happy holidays

Last week Lulu was quietly (okay not exactly quietly...more like chattering to herself while colouring a picture) she looked up me and announced "You know mama, Christmas is really just in your heart."
"it's kind of a special feeling more than anything."
Um okay..

and "it's also the little Ord Jesus's birthday"
uhum..

When I asked her what she wanted from Santa her answer after careful consideration was
"just a surprise...because I know Santa will just pick the right thing for me."
"he'll just know"
Really? wow..
"but do you think he might bring me the polly pocket splash set?"
I bet he will.

She was also very concerned that not just Santa would be hungry when he stopped by our house on Christmas eve and that we needed to leave a snack for his reindeer too.
Always the animal lover...

So all in all a very nice Christmas for us here at Casa PetiteGourmand.
Especially from the perspective of our sweet five year old.
She really never ceases to amaze and delight us with her observations and acute awareness about matters of the heart.
We are all enjoying spending time together without schedules and a ton of things to do.
Enjoying lazy mornings, late breakfasts, snuggling in bed, reading books (lulu included) going out for lunches, watching movies & catching up with friends.
I guess that's the best part about the holidays for me.
I guess it really is in your heart and not necessarily wrapped up under a tree.

I'm really not sure who (if anyone) really reads this blog anymore, but if you are out there, thanks for stopping by, and I hope you are having as nice a holiday season as we are.
xo pg.

memories of christmas past

This time of year often brings up memories from when I was a kid.
Some of them better than others.
I can't say that Christmas was one of my favourite holidays.
(I'm more of a Halloween girl myself)
It's not that I don't enjoy many of the traditions that surround Christmas, it's just that it was never really the happiest time of year at our house growing up.
Not that my parents didn't try their best- but there was always something missing.
that something being-Family.

All of our relatives live out east, so each Christmas was spent with just my parents and brother which always left my mom feeling especially melancholy.
Okay more than melancholy- she was often in tears come Christmas day after talking to all of her seven brothers and sisters on the phone.
Melancholy is a bit of an understatement.
It was kind of a lonely time for us and for some reason we never went out there during the holidays to join in on all that east coast holiday cheer.
(Otherwise known as a boozefest)

So Christmas around our house was usually pretty low key and relatively quiet.
Mind you, my brother and I were usually pretty thrilled with all of our Christmas loot and had plenty to distract us from the lack of comfort and joy around the house.
Bring on the new colecovision!
Nothing like playing a good solid eight hours of Donkey Kong and smurfs on Christmas day.
Family-shmamily
Gotta love the over abundant commercialism and mass consumption during the seventies and eighties.

Fast forward 30 years and oddly enough not much has changed.
(especially with regards to consumerism..)
Christmas is still really low key, we don't have to make our rounds and do dinner here or have dinner there.
It's just my mom & dad, big daddy, Lulu & I.
We usually just have a quiet dinner here and then that's about it.
Christmas is over for another year.

Only now it's not just my mom who gets kind of melancholy at this time of year, I find myself feeling a little the same.
But do I really want to go to Newfoundland for Christmas?
No, not particularly.
No offence to the rock.
But I would love it if Lulu was surrounded my her extended family.
All the cousins and crazy aunts & uncles and even her great grandmother.
I think that would be so fun for her.
When I hear about other people with so much family living nearby it does make me feel kind of lonely and a bit envious.
I know big daddy feels the same.
Wow what a bummer post.
Okay on the up side- we have each other.
Right?

So aside from me feeling a little sorry for myself that my last name isn't Brady, Osmond or most especially Oliver (anyone see Jamie's family Christmas on the food network?)
I have tried to muster up some of the more positive memories from my childhood.
and here they are.

Every Christmas eve we would order Chinese food.
Gosh, even that sounds depressing...
anyhow it was a real treat as we lived in a small town that only had one Chinese restaurant.
At the time I thought it was amazing.
I'm sure these days I would turn my nose up at how unauthentic it really is.
But back then I couldn't wait to sink my orthodontic enveloped teeth into Mr. Panda's cinnamon egg rolls.
They were THE best.
I can still remember the taste all these years later.
Cinnamon in an egg roll. who knew??

Denninger's pate by the fire at my bff's house.
Okay that and the mulled wine we used to sneak when her parents weren't looking.
I loved spending Christmas eve at her house.
Her parents were British and it was always a very English affair.
Right down to the tick tock of the huge old Grandfather clock across from the roaring fire.
Perhaps I have a twisted memory but I could swear everyone was decked out in tweed and plaid each year...

Sneaking frozen shortbread and brownies out of the trunk freezer in the basement with my brother.
We would eat them while they were still frozen solid in the dark.
My brother & I were co-cookie snatching conspirators.
I don't think I was ever as close to my brother then at that moment in time.

Mom's jelly roll trifle.
Actually it was kind of gross (still is) but I loved the jelly roll part.
This year I'm doing the trifle and it will most definitely not involve canned cocktail fruit and canned custard.
Instead I found a great recipe here.

Clove infused ham.
Is there a better smell on earth?
I'll never forget the year my brother (who enjoyed watching Kids In The Hall with me) said to my mom at the dining room table,
"This is F'ing good ham mom!!"
Anyhow my brother still says it every year which I guess you could say is a bit of a tradition.

Okay, so I'm seeing a bit of a theme here.
That being Food.
The best part about the holidays for me is hands down, the food.
It may not make up for the lack of having a big family to celebrate with, but it sure does make it a little easier to enjoy.

What about you, any amazing food associated Christmas memories or traditions you care to share?

holiday hustle

I feel like I've been on a treadmill that is running on full speed these past several weeks.
I know I know, don't we all?
They don't call it Holiday Stress for nothing.
For some reason today I just felt overwhelmed with things "to do" before the 25th arrives.
But let me back up a bit.

My 40th birthday weekend was a blast.
We went to some friends for dinner and they had a special cake for me which I thought was super sweet.
Literally- the sweetest most amazing cake ever.
Big Daddy surprised me with some over-the-top new bling for my ears.
Not that I'm a blingy kinda gal, but I must say, he did great.
I hosted a little kickboxing party for all my favourite ladies at the gym and we kicked some 40 year old butt.
(or at least I did)
They all got me an extremely generous gift card from Lululemon, pedi & manicure gift certificates, some lovely wine and the most delicious cupcakes.
Not to mentioned they all came to a class on a Sunday!
Needless to say I was extremely touched.
I was on a bit of a high for the entire week actually.
Minus the nasty cold I was sporting at the time- but whatever, life is good.
So the past few weeks have been fun- to say the least.

They have also been very busy.
School plays and extra activities, some parties, getting ready for Christmas in general.
Big daddy was out of town for the past five days which was even more hectic flying solo for it all.
For some reason today I just kind of hit the wall.
I was so tired tonight I barely had enough energy to eat dinner.
When I finally sat down at the end of the night and put my feet up I barely moved for three hours.
I didn't even want to get up to go to bed- which is where I am now but my brain is still on that treadmill even though my body has fallen off.
So I'm yammering on about being tired and feeling slightly overwhelmed, but what I am feeling the most these days is GUILT.
I feel like the person paying the biggest price for all this rushing around is Lulu.
We are constantly on the go.
In and out all day long and seemingly always running a few minutes late (which is my pet peeve)
We rush through breakfast, lunch and lately even dinner- which is sad to me.
Meals should be enjoyed not scarfed down.
At least that's how they do things in France and I love that.
I'm constantly telling her to "hurry up, let's go, quickly get dressed, quickly get in the car, let's go, let's go, we are going to be late!"
Poor little thing.
I want Lulu to enjoy all the magic of the Christmas season and not feel as exhausted as I do.
Poor thing told me today she was so excited to have a break from all her activities and couldn't wait for some "extra snuggle time" with mama.
Broke my heart.
So that's how I'm feeling (well that and I have some wicked PMS this month) oh joy oh bliss.
I don't mean to sound all bah humbug- but that's what going on in my head today.
But I'm sure it's just a one day thing- it usually is.
This time of year can be crazy, yet exciting at the same time.
Tomorrow is a new day and if I can I'm going to make a concerted effort to just be in the moment and not worry so much about all the things I still have to do.
Because let's face it, what's more important than Christmas for a five year old?

mid-life crisis

I hate to use the word "Mid- Life", but technically speaking I guess that is approximately where I am headed this coming Friday.
Assuming I live until I'm 80.

Yup, I officially turn the big 4.0. on December the 3rd.
Not entirely sure how I feel about this.
On one hand I feel better than I ever have before.
I'm feeling fit, healthy & happy for the most part.
I'm also feeling extremely fortunate to be healthy- especially after receiving some sad news about a friend who was just diagnosed with cancer- she's only 33 years old..
Appreciate every day that's for sure.
Especially where your health is concerned.

I finally feel relatively confident and secure in my almost 40 year old skin.
Regardless of the stretch marks.
I'm trying to think of them as badges of honor rather than imperfections.
Lulu just had to be two weeks over-due....not a line in sight until 3 days before she was born!....argh.
Ah well, she was most definitely worth them.
But for the record, they're not even that horrible, and like I mentioned, there are much more important things to focus on in life than a few unsightly marks on my midsection.
Then again don't expect me to be sporting a bikini anytime soon. ;

Either way, I'm not as hung up as I used to be about physical changes on my body.
If I was, then I have a long unhappy road ahead of me.
Because let's face it girls, you can't fight the aging process no matter how much eye cream you invest in.

Instead, I'm investing in things that really matter.
Like relationships, my family, exercise and my inner health.
At least these are things I have some control over.

So what does turning forty really mean to me?
Well I guess I can finally say I know who I am.
I like where I am headed.
I love surrounding myself with positive & upbeat people.
But most of all I'm just grateful to be here.
ish... at least most days...

I'm not sure what the next decade has in store for me.
I only hope it's as good as the last one has been.

trimming the tree

I almost forgot to post about the latest issue of Canadian Family Magazine.
We shot it several months ago- Christmas in August....
Anyhow I think it's a really sweet story.
I have to say how much I love Lulu's hairdo in the first shot.
I only wish I could get it like that.
Aside from me gushing over my uber cute daughter (if I do say so myself)
There's some really clever decorating ideas that my good friend Arren Williams came up with.
I especially loved the red spray painted christmas tree.
Now that is dedication!
I think we are going to do the recycled painted can lids on our tree this year and maybe even the pasta garland.
Lots of other great ideas in this issue, so if you don't already have a copy be sure and pick one up.



A behind the scenes shot of Lulu.
why is it she never sits this still for me when I'm doing her hair?

The shopping gods have been listening

I knew this day would eventually come.
"Popular U.S. clothing retailer J. Crew coming to Canada"
yipee!!!
thank-you.
thank-you.
thank-you.
next up- Target??

allergic to snack time

The other day I was chatting with a friend in the school yard who's daughter is in a different kindergarten class than Lulu.
She was telling me how frustrated she is when it comes to packing her daughter's snacks for school.
Not to mention how discouraged she was when trying to plan a class party with baked goods and food for the class.
She had just been reprimanded when she packed a banana in her daughter's lunch that day.
A Banana!
Apparently there's a kid in the class that's allergic to bananas- therefor no one is allowed to bring bananas for a snack any longer.
There is also a child in the class that is allergic to eggs, dairy and wheat.
Which basically eliminates a ton of available options for snack time.
Not to sound insensitive, but man, am I glad that kid isn't in Lulu's class.
Of course there's a few kids with peanut allergies in the class as well.
Not much of a shocker there.
We have several good friends who have kids with peanut allergies (though none in Lulu's class this year)
so we are totally used to avoiding anything with peanuts (or any nuts for that matter) when packing her snacks or lunches.
I think most parents are aware of peanut allergies these days.
I'm pretty sure it's a basic policy of most schools to avoid bringing them to school or other kids programs.
I can't imagine how frustrating it must be for the parents, not to mention the poor kids.
I mean to never enjoy a peanut butter & jelly sandwich on fresh bread washed down with an ice cold glass of milk is truly unfortunate.
So my heart really does go out to kids with food allergies.
But....
That being said, at what point do we make the kids responsible for making sure they just don't touch or go near other kids snacks?
Our friends who have kids with allergies know that eating something with nuts can literally kill them so they just don't go near other kids food.
simple as that.
I know in Lulu's class they are very strict about not sharing snacks and washing hands before and after eating.
But they are still pretty young, so things can slip by the teacher's attention I'm sure.
So I totally get it when it comes to avoiding bringing "potentially dangerous" foods into the class.
But where do we stop when it comes to banning certain foods?
I mean eggs, dairy & wheat are pretty hard to avoid if you technically don't have an allergy to them.
And bananas??
really?

Try planning a class party with that child in your class.
Cookies. nope.
Cupcakes. nope.
Sandwiches. nope.
Pizza. nope.
fruit plate. yes. oh wait...nope- well not if it has bananas on it.

Like I said, I feel terrible that all these food allergies exist- and more importantly, why are kids from this generation becoming so allergic to so many foods?
A very scary situation.
But honestly what food options are left for this mom friend of mine to pack in her daughter's snack each day?
That's a bit scary too.

c'est formidable!

We are back from our trip to France.
We had an amazing time, and it's hard to believe it was only a few days ago that we were wandering around the beautiful streets of Paris.
Fortunately none of the strikes, rioting & general political unrest affected us.
Though we did have several concerned emails and texts from friends and family wondering if we would make it back okay.
I think the media made it sound much worse than it really was.
But enough about that.

We went to three different areas of France that we love the most.
Starting with Champagne.
What's not to love about the birth place of the world's most effervescent and celebratory beverage?
We stayed in an adorable hotel in a small town called Troyes.
We'd been to the town on our honeymoon 10 years previous and said that if we ever came back we HAD to stay there.
It was even nicer than I had remembered.
It was so charming and the perfect way to begin our week in France.

We then kept driving south to Bourgogne.
we stayed for the weekend at a small cottage at the top of a hill in a vineyard.
What can I say?
quaint, spectacular views, private...perfect.
We really got to know the town of Beaune quite well.
We LOVED the Saturday farmers market and had a few really delicious meals there.
I was a bit disappointed as I had planned on taking a cooking class while there, but the unfortunately the timing didn't work out.
Ah well, maybe next time.

Then we headed back up north west to the Loire.
An opulent area.
So many chateau's and country estates it's mind blowing.
The french really know how to live in style.
"Let them eat cake" is an understatement.
We stayed in a family owned Chateau in the middle of the country.
It's been in the family for over seven generations.
As in pre-revolution.
very cool experience.
The owner is a woman was from France (my age) and her husband was from California.
So needless to say we had some great conversations at breakfast time.
I love the B&B experience- very unique and so informative.
we did a few tours of some old Chateaus- which was so perfect as I've been reading The Josephine B Trilogy by Sandra Gulland.
Talk about being able to get a visual for the backdrop of the story!
Bonus that we were practically the only ones visiting Maintenon that particular day.
I guess there is a big advantage to travelling off season.

We finished off our trip by heading back up to Paris for three days.
Ah...Paris....
Such a beautiful and inspiring city.
we stayed in the sixth arrondissement which was fantastic.
Our hotel was tres chic and the perfect spot to end our trip.
We walked, shopped, sat in cafes, people watched, wandered though gardens, musuems, walked some more, shopped, ate, drank some great wine, ate some more...
tres tres extraordinaire.
J'aime France!

There's more to say about the trip, my thoughts and observations but for now that's just the quick recap.
since we've been back things have been pretty hectic.
Lulu has been stuck to me like glue- which I don't mind in the least as I missed her a lot.
We had a birthday party to go to the first night we got home- happy b-day Rachel! great party btw.
Had a photo shoot at the zoo this morning with Lulu as a model in a Halloween costume- so SO cute.
stayed tuned for more details on that.
Life is busy and life is full...but most of all...

La vie est belle!

Au revoir

We are off to Paris today.
We, as in big daddy & I.
We were there on our honeymoon ten years ago and said that if we survived a decade together we would return to some of our favourite areas.
So here we are- married for 10 years and 5 months (not that I'm counting...) and about to jump on a plane en route to Charles de Gaulle.
My parents are manning the fort while we are away and looking after Lulu for us.
As excited as I am about a week with my man alone in Europe, I can't lie and say that I'm not just a weesie bit apprehensive about leaving my little peanut for nine days.
I know I know, Lulu will be totally fine with her grandma & grandpa- but it's just so far away....
gulp.
But it's good for all concerned to take breaks- especially for marriages.
And just think of how much she will appreciate us when we get back.
Not to mention how much we will appreciate her when we get back.

So Au revoir mes amis!
xo pg

thanksgiving

It was the most beautiful Thanksgiving weekend weather wise.
Is there anything more gorgeous than autumn leaves?
My absolute favourite time of year hands down.
Family, good food and incredible weather- couldn't ask for a nicer long weekend.
Hope yours was as nice as mine.
Happy Thanksgiving.

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.
Albert Camus