Links & Things

Some fun & interesting things I wanted to share...

Balloons via Pinterest.

13 Productive Things To Do While Watching TV

Well said, sister... Gypsy Diaries & Moving On!

Have you heard? The CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge is back on!!

A chance to win 1 MILLION BUCKS, a Maserati, or a Vacation each week!

Something I've been very into for the past few years... and currently in the Top 1 % again for the 3rd consecutive challenge!

Say, "Swiss Cheese!" - Guide to Switzerland's Regional Cheeses. Mmm...

NaNoWriMo is coming up Nov 1st! Are you ready? I'm d-termined!

Happy Wednesday!

Ice Cream Anyone?

Sometimes you just need a good ole' fashioned frostee!

Support Systems

This weekend was nourishing for my soul as much as I wished for some down time, I was busy 24/7 with support. Friday, I spent 2 hours talking on the phone with a best friend from high school restoring our friendship, and it's so nice to have things pick up like no time has passed at all.

Saturday, Mom and I drove the back roads along Lake Tahoe to spend the day shopping in Reno. An 8 hour shopping trip though exhausting, was fun and something I haven't done in years!

Today, I had a family retirement party in Granite Bay (near Sacramento) and it was exactly what I needed. I realized my support system is a lot larger than I think, as I've felt alone and lost lately. Friends and family I haven't seen in years were inspiring, uplifting, and slightly emotional when talking about how they enjoy reading my blog. (I know I've been horrible the past few weeks, but it's been hard.) Not only because I've been unsettled and in a disarray, but I finally bought a wireless router yesterday, and hope to be updating more frequently again. Also because I don't recognize my life right now, and I know many people have wondered what is going on with me. It's nice to know that sometimes when I feel alone... I'm not. It's been hard to get personal the past few weeks because my emotions change from moment to moment and it honestly hasn't been easy. But the blog is part of who I am, and I'm ready to get back.

My Mom & Step-brother's Mom.

Me with my sister-in-law and brother. 

Thanks sincerely to my supporters for your patience & encouragement!

Hello, hello

Within 5 days of being back in California, I've started a new job! I regret that I haven't had much time to blog... but things are out of sorts and I'm in the midst of trying to find a routine.

Sorry I can't post as frequently as I would like in the present conditions.

Wishing everyone had a fantastic weekend! 

Scenes from the Weekend

Sometimes simplicity is best...

 Good ole' fashioned charcoal barbecue.

Deluxe bacon cheeseburger on the 4th of July.

Sage relaxing next to my mop doll I made in Girl Scouts.

Dad's Martin birdhouses in Tennessee.

The peaceful view from Dad's front yard.

Quiet summer evening listening to the cicadas on the gazebo.

Have a great week!

P.s. Thanks to those who voted for your favorite type of blog post.

'Lifestyle' was the winner!

It's the Little Things

Since I've been back... I've been embracing each day. Treating each day off as a gift, as I now know it will not last forever. The two months off I had prior to my trip were spent entirely too much on the computer. So each day, if it's just one thing I've been making each day special. Like...

Saturday - Waking at 6:30am to go for a 2 hour walk on the beach.

Sunday - Cooking in my own kitchen again... brunch and dinner, ahh.

Monday - Chinese for lunch & browsing books in a craft shop, and an evening dip in the pool.

Today - Morning spent working on a children's book I'm writing. Dressing up for an almond amaretto cupcake from Sweeter Days Bake Shop and chatting with the nice owner. (There is nothing like a cupcake, even after all the French patisseries.) Catching an afternoon matinee of Midnight in Paris. (A decent movie literature buffs may appreciate. The coincidence being I personally never saw Paris after midnight, or after dark for that matter with the exception of my evening boat cruise on the river Seine.

Recent iPhone pics: A cafe in Monmarte. Eiffel Tower from the Bateux Mouches river cruise. Almond Amaretto cupcake from Sweeter Days Bake Shop. "Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe" by Jenny Colgan the book I just finished which I bought in the UK. Has great recipes with Royal Wedding cupcakes to commemorate the special day.

How do you make each day sweet?

A Day Just for Me

After a day of much excitement, a week of exhausted legs, and crushing my favorite camera lens yesterday... I decided to leave my large camera at home and just enjoy the day for me. I had no plans and not much expectations... but it turned out to be one of my best days ever.

I did everything I dream of doing... enjoying the city like a resident and not a tourist. Strolling the shops of Piccadilly and Soho, visiting my new favorite store Zara, Chinese for lunch, being a writer in a coffee shop, wedding cake from Fortnum & Mason in honor of the Royal Wedding, laying in the grass and staring up at the sky through the leaves (this has been my favorite part of my trip and something I've done on every sunny day), plucking grass, and strolling about 7 miles with stops to appreciate ducks and roses. My only regret was not to take a Claritin!

Why does YouTube freeze in the stupidest position?

I'm off to Birmingham tomorrow to visit my friend Sheila until Saturday! I'm so excited, but a little nervous too
I'm not sure about my internet access this week, so I have some scheduled blog posts for you with more London coverage!
If I don't get to reply to you... I'll chat with you in Paris! This goes for Facebook & Twitter, I won't get to post my daily links, so you'll have to remember to check back.

Have a great week!

Photo Collages

This is My Tuesday


Since I pull out my camera for a ton of little things, many shots don't often make it to the blog, so I thought I would share some random photos with you from the past two weeks.

Going clockwise:

1. The brunch I promised to show you. Healthy whole wheat french toast and egg whites (p.s. I totally disregarded my wheat allergy and suffered itchy rosy cheeks for the day - it was worth it).

2. Architecture shot around my building.

3. Our little cat Boots relishes in his few moments outside each day. He's our little Bengel Tiger...

4. From yesterday's post... as I watched my camera began to slide on the tripod... or maybe I was practicing my surprised expression.

5. Rocks from the beaches of Wales. Still have them from one of my first European excursion at 16... shot them for my Set of Three for Scavenger Hunt Sunday.

6. Fresh dough about to go in the oven for breadsticks with oregano. See the finished product HERE.

7. Balcony railing and shadows.

&

Here are my shots of the Supermoon. Better way late than never.

The first one was as we were driving slowly and I was pretty much sticking my head out the window to attempt a shot as the moon rose over the water. It was so cool, we saw the whole thing, but could not find parking in time! But I did manage to get the second one with the tripod directly from the sandy beach!

Question for bloggers: Which method do you use for collaging?

I've been using Picnik, but it seems to crash my internet all the time. Now I use Picasa.

Just curious about your preferences.

Happy Tuesday!

R&R

Taking the day to unwind... well not really. Taking the day to work on Photography Getaways... edit articles for Belle Inspiration, and work on some marketing. Until tomorrow...

Ciao!

Weekend

Technical Difficulties


Hello. Let's just say I had a nice Weekend Brunch post for you today and Scavenger Hunt Sunday in mind for tomorrow. But after visiting some blogs to leave comments early this morning, I got a computer virus, so today is not my day...

In the meantime, I was planning to share a recipe from this book. But I can promise you... it's worth the wait!

Also, I will only be leaving comments on friend's blogs that I know and trust for the time being.

I am having a splendid time on vacation though! If you follow me on Twitter, you may have heard about my mutilated flipflops while puppysitting. All in good fun thought, and it comes nowhere near to being as upset as loosing my lifeline on my computer right now. We are also petsitting an African parrot, and it's funny trying to remember that we have to watch everything we say! No swear words... when you don't have kids it's an easy thing to let slip!

Yesterday, we had a nice lunch on the water... my shrimp salad sandwich was delicious, and spring is really in the air, with lots of beautiful blooming trees. I've also been doing a lot of research for the Photography Getaways iteneraries, and in doing so discovered some really cool blogs such as Living the Life in Saint-Aignan, Day by Day in France's Loire Valley.

Have a great weekend!

Blog Awards

& Announcements

Happy Monday everyone!

There have been some blog awards I have yet to share with you...

From the beautiful Liesl from Fabulous Fashions 4 Sensible Style...

Here are the rules...

1. Link the person who awarded you!
2. Post seven random facts about yourself.
3. Pass this award along to 15 other bloggers (only if you wish)!

7 Facts About Me...
  1. My favorite show of ALL time is... Felicity... I even had a perm like Keri Russell's in the show.
  2. Yes, I was upset when she chopped off her hair.
  3. Speaking of hair, I got bangs this weekend! It was the longest lock of hair I've ever had cut! Oh and I dyed it darker...
  4. I used to have really thin fingers, my ring finger size was 4 1/4 :) Not sure now...
  5. I wish I lived in a thatched roof cottage with ivy growing on the walls and a picket fence.
  6. I am distant relative through marriage of Davy Crockett.

&

Thanks to Kori @Blonde Episodes

who awarded me her:

"Your Blog is Breathtaking" award.

What the Award entails:

"Pass on the award to 8-12 fabulous blogs who take your breath away with how they inspire you! Post on your page who you are giving the award to, so others can visit them as well. Make sure to let them know you are honoring them!

If you are a recipient of the award, please take the time to answer these questions, so we can get to know more about you!"

1. What inspires you?
   A well-lit room with natural lighting, clean design, and being fully organized inspires me to be creative and work peacefully.

2. What is your favorite season and why?
    Living in Florida, I really miss the seasons, but do appreciate the generally warm weather. I try to travel in    autumn every year to see the leaves changing though. However, I think maybe it is spring that I really love with the promise of summer and blooms and baby animals...

3. What are you most looking forward to this year?
    Working from home & all the traveling to follow my dreams! (Photography Getaways)

4. If you could write a book about anything, what would you write about?
    Well I've started 3, but haven't finished any yet. One about my college days. One about my post-college days. And then my first fiction novel about a girl who owns a Patisserie in Switzerland. Honestly, I would be happy writing anything. It's the writing lifestyle and the time to do it that I crave the most.

5. What is your greatest passion?
   Believe it or not, that's tough. Besides traveling the world, capturing it with photography, I also love to culinary experiences very much! I enjoy design a great deal though too! Whether it be: graphics/ interiors/ landscape/ food and fashion.

6. If you could change one thing about your life or yourself what would it be and why?
   I did it! Read Friday's post...

7. Lastly, what is your favorite novel?
   The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer, mainly because of the discipline that went in to reading it. It is 1,072 pages! I had to read it within 3 weeks for my criminal justice class, on top of maintaining my other classes and working 2 jobs. Eight years ago, I went to the library everyday with my Usher 8701 cd and read and read and read. It's based on a true story about the execution of Gary Gilmore and his court cases. Tommy Lee Jones starred in a movie based on the book, also called The Executioner's Song, which I still haven't seen. Hmmm... maybe that will be a new resolution.

Thanks for the awards ladies, now Congratulations to the following blogs... you're awarded both!

1. Girl Paraphernalia
2. This Italian Family
3. Village
4. Gyspy*Diaries
5. Serenity & Style
6. Melanie's Randomness
7. Bonjour Romance
8. All Things Marie
9. A Time for Being Human
10. Just Nat

Are you ready for some serious Pink & Red?

We'll be celebrating the 14 Days of Love again this year,

& I will be kicking off tomorrow with a guest post at Blonde Episodes!

Oh, and Happy Birthday Grandma!

(yes, she is one of my #1 followers!)

Gerbera Daisy

Just Because...


Nothing like finding a Gerbera Daisy in my purse this morning as I was leaving for work...

Thanks Love.

P.S. I had the most amazing creamy Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie at TGIFriday's last night!

Still thinking about it...

Are you following Simply Colette on Facebook yet?

Anthro-Therapy

My Neighbor

I've mentioned before that I work across the street from Anthropologie and sneak over there ever so often for a little break-time therapy. What better neighbor than one offering up this cozy chair I've been pining after for months...

Or artistic little vases like these for only $8...

They are so sweet to offer a perfume in my honor as well...

Did I ever mention my 'someday cottage' or 'loft' has rustic sanded floors like the ones at Anthropologie?

Even though I had a giftcard burning a whole in my pocket, sometimes I can never decide between a new adorable dress to go with the New Year's Resolution, or another darling apron...

or idyllic odds and ends like clocks, stationary, Volupsa candles, or books such as, "Things I Want My Daughter to Know" or "Happiness for Two".


Here is also a funny little clip I did for the blog when I bought my holiday ornaments and pie goodies last month, but I never posted it because my shirt was popping open! (ha... funny to laugh about it now).

Happy Tuesday!

Snow White

Happily Ever After


I received an email containing this photo from a relative in response to the Snow White post a few days ago. Thought it was too cute not to share...

Happy Tuesday!

Just Because

It's Good to Be Alive


For the first time in 5 years, I ordered a Quarter Pounder w/ cheese, fries & coke...

And put my hair in a bun and wore rhinestone drop earrings on a Monday... just because.

How did you make your day special?

Follow on Facebook.

Holiday Inspiration

Anthropologie

I've been meaning to get around to posting about my Anthropologie breaks. Let's just say I work right across the street from Anthropologie, and a couple time a month, when I need a sanity break, I sneak over to the beloved shop to peruse... usually flexing my monetary discipline. But today... there were some exceptions to the rule:

a. This adorable little bird ornament.

b. These even cuter ice skates.

c. The perfect star tree topper.
   (For 2 years, I've been searching for the perfect one!)

d.  Lastly, I first saw this gorgeous pie dish, but went back and forth battling in my head because I already have a nice one I rarely use... But then I saw the rolling pin!!! I've been having commitment issues to a rolling pin for awhile... do I want wood, marble, etc? But when I saw it, it was LOVE, and well, one just can't go without the other!

So, I've done a little wrapping early, even if the name tag does read...

To: Nicolette

Love, Santa

I've been receiving amazing baking cookbooks from loved ones for the past few years,

because I was on an 'I want to open a bakery' kick for awhile,

before realizing all the hours one must work...

But I'm very much looking forward to trying out some recipes to share with you this holiday season!

So the question is:

Should these stay wrapped until Christmas?

Or do I use them for the holiday baking?

P.S.

I didn't purchase this little guy, but isn't he a gem?

Have you started any holiday planning yet?