What if...

I am not the kind of person who believes everything she reads, in fact, I am quite the opposite. I tend to be sceptical about things that are based on beliefs, theories or predictions.

I am quite the worry wart but mostly about the weather and my girls.

So, not surprisingly, I have no fear of the predictions made by the Mayans saying that December 21, 2012 is going to be the end of the world.

But it got me thinking...what if I knew with certitude that I only had 7 days left to live.  What would I do and how would I spend my last week. Realistically, I know that life very rarely gives us a "drop dead date", but just for fun, here goes.

Day 1 - I think I would panic initially, then start making lists (I learned from my dad, that you must make a list so that you don't forget anything). I would cook a nice Indian or Moroccan dinner to share with my family and have chocolate mayonnaise cake for desert (my dad's recipe). I might pick up the telephone to call friends and family I have not spoken to in a while (we always leave this to later don't we!!)

Day 2 - I'm off to Paris with Serge; one of the most beautiful cities I have visited. We would go for a walk on the Champs Élisés, and share one last kiss in front of the Eiffel tower. We would sleep (or we might sleep very little :) in a very posh hotel with a balcony; money would be no object right!

Day 3 -  I would edit my Paris pics, watch a great movie with my girls and perhaps take a leisurely drive in the country with Serge to take some more pictures. One thing I know I would not do is clean the house or exercize...who cares right, the end is near :)

Day 4 - I would spend today with my family and my dad. I would invite my niece and nephew, that I adore, and bake cookies and make crafts with them. I am thinking I might put together a memory box with my photos, my blog posts, key objects that are dear to me and write down some of my life experiences to share with future generations. I would also visit my mom at the cemetery to make sure she knows I'm coming soon.

Day 5 - I would throw a huge party and invite my BFF and all my friends from schools. I have been throughly blessed to have grown up with such wonderful friends...we may not see each other often, but when we do, its as if time as stood still. Rest assured my "newer friends", work colleagues and family, you would also be invited because you're all important to me. After a few Smirnoff Ice, there would be lots of chatting, laughing and perhaps a few tears!! No doubt, you would hear "Dancing Queen" because it's my favourite song and "Endless love" because its our wedding song,

Day 6 - This being my before last day, I would drive up to the cottage (beware, I might just drive myself :) to spend my last two days quietly in Saint-Emile with my loved ones (my daughters, my husband and my Dad). We would play board games, eat snacks, and spend nice family time together. And given that there is a well and a lake, this could prove helpful should the water supply run out :)

Day 7 - My last day...I am certain that I would wake up and think: "already day 7, where did the week go!". I think I would feel very calm and zen.  I would just sit on the deck, with a box of chocolate, my camera, my iPad, looking at the lake and wait for the end to come.

But wait...

I want more time, more days, many more in fact. I have lots of dreams not yet fulfilled, I have people to see and places to go. I want to grow old with Serge, see my girls grow old and have kids. I want to be there for the people who need me and those that I love. I want to live, laugh and take photos of the beauty that surrounds me.  I want time to smell the roses, and want to celebrate my retirement and pay off my mortgage!!

In retrospect, I am too busy and have too many things to do to die now, so Mayans take note, my calendar does not end on December 21st 2012!

So, I think it is crucial that we spend each day living as if its our last day. Life is short and time passes quickly, so we might as well make every day count, be happy in the process and spend as much time as possible with our loved ones and friends.

And if you run out of water (if, and when the apocalypse comes), you'll know where to find me and my private supply!!

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

Me - 3 years old in front of my parent's tinsel tree



When you wake up one morning and realize its December…a sudden panic engulfs you…at least that’s what happened to me.  This is when I realized I have a million things to do and less and less days to do it. And to top it off, I am recovering from my operation and have zero energy!

"Creating Christmas" involves some baking (although I don’t bake as much as I used to when the girls were young), there's shopping for gifts, writing Christmas cards but the most time-consuming and important step to “creating Christmas” is first and foremost decorating the house.  I have to admit we decorate 3 trees; each one with a different theme.  You might think this is excessive, but to me, it brings back memories of Christmas past that I want to share with my daughters and family.  I always include my dad in my preparation.  He comes over and looks on as Serge and I decorate the trees.  You could say he is the “foreman”, telling me that there are balls missing on the right or that the garland it a bit crooked.  Although decorating the house is exhausting, I would not change a thing to this tradition. I do miss having a natural tree, although I don't miss freezing outside trying to pick the perfect tree.  Even if we now have only artifical trees, I still love to see the expression on my godchild and nephew's faces when they see the trees. 

Tree in foyer - 2012



Tree in living room/dinning room - 2013



Mini tree in Family room

One of my daughter’s friend once said: “It looks like Christmas threw up all over your house”.  I find this hilarious as it is true that every room has something Christmassy.  This year, we will be bringing one of the trees to the cottage to add Christmas to Saint-Emile as well as we create new traditions.

Looking back, I remember that Christmas in my family has always been a big thing.  I get very nostalgic when I hear “White Christmas” and can’t help reminisce about Christmases of my childhood.  When I think about Christmas, I think about smells (my dad baking), sounds (my mom playing the organ), taste (strawberry pie), colors, family, snow, holidays, no school, playing games and most of all, memories of Christmases past.

Me and my mom

 

My favourite family pic...although I don't look that happy :)

Me and my sister

Me in my new pj with my mom

 

My favorite Christmas dress

My mom and dad loved Christmas.  They would spend many weekends baking; especially my dad who would make meat pies, cakes, squares and all sorts of goodies. 

I surely got my love of decorating for Christmas from my parents.  My dad would make 2 trees, one in the basement and one in the living room.  Each one had a large village under it.  Garlands were hung everywhere and Santas could be seen on every piece of furniture, wall and door.  The house would be all decked out for the season and I loved it!  I remember spending many hours sitting in front of the Christmas tree with the lights in the room turned off so that I could look at the lighted Christmas village and the manger with baby Jesus. 

My dad's Christmas village

My parents also loved to surprise us with special gifts…(SPOILER ALERT) I always knew that gifts came from my parents and aunts and uncles…not from Santa.  I guess we were very spoiled and of course, as all children, we were very excited to  open our gifts.  I especially remember one special gift I got from my mom…a complete set of clothes she had painstakingly knitted for my barbies.  And how can I forget tickets to see René Simard in concert.  That was really a special treat as I loved him, like every French-speaking little girl in the 70’s!!

My parents were never able to wait for Christmas and for this reason, they would start giving us gifts at the beginning of December, one small gift per weekend.   

I have special memories of going to my godmother and godfather (Jeannine and René) after Midnight mass on Christmas Eve to celebrate with my aunts, uncles, cousins and grand-parents.  It was always special because they would make a huge natural tree…ours were always artificial.  Gifts were exchanged and special treats awaited.  

My family at my aunt and uncle's house - not my best year :)

What I remember most about Christmas when I was young is the love and sharing of special moments together.   

I know how lucky I am to have gotten such loving parents.  Even if I lost my mom at the age of 13, the love she gave me in that very short time has lasted me throughout my life.  Sharing Christmas with my girls and Serge throughout the years also holds special memories.   I can still see them in their brand new pjs looking through their Christmas stocking.    

My girls

Some people may say that Christmas is not what it used to be, that it’s very “commercial” and has lost its magic.  But I try and look beyond that and when I go to bed on Christmas Eve, I am like a little kid and can’t wait to get up and spend Christmas morning with my girls and Serge.  

I can’t help thinking of people that are no longer with us and always have a special thought for those that don’t have family to celebrate with.

So, from my house to your house, whether you celebrate Christmas or not, may you find peace and love in your life this holiday season.

Holiday village under last year's tree

 

The Master Plan

Up to now, I have been living my life according to “the plan”.

I am not one that likes to let things just happen.  I rarely make decisions on impulse or at the last minute.  I am not saying that I can’t be flexible and adapt to change.  Working in Government, I have had to change course or let things go based on changing priorities or new management. I seem to be able to do this fairly easily and without second thought.

But when it comes to my life, I don’t leave things to chance.  It seems that my life is clearly laid out and that I have gotten on the train without thinking of getting off before destination.

When I graduated from high school, the plan was to get a career, meet the man of my dreams, get married then have kids.  And it’s exactly what I did.  I never doubted that it would not happen which is a good thing because I did not have a “plan B”.

Because growing up I idealized my mom and the person that she was, the plan was to work in Government.   I started my career as a secretary and becoming a Communications Advisor, and more specifically in Web Communications, was not part of the plan.  In retrospect, I could not have planned this because the Internet was not even invented at the time (well perhaps it was, but no one had computers back in 1984 when I got my first full time job).

It was part of the plan that we would “someday” buy a house but it was precipitated when one day my dad suggested we buy 2 semi-detach houses and live side-by-side.  The move came quickly and although we we had not planned to be homeowners at the time, we can’t thank my dad enough for making this happen for us.  His plan became our plan and we happily lived side-by-side for 13 years.  My daughters got to live beside their wonderful “pépère” and he took care of them as he has taken care of me throughout my life.

In 2000, we decided to spread our wings and buy a single family home.  Our plan became my dad’s plan as he also decided to move to a condo.

The plan was to live in our new house for 15 years, then move into a condo of our own and travel the world once we retire.

But again, the plan has changed and we bought the cottage.  I would not say it was on the spur of the moment as we had talked about it for the past 4 years, but it was sudden. The plan is to spend our summers at the cottage and buy a smaller house to live in during the colder season after we retire.

But a plan is only that, a plan.  Along the way there have been slight delays, bumps in the road and change of track.  That’s what keeps life interesting.

Both Serge and I like to talk about and make plans for our retirement which will happen in the next 3 to 4 years, according to the plan. 

In the meantime, I plan on having lots of happy family times, do some travelling and spend lots of time taking photographs.

In the end, I hope that life’s “master plan” includes Serge and I living a long life and growing old together, because that is also my plan.

For the love of chocolate

What would I not do right now to get some chocolates? To most people, being without chocolate is no big deal, but to me, it’s a matter of survival.

Being "confined" to my home recovering from my operation has meant that I am fully dependent on Serge to feed my addiction. I have been without chocolate for the last few days and it’s all I can think about.

Those of you who can't go a day without coffee will understand my need and my despair. Luckily, it does not go so far as having the shakes, but it is a physical need.

I eat chocolate on a daily basis as my co-workers can attest. It does not need to be a big piece or even good quality, I will eat it all. At work, I often eat one of the small Halloween-sized chocolate bars and it satisfies me. It’s better that I not keep a large supply in my desk, as I am unable to stop once I start. I could never understand how some people can buy a 70% cocoa chocolate bar, put it in their desk and have one piece per day. They are obviously not into chocolate to the extent that I am.

I have no qualms about paying alot of money for quality chocolates. Imagine my joy when Serge and I travelled to Belgium and Austria in 2009. Chocolate was available everywhere. Although Belgium is known for having beer pubs on every corner and over 800 types of beers, it is also the same for its chocolate stores. There are some on every street corner and the chocolate is not only excellent, it is cheap. There was even a chocolate factory beside our hotel in Bruxelles. My all-time favourite chocolate is Léonidas which is made in Belgium. I ate it by the truck load and it was fresh and delicious. What more could a girl want. I brought back so many boxes, I was hoping not to be stopped at the border and having to explain my stach.  Supprising that there were even some left to bring back :)

Chocolate is part of every celebration, event, travel, etc. Some people like to drink a good wine to celebrate life events; I choose a good box of chocolate. Whenever I eat a desert, you can be sure that my preference is always a chocolate-based confection. When I travel, I am always on the lookout for the local chocolate store. This summer, Serge and I went to Philadelphia, and we stopped in at "Philly Chocolate" where we had chocolate that will rival any Belgium or Swiss chocolate (in my opinion).

Serge does not have a sweet tooth and does not care for desert all that much but he does love a good chocolate, although his taste run more into exotic flavours which no one else would eat :)

That suits me just fine, as it means that I will not find him eating the ones I love...hazelnut, milk chocolate, caramel, pecan, truffles....I must stop as my mouth is watering and it is making matters worse.

So today, I come before you and confess "I am a chocoholic". But you won't see me in any meeting or trying any special cures to try and kick my habit. Some say "chocolate is better than sex", so come home quickly honey I need you...to bring me chocolates, of course.

Mozart Pistachio Chocolates in Salzburg, Austria

50 Shades of.....YELLOW

When looking through my pics, I found myself noticing a common thread in some of my photos...YELLOW.

Yellow is a welcoming colour (I am automatically attracted to a yellow-colored house), it's a warm color (nothing like a sunny yellow room) and it stands out in any garden (think about black-eyed susans or dandelions - although usually undesireable on a lawn).  Nothing says "happy" like yellow...as seen in the famous "happy face". 

So today, I invite you to see life through my YELLOW-colored glasses. Surprisingly, by the power of suggestion, even if some of the pics have other colors, I predict you will notice that your eye will be drawn to the color yellow in each pic.

I hope you enjoy my "yellow series" and stay tuned for future studies in color coming soon!

Note: click on the thumbnail to see a larger version of each pic.



Feeling hot, hot, hot

When a woman gets to be my age...not yet 50 but very close...one can expect to have symptoms associated with pre-menopause. So most of us wait for them, fear them and hear about them as if it’s like getting the plague.

For about a year now, every time I've been moody, sad or unusually hot, I've been told by my family that it was pre-menopause. I always brushed it off thinking that when it did happen I would surely know. I often joked about the 34 symptoms of menopause (Google it if you are curious to know what they are :). It’s easy to associate every little change to the dreaded "M". I've heard monologues and songs about it (Clémence Desrocher), seen ads on television, and waited like every other women for it to start.

Fast forward to October 24^th and my hysterectomy. My doctor went into details telling me what I could expect from the operation and that it would automatically "throw" me into menopause. He said I could expect it to start in the week following my operation.

So I waited with baited breath, and when nothing happened, I thought to myself, maybe it would skip me. Who knew, some women report hardly being bothered by hot flashes.  I was starting to feel a bit smug and 5 days ago, right on cue as my doctor had predicted, came the dreaded hot flashes.

At first I was not sure that it was that, I thought the furnace was maybe malfunctioning or it was because of my leather couch...I do find I get hot sitting on it. But no, it is what it is...no doubt about it. It takes over my body and suddenly creep's up on me without warning. The feeling is like suddenly opening the oven to check on a roast.

Serge came home one night after work and I was wearing shorts...not so unusual if it was not for the fact that we are in November. I have now started a second closet in my first floor office which includes; shorts, capris, long pants and jogging pants. This is necessary to deal with the many changes in temperature that my body goes through during the day...or sometime within a period of 5 minutes. You see, it’s not only the hot flashes that are inconvenient and that cause me to strip, but these are followed by cold flashes, where I'm freezing and change back into my jogging pants and sweater.

I went out for lunch with my dad yesterday (trying to get rid of my cabin fever) and after lunch I was so hot, I had him turn on the air conditioning in the car. Thankfully he complied and did not say anything...now there's a good man :)

Unfortunately, I'm on my own, since I can't take hormones given my mom’s history with breast cancer. It’s definitely not worth the risk and the reason I opted for a full hysterectomy.

But not to worry, up to now, it is bearable, quite funny in fact and I am taking it in stride. I am even prepared for when I go back to work (check out the cute flower fan I bought that plugs into the USB port of my computer). And the Internet is full of remedies and tricks that can help...so they say.

As for my family, I ask you to be patient and pretend you don't notice my constant change of clothes, and rejoice, that I won't be complaining about my periods anymore. As for the other 33 symptoms of menopause, I am still waiting for them to kick in.

I know that the hot flashes will go away...sometime in the future, and that it’s all part of being a woman. And I am sure Serge would tell you that being a man is not any better, since he has to put up with me....for better or for worst....remember honey :)

A new perspective on life

As much as I love photography, I also love interior decorating. My house is cluttered with decorating magazines and design books and I watch design shows non-stop for inspiration.

I think it ties into my love of photography. I can sit for hours pouring over beautiful photographs in my magazines, and love to surf online reading design blogs. I love to look at beautifully decorated rooms and although I have my own style, I can appreciate other styles as well.

I never tire of it. I have worked long and hard to decorate my home, not for others to admire mind you, but for me and my family to love.

Too me, its all about painting a picture, the one I have imagined in my mind or reproducing something I have seen in a magazine. Its also a past time or a hobby...one that keeps me happy and often occupies my mind. Its all about the quest and the pleasure of hunting for that perfect item or great bargain.

As my patient husband will tell you, it as to be just right, in fact, it has to be perfect. I have purchased and returned items that were less then "perfect" on so many occasions, you would not believe. I am lucky that Serge shares my passion (or pretends to :) as I have been dragging him to furniture and decor stores for the past 30 years. Funny that our first outing together was to go to Ikea to buy furniture for his apartment, and this, even before we were even a couple!

Some women love shopping for shoes or clothes but me, its shopping for that special item to decorate my home. Véro also shares my love of decorating, so our shopping trips and discussions are often focussed on decorating.

On numerous occasions, my friends and colleagues have asked me for decorating advice and I've done virtual shopping for them to help find that special item to decorate their homes.

All this said, over the last few years, although we have done some renos, the house has felt a bit neglected because of other priorities, e.g. illnesses, family commitments, etc. and the renos we started have not been completed.

Then 2 months ago, my perspective changed. With the purchase of our cottage, I no longer feel invested in my house. In fact, we are thinking of selling it for a much smaller place in the near future; one that does not need as much tlc so that we can spend more time at the cottage.

I now have "Cottage Life" and "Home and Cabin" magazines on my coffee table and I am now watching "Chic Shack" instead of "Design Inc" (decorating shows). I spend all my waking hours thinking of how I will decorate the cottage, you could say its my new project and I am now at the planning stage. Surprisingly, I am focusing on a more minimal decor to avoid having to dust and clean and to spend more time relaxing and living instead. And because we have had to start with replacing the roof and some windows, my budget for decorating is almost non-existant so, I am looking forward to the summer so that I can visit flea markets looking for bargains and unique items.  In any case, I will start with the furniture left by the previous owners as a starting point and built on that.

As for the house, we will complete the renos over the coming months, but this will be done so that the house is ready to sell to a new family.

 

In my mind, I've already put up the "for sale" sign and I've moved on to my next decorating adventure, my cottage.

Oups, I almost forgot that our new smaller house will also need decorating...I guess I will have many projects to entertain me for a while yet!