to cram in christmas shopping and making meetings with realtors in the next four days before I head to Budapest.Then again i might just give myself a break and chill out and regain some sanity that hasnt been syphoned off yet from my work and collegues ...

à next time with a dash more positivity.. hopefully

Thanksgiving ...

Wow Its Thanksgiving already , although I have no American bone in me , have never even been to the States , its still my favourite self-elected holiday . I'm of the belief that one should just go with the holidays that speak to one , and thus i love it when y American friends invite me for their Thanksgiving diner and the spirit of feasting without gilt on pumpkin pies and turkey and giving thanks for all the blessings.
Blessings lately include having finally quit my job that hasn't made me happy for a long time now,having the full support of my family in this decision, husband finding a new job that not only has a perspective but actually surprised himself by liking it and yeah I'm going home for Christmas and will look at possible apartments to buy in Budapest, oh yeah and friends, the one's that write E-mails, keep in touch , throw parties, support us ... So there quite a few pretty great blessings there. Now all I need is a piece of pumpkin pie to reach total bliss ..

Just so ..

"Women wish to be loved without a why or a wherefore; not because they are pretty, or good, or well-bred, or graceful, or intelligent, but because they are themselves." -- Henri Frederic Amiel

photo from www.myvinagevogue.com

Windowshopping

Had a lovely day window shopping in Bon Marche with my friend J. its such a blast the perfect place to spend cold rainy saturday afternoon compiling a wishlist with a girlfriend of perfect jimmy choo shoes and dyptique candles hats and furs .So much more relaxing and serene too than Galleries Lafayette. Though one thing I haven't found is the perfect leopard cloche to wear this winter. Poor hubby a bit horrified my my leopard obsession , it seems to translate to trailer - trash for him while for me its lovely vintage chic like on these photos from myvintagevogue.com.

Autumn cake

The last few weeks between guests and work and brunches with friends dinners etc have just passed in a rush.Finally this weekend was a long and free one .I had a longed for silent alone morning then me and hubby did an afternoon / nite of new things ( read in the NYTimes that doing new things's what keeps couples happy&together) And today was that kind of relaxed housekeeping day that can be a nightmare when busy but lovely when nothing else is there to interrupt the flow of gym, shopping, quick clean of house , baking a cake , then an episode of mad men some magazine flicking and reading... having a piece of cake a cup of tea , and feeling sane again. Ah I'm in love with the sweet potato pound cake i've just made with a receipe from orangette perfect fall/ winter cake with its warm spiciness and a dollop of crème fraiche , and the golden plums i found today are not bad either .

Fall pretty

I must admit this image is taken from http://dressdesigndecor.blogspot.com/ which I totally love for a dose of pretty in the morning but its so fall-y and inspiring that I just wanted to have it here as well.

Word Love

Am reading the New York Stories of Edit Wharton which I find surprisingly better then her books ,very elegant writing the stories are finely drawn and psychological, proper rewarding reading but what I love even more is to come upon a word that surprises me that i've never heard before but is just perfect so here you are in the hope of reviving it : pusillanimous [pyoo-suh-lan-uh-muhs]= lacking courage or resolution

Mini breaks, Guests and Paris Fall ...

So the epiphany came to me that mini breaks work for me, still love the idea of a three week holiday but going to London then Budapest then the South of France over the Summer into early fall was great , now getting used to the idea of yet another grey rainy Paris winter, for the moment though not worn down by it yet , its almost nice to think of cosy coats and baking Christmas cookies and it the fact that quite a few guests have come through town and are to come nicely diverts attention from the fact that its indeed October! Oh well first day I got my cat out , now just need to find a leopard cloche to go with it and finally have my winter boots delivered...

just some bits and pieces from the south .. oh and my amazing burnt btter brown sugar cupcakes that are worthy of even the worst self-praise oh and you haven't lived enough if you haven't yet seen a country circus with a goat as the exotic attraction.. highly recommend it !

Friday morning walk - Belleville food market

Budapest love

Ahhh it took me a few days to get back in the Paris swing of things . My Budapest trip however was blissfull. exactly what I dreamt of heaps of time spent i the hammock relaxing , reading and enjoying our garden. Some quality time with my darling back-home girlfriends as well as some catching up with old aquaintances. Pampering at the all pervasive beauty parlors and exploring whats new in Budapest. Not that I should be surprised but it has been incredible how with all the economic and political upheaval Budapest next to Paris seems incredibly dynamic .

Tomorrow Budapest!

Leaving tomorrow afternoon for Hungary for my Summer 'vacation' well it will be great to get away a bit and be with my friends hang out and see their new apartments, new boyfriends get facials and haircut and got to Sunday brunch at Gundel for my birthday and try the first Budapest restaurant to have a Michelin star and spend time with my mommy.

Meanwhile when I walked home to the metro today over pont des arts it reminded me of how beautiful Paris is. Obvious I know but its nice to be reminded once in a while when I sink into the whole metro, boulot dodo, thing. So here's a few photos I took lately of Paris sunsets from our apartment.( which apparently has now become french mouse infested-good thing i'm leaving)

Birthday Month!

Find it quite shocking that its August already and a bit nostalgic for a very fleeting Summer, but I get to go on holiday next week go have a week in Budapest with friends, family, mommy, animals garden, home. AND get to celebrate my Birthday with them for the first time in two years. Looking forward to that.

As for London it was fantastic a whirlwind of family time with the in-laws , amazing foodie experiences at Alain Ducasse, changeable weather , museums, Hummingbird cupcakes, parks, high tea at Claridge’s ( so worth it we had seconds of almost everything and stretched it out over an hour and half) and barbecuing with buddies in their back garden. Had an awesome 5 days and paced up on loads of ginger fudge from Morrison’s and my favorite fruit and ginger teas from Twinning’s that I can't get here except for overpriced WHSmith mini shop.

Since shopping at Anthropologie didn’t turn out successful, ( found nothing to fall in love with ) hubby in a moment of weakness let me order a lovely pale yellow handbag from Kate Spade , that my friend D. will bring back from the states end of this month as a lil gift to myself for my Birthday ...

some London pics

Change Clothes!

Summer, London etc.

Its finally proper summertime in Paris and I'm still in that honeymoon phase where I'm welcoming the heat after that horrid dismal spring ,even though we are just a few days away from roasting in our 7th floor South facing apartment that has sun literally all day.

Quite chipper all in all though hubby and me back to a more manageable schedule, where we even get to see each other, but he still gives me the occasional night off so that I can meet friends for wifely support cocktails ( fantastic totally affordable cocktails at Experimental Cocktail Club and Curio Parlour) and watch The Age of Innocence without his sighs of boredom.

Other reasons for being chipper is this blog which is just adorable : http://mrslilien.squarespace.com/ and Parisian women finally got out their color and seeing their summer style is quite uplifting after the same old black all winter.

aaaaand our magnificently planned trip to London next week. (sorry this is going to be boastful) highlights include: Afternoon Tea at Claridges, lunch at Alain Ducasse Restaurant at the Dorchester ( 3 michelin stars , yeay), goin to dean street townhouse with hubby plus two of our lovely handsome friends, then museums, Anthropologie, the hummingbird bakery and of course the raison d'etre for the whole trip my sister in laws becoming a DR. graduation ceremony! ( so nice to have a DR. in the family ) Whew it will be another whirlwind London trip but this ime at least we get to 'profite' as the French say...

Yes that pic is of a plastic cup with champagne and a strawberry in front of the Seine.

1 Year...

It seems unreal that a year ago today we had our wedding.And now marriage, happy and exhilarating frustrating at times and fulfilling The first year has been quite a ride but actually feels almost better then expected.Its nice to just focus on building life together.

And just to relive it a bit , our first dance song:

Mommy love

In honour of my mami's birthday today I thought I'd post a photo just to illustrate how amazingly cool she is. (or in the case of the photo...was in the 70's)She is such a powerful intelligent thoughtful woman and I'm so lucky to have her in my life.As you can see on the photo she has amazing style too. Can't wait to go home in august and spend some time with her.

Tomatoes and Engagements on my mind...

I'm feeling quite excited. This weekend I found a perfect little red summer dress, and bought it on the spot ( after trying it on of course) quite unusual for me. Usually I need to deliberate longer but this was perfection ( And I learned from past mistakes like the lovely navy Tara Jarmon dress I never got and still mourn) , the husband loves it for the décolleté it gives me I love the happy colour and it will look great with my turquoise necklace on dinner with friends this Thursday. The same day found the perfect retro-red ( more tomato then red wine red) lipstick at Sephora, Lancome's rouge absolu in 134 but I'm waiting if my insider connection at Lancome can get me one before I pony up 28 euro for a lipstick. Still love yellow but this red obsession seems to become a theme this Summer for me. (I'm also living in my red quilted ballerinas at the moment)

On another exciting note I get the feeling that one of my close friends is getting engaged soon. Its a feeling .. a sense ... and I'm hoping.Either way if or once it will happen I'll be over the top happy for her .. not to mention that it would be the perfect excuse to pour over all the girly wedding stuff with her ...;

News & Cupcakes

Got a new found respect for all those corporate wives doctor's wives and all the others who never get to see their men. I'm not complaining, I've had some lovely times with friends lately and easing back into managing my time seeing friends and such ( and still planning to go back to the gym- hopefully next week) but its hard on the relationship to only have one day a week, not even. Currently hubby is working 11 am to 3am with only a 45 min break 6 days a week with only Thursdays off. I of course work Thursdays so its only the evening..I just miss spending time with my husband hanging out, cooking together , being silly, having friends over for dinner. Not to mention that occasionally get sick off keeping everything afloat at home (and that's without kids pets and a big house) Good news is that its for a limited time and financially totally worth it. Now of course I wish I wouldn't worry bout hubby getting keeling over from exhaustion.

On a happier note I got to take one of my lovely bridesmaids to her patisserie blow-out (came as a perk of the bridesmaids job). It was so great we had our StHonore with a side of macaroons for her and a side of cupcake for me. Its officialLaduree cupcakes take the cake ! Best ever, maybe not the traditional simple cupcake with butter cream, but so pretty and sumptuous 3 layered fruit / jelly/ butter cream filling inside. Worth every penny of the 7,50 Euro. Which et me tell you is the most I ever paid for a cupcake.

Books and Candy..

I finally figured out my perfect book scheme. I keep going to WHSmiths,to browse and for magazines and tea. As for the books... I make notes of all the books I like then go home ad put them on my amazon. uk wishlist , and every few weeks I order a load of them. Works for me and its gives me lil mini (book) Christmas every few weeks, but at least I don't feel beaten down by crazy WHSmith Paris prices.

Am completely enthralled with Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert , its exactly the book i needed right now. Whenever in my life I need to figure out for myself something I like to read and study it . Problem is that marriage as such has either the boring survey/ study books , or the silly slf help books ( how to save a bad marriage etc) but marriage as such ... its hard to find something interesting and wortwhile. Weird really , there is sooo much about finding the guy ,planning the wedding,raising the kids, but marriage I guess as a topic is simply not sexy enough. Either way Committed is great ( even tho I wasn't crazy about Eat, Pray Love), part novel , part family biography , some history some philosophy some survey and biology mixed it . Its a bit indefinable as a book but then again so is the subject matter , really.

Oh and what's more heavenly then spending an afternoon reading books magazines with some good tea and candy .. ( just one of my private ideas of heaven) on one of my last ramblings around the city with my friend D. we found this charming old school candy shop in the 5th near Metro Cardinal Lemoine. ( of course neither remember the name nor the address but its really close to the Sugarplum Cake Shop ( in itself worth a trip to the 5th) , so enjoy the search for candy..

Comin Home Baby

and the 'An Education' version:

Graceful inspiration..

Haven't been around for a while, simply getting used to our new schedule with the hubby ... but we finally booked our summer trip tickets and cannot wait to go to London and see the big Grace Kelly exhibition at the V&A Museum, somehow from the Vanity Fair article to this ( obviously High Society influenced) dress she just seems to be in the air at the moment.

That dress alone makes me wis i could pull off a re-do wedding , this time in something floaty and ephemereal.. that is if I could pull that look off.

images , google, stylemepretty.com