Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!  

Today is Mother's Day in the United States.

I got the best Mother's Day present, both of my

kids came home from college this weekend.

It was also Mr. Wonderful's birthday so we

are celebrating big time.

We started the day with a lovely Dutch Breakfast.

We often have Dutch Breakfasts in our

apartments or condos when we travel.

We always like to have yogurt with granola

and berries.  Also some hard boiled eggs, 

and a cheese and meat platter.

Something savory is always nice,  this is

a triple cream Bleu cheese with thinly sliced 

baguette.

For special days when we are all together

we like to add special treats like this fruit

pastry.

And a lovely selection of French macarons

looks very festive.

Happy Mother's Day everyone!

The Summer of Home ~ Happy Birthday Mr. Wonderful

Rain had been predicted for today but it turned 

out to be a beautiful Spring day so we decided to

take advantage of the lovely weather and head out.

Late last night Brennan came home from

college for the summer and he joined Mr.

Wonderful and I for a day out to celebrate

Mr. W's birthday.  We went to a few local

Farmer's Markets.

It is so early in the season, there was little

produce available, only some asparagus and

rhubarb.  But there were many other vendors,

we got some citronella solid perfume to try to

help keep the mosquitoes off our skin, some 

local honey, homemade dog biscuits, a baking 

mix and a lavender bergamot orange goat's

milk soap that I look forward to using tomorrow.

I guess it's true that goats will try to 

eat anything.

We then went out for a lovely lunch at

our favorite Mediterranean restaurant 

and Mr. W was surprised with a birthday

baklava dessert.

Wonderful got a new grill for his birthday.

We had to fire it up for dinner.

We dined on the deck, we had Adana kebabs,

veggie kebabs and Shepherd's salad.

And finished the night with cake, singing

and presents at G&T's.

It was a perfect day at our American Homestead.

We miss you Katie!!!!

Happy Birthday Mr. Wonderful!

 

Today is Mr. Wonderful's birthday, it is

a milestone birthday and his wish was to

spend it in Paris.  We were up very early

this morning and left Brussels on the hi

speed train.  We checked into our apartment

and then it was time to hit the streets.

 

 

First stop was a Birthday lunch at

Café Med on the Ile St. Louis.

 

 

Quiche, Mushroom Risotto and Crepes

with a carafe of white.

 

 

Then to walk it off with a stroll

along the Seine.

 

 

And a bit of exploring in our

neighborhood, the Marais.

 

 

Now home for a rest and if the weather

cooperates we plan to have an elegant

picnic on the Champs du Mars and watch

the Eiffel Tower glitter.

 

 

 

Waking Up in a Fairy Tale

 

We are in Germany, traveling on the

Rhine through the Middle Rhine Valley.

We have been staying in the town of Bacharach.

 

 

It is a beautiful little town filled with

historic buildings.

 

 

We are staying here, at the Mallerwinkel

Bed & Breakfast.  I keep telling Mr. Wonderful

that I feel like I'm waking up in a fairy tale.

 

 

So, Wonderful asked me what fairy tale

I would like to be in.  I thought about it

and decided I liked Sleeping Beauty.

 

 

I'm not interested in the evil fairy and

spindles and fingers.  I just want to be

in the part about the kissing and

Prince Charming.

 

 

Night is falling upon this enchanted village.

This is our last night here ~ we have had a

full 2 days of exploring villages, climbing

mountain trails to hilltop castles and sampling

the fruits from the local vines.  I hope to

awake to the kiss of my own Prince Charming,

er ~ Wonderful...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What Makes Mr. Wonderful So Wonderful?

 

I had been away from home for

a month and arrived home

yesterday.  Mr. Wonderful was

waiting for me at the airport with

 a lovely bouquet of flowers.

 

 

He cooked me one of my

favorite meals.

 

 

And we ended the day with

champagne and strawberries

in bed.

 

All of those things were, well..

wonderful but it is how he conducts

himself everyday that makes him

truly wonderful.  He knows what

he wants, he says what he means,

he doesn't play emotional games

and he has true courage.

 

I'm glad he is my Wonderful...

 

 

Happy Father's Day, Mr. Wonderful!

I'm lucky because I can remember the exact

moment I fell in love with my husband.  It

wasn't because he was he was the big man

on campus or the life of the party kind of guy.

It was because he was nice and kind and fair

and I knew he would be a great father.

And he was cute...

This year will mark 30 years that we have

been together (!!!!).  We have enjoyed the

highs and lows and ups and downs of a

marriage and parenthood together.  We can

bask in the glow of having raised 2 beautiful,

smart, talented kids.  This morning we sat in

our gazebo looking back at the house we

completely transformed, the gardens we dug

and tended for all these years and we're happy.

We also flipped through the pages of the World

Atlas, making plans for travels for the coming

year.  I am grateful for being wise enough in my

youth to recognize that kindness, fairness and

being nice are great traits in a spouse.  And

he is a great Father.

I love you with all my heart, Mr. Wonderful!

Happy Birthday Mr. Wonderful!

You are the guy I want to look at the night

sky with, and weed the garden with and

explore the world with...  I want to share

all the everyday, dull and exciting moments

of life with you.

I have been baking you a birthday cake for

nearly 3 decades!  I hope to share many

more Happy Birthdays with you,

and cakes!