blogging and sharing - a fine line to tread

During the month of September, to my surprise, a couple of readers wrote me asking why I don't show more pictures of the inside of my house ...  hmmm....

Of course maybe I don't show more of my house because it's not as picture perfect as I'd like it to be, or because the children  leave their odd socks all over their bedroom floor, or because the dogs have chewed the corners of the stairs. .......  Or it could be because there is a fine line to tread.

I replied (politely and kindly I hope) that although this is a blog called MFCH, and although the header is a picture of our home, it's actually a place where people come to dream and imagine, and create their own ideal and image of living in France.

 Added to that, I pointed out that this is  above all our family home, and that the more I divulge of our daily living, the more it would feel like an invasion to my husband and children.

Then of course it got me thinking about how the net, and social networks in particular, have blurred the boundaries between privacy and publicity.

My entrance hall, the camera rarely goes further than this!

A generation ago, before facebook existed, who would ever have thought that anybody was interested in what you're eating today, or where, or with whom?!  social media has changed all of that.

I was once told that if I wanted the blog to be successful, then I had to "bare all"!! " The more you show, the more you get"!!  And there are certainly some very successful blogs out there, who prove that true.

There is a big element of voyeurism to blogging, I know that.  I do it too.   But I also enjoy the blogs that make me laugh with their witty writing, or make me dream with tales of where they live, or please my eye with their perfect taste and  clever styling of small vignettes .

Strangely enough, I don't really mind if a blogger is telling the truth or fabricating ... I just want to be entertained.   Each blogger has to decide how far they want to go.     I'm not comfortable  showing pictures of myself, or of my family (apart from the dogs!), but I know that not everyone feels that way. 

So what do you think?  Am I making a fuss about nothing?

tell me please, I'd love to know.

I wish you a lovely weekend, 

thank you for reading me.

Perfect Little Pick Up

 I picked these up the other day and I must say I love both colors.  The green is NOT as vibrant or bright as it appears on screen.  Currently on sale for $3 each, it is the perfect little purchase.

Ulta Concrete Evidence and The Jungle Look

the young french bride

A couple of weeks I ago I shared the imaginary correspondence between a very traditional mother and her soon-to-be-bride daughter.  Today the daughter is setting up home and maman would like to lend a helping hand...

Ma très chère Charlotte,  how I miss you ma chérie ... I think of you during the day, wondering how you are getting on in your new home; wondering if I should come across to see you and lend a hand  ...

Of course, if you needed any help with cleaning or tidying then I would bring Marie-Jeanne with me, I'm sure I don't know how I would have managed in this big chateau if I hadn't had her help over the years.

Why, only yesterday, once she had finished cleaning all the silver, and I suggested she did the copper saucepans too,  I said to her "I can't believe how much has to be done to keep a big place like this spick and span".  Not that I ever get much conversation out of dear Marie-Jeanne , she's forever rushing around, I'm sure she should take more time to relax ....

But back to you and your home my dear, I wondered if you'd like my second set of silver.  I'm sure that Philippe would like you to host some dinners and entertain your friends, and that silver does make quite a show you know.

Let me know what you think, and when I can visit

your loving Mama.

  ~~ oOo ~~

Chère Charlotte

Yes, of course I have heard of IKEA, but I didn't think I'd know anyone who actually shops there!  
 How sad darling, that you and Philippe are on such a tight budget.  Why ever won't you let me give you some porcelain and the silver I mentioned.  Or rather why ever won't Philippe come to work in Papa's firm, I'm sure that your papa would be perfectly happy to give him a good job with a fine salary, and then you could live .... well, you know ... as you should.

Darling, if Philippe worked for Papa, then you could stay at home and maybe ... start planning a nursery .....

your mama who wishes to help

 ~~ oOo ~~

All right Charlotte, please don't go on at me like one of those raving feminists  on some horrible television show.  Even if I don't understand why you want to work, I will accept it.  In my time no young wife was expected to busy herself outside of the home, and of course we needed time to visit our dress makers and to  take care of our appearance, and to have luncheons with other ladies too, and that  was always most time consuming.

Things have changed I know ....  it's just that I get a little bored at home; I had always imagined that once you were married, we'd spend so much time together while your husband was at work.

your morose mama

  ~~ oOo ~~

My darling,

what a lovely surprise it was to see you both this weekend, and how well you both look.  If only the days hadn't gone by so fast.  Even Papa said how much he enjoyed talking with Philippe after dinner, and he hopes you may come back more often.

I am most amused by this computer that you brought for me darling.  Do you think I'll be able to make it work?  And you told me I had to look at your page, or brog, or something similar.

I showed the computer to my friend, la Comtesse d'Isigny, and she agrees with me that you must be doing very well to have threew's before your name!

your mama.com

  ~~ oOo ~~

Ma petite Charlotte

I am getting very good with The Computer, and I have to say how I admire all you have achieved.  Looking at your pictures I can see that you and Philippe are building a wonderful life together, I shall no longer try to tell you how to run things darling.

Just one little thing ...

You showed the picture of your new chairs, and said they were distressed ....  they certainly didn't look at all happy .... darling, isn't there something we could do to make them feel better?!  

Otherwise I have a perfectly good pair of Louis XV, they have been in the family forever, and they don't feel - or look - the slightest bit distressed,  please let me know if you would like them ... 

your mama who wants to spoil you 

 ~~ oOo ~~

Thank you for indulging me with this little bit of fun, to be read out aloud, preferably in quite a posh accent!   

obsessed with scarves

After spotting this scarf a few weeks ago I have been on a mission to find some interesting scarves to update my wardrobe. I don't really have the budget to give my closet an overhaul - so adding in some scarves in modern colours will hopefully help my sad closet.

I purchase two (#1 and #4) on www.Zulily.com. At $17 each - they were totally budget friendly. I'm a wee bit obsessed with Virgina Johnson's shawls but at $195 each they are a little out of my budget. A girl can dream. Side note re: Zulily.com, they ship to Canada for a super reasonable rate - something that is rare in online shopping land.

Ps., I had to google whether the plural of scarf was "scarves" or "scarfs". 
P.p.s., To be upfront --- If you do shop on Zulily and use the link to their site, I get "referral" dollars should someone buy something. Feel free to visit without the link, which gives me no credit dollars.

Mom Tip // Banana Popsicles

This may be the silliest post I'll ever do. But I decided to post it because it has been such a huge hit in our house.

Last year when Oscar was teething my Mom froze some banana slices. They were the best for his poor teeth. Have you ever had frozen banana? It's AWESOME. They are super cold, but still chewy. So the other day while organizing my baking drawer I found my sticks that I used for my "5 Minute Cake Pops". I decided to make banana Popsicles for Oscar. Sure enough, Oscar goes "bananas" for them. (Sorry, had to say that) He keeps asking for "Banana Popsicles" and thinks they are such a treat. Way healthier than the sugary stuff. :) Seriously - best thing ever. Just a tip for Moms out there. xo

Side note: My friend Steph reminded me to The Bluth family's Banana Stand  (Arrested Development).

Ps., I felt ridiculous taking good shots of this. Seriously, here is me cutting a banana, putting it on a stick - so I used my phone. Seemed more appropriate. ;)

Vegetable Rice Soup ~ Recipe

There is no doubt about it........fall has arrived in the midwest. The leaves have changed colors and coats are definitely a must for outdoor play. For lunch the other day, the girls and I wanted something nice and warm and decided to whip up a quick and easy soup with some leftover rice.

Don't you just love soup? We sure do. You can add just about any vegetables you would like to this soup and if you are vegetarian, try making it with vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. Also, if you have any vegetables that are on their last leg, chop them up and throw them in.

Vegetable Rice Soup

by Lindsay Wilkes from The Cottage Mama

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

3 carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 cup frozen peas

2 - 2.5 cups cooked rice

1 box (3 - 5 cups) good chicken stock (or vegetable stock) 

1 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)

Saltine crackers (optional)

Directions: 

Heat olive oil in heavy bottom soup pot. Saute carrots, celery and onion on medium-low heat until they are cooked through, season lightly with salt and pepper. Onions should be translucent and carrots and celery fork tender. Add in thyme and cook for an additional minute. Add season salt.

Pour in stock. You can add in 1 cup of water as well if you don't have quite enough stock. Turn heat up to medium. Place lid on pot and cook for another 10-15 minutes. Take lid off pot and add cooked rice and frozen peas. Taste soup and add salt and pepper, as needed. Cook for an additional 4-5 minutes. Serve with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese and crushed saltine crackers.

I served our soup with a grilled cheese made with munster cheese and apricot preserves. I cut the sandwiches in strips. For some reason my girls will eat the crust if the sandwiches are cut like this.......not sure why, but it works for us!

Also, if you don't have already cooked rice, you could cook a bag of Uncle Ben's Ready Rice in the microwave for 90 seconds and add that to your soup. That would add some nice seasoning as well.

If you would prefer to make this a more Asian flavored soup, you could omit the thyme, add Jasmine rice and a drizzle of sesame oil to finish. So many options. I think that's why I love soup so much, it's so warm and cozy, it's taste even better the next day and there are a ton of ways to get creative!

I Can't Wait To Show You

 Oh I can't wait to show y'all this house.  Hope to have it photographed in the next month or so.  In the mean time here is a sneak peek of two final touches- new entry lights and an very handsome print for a little man.

Images Marianne Strong Interiors

{From Vintage Door to breakfast tray}

Quick sneak peak at a little something my nephew and I whipped up last weekend...

not sure I'll be able to part with it!

a château in normandy

Today I am taking you to dream of living in the heart of Normandy, to a beautiful château with nothing but fields and private woodlands all around.   This beauty is further west from us, in a part of normandy known for its grand homes and rolling countryside.  Can't say that there's a lot to do once you're there but, hey!  in a place that looks this good, does that matter?!

 No need for too many words, these stunning pictures do the work for me.  Just know that it was built over the 16th 17th and 18th century, and comes with its own 32 hectares or 80 acres of land.

I so love these double sides steps down into the lower garden ...

 

and if you'd like to find the details of this beauty, and several others!, you are welcome to check out the real estate site here

New Panels

Like a breath of fresh air.

Image Marianne Strong Interiors

dahlias from my french garden

One of the the cool things about writing a blog is that I can justify, to myself at least, taking half an hour out from work and fooling around with flowers in my garden.

Today is grey, and damp, and sort of fuzzy, with a little normandy drizzle falling from the sky  ... and I love it!  I know that those of you heading into summer in Australia or enjoying gentle sunshine in California, may think I'm mad, but there is comfort in grey damp weather.

So with a little help from two young men I found hanging around in the garden ...

I started wandering around with my camera and secateurs....

then I got out a table, and a few props ....

and before I knew it, I had a little photo shoot going on here ....

It doesn't take much to keep me happy ...

and a little later on I had to put everything away, then thought these colours would like nice in a tureen I found at a fair on Sunday, .....  so I'm afraid you now have to sit through a few more !

I hope you enjoyed the pics!

Snapshot: Client Chair Detail

The chair was beautiful to begin with, the cushion elevated it to a whole other level.  Rich and luxurious.

Sewing for Birch Organic Fabrics

Wow, this last week was probably one of the busiest I have had in a long time with all sorts of things going on..........whew, I'm exhausted just thinking about it. One of the projects on my to-do list was to finish some garments I designed for the Birch Organic Fabrics booth for International Quilt Market (which takes place in Houston at the end of the month).

Cynthia, the owner of Birch, sent me four different prints to work with and I honestly had no idea which fabrics she would be sending. It made it kind of fun......I'm so used to picking my own fabrics for specific designs, but this time it was the other way around.

I love working with the Birch Fabrics, they are absolutely lovely. Here are some of the pieces I created for them......

Isn't this fabric the cutest? I couldn't get enough of this one when it arrived in the mail. I have a few scrap pieces left of this print and I definitely think it will be added onto some of Mr. Caspian's clothing. This line called 'Camp Sur' and has a bunch of really great prints!

The shorts romper in the picture is my Run Around Romper pattern for boys and girls. 

This is my Janey Jumper pattern with a ruffle down the front. I have had this vintage trim in my stash for a long time and I was so excited when I saw how perfectly it went with this fabric. In case you can't tell from the pictures, the blue fabric has little fish on it.....too cute!

I wanted to use the camper fabric on a girls dress because I think the logical choice would be for a boy, but I actually love the way this works for a girl. It's kind of a boutique, boho vibe (or at least that's what I was going for).

And then again, I decided to use this otherwise 'boy' fabric for a girl twirl dress. This is my Charlotte Apron Dress pattern without the apron. The skirt was shortened and I added a ruffle around the bottom. The light blue and cream fabric looks like tree bark......it's really neat. I also embellished the bodice with some vintage crochet trim, lace and buttons. This fabric line is called 'Camp Modern'.

I can't wait to visit the Birch Fabrics booth at Quilt Market in Houston, TX. It will never get old seeing my pieces on display. It is such a honor to work with some of these great fabric manufacturers and I still can't believe they ask 'little ole me' to create pieces for them.

By the way........is anyone else planning on attending International Quilt Market at the end of the month? 

It is a trade show and not open to the general public, but if you plan to be there, let me know. And if you see a mom (Grandma Jane) and daughter (me) duo walking around the convention center with their 'The Cottage Mama' bags, stop us and say hello......we would love to meet you!