French la Vie https://www.frenchlavie.com French la Vie Tue, 22 Sep 2026 22:45:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.2 https://www.frenchlavie.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/poppy-1-150x150.png French la Vie https://www.frenchlavie.com 32 32 https://www.frenchlavie.com/2026/09/22/and-away-we-go/ And Away We Go https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/969506003/0/tongueincheek~And-Away-We-Go/ https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/969506003/0/tongueincheek~And-Away-We-Go/#respond Tue, 22 Sep 2026 11:00:03 +0000 https://www.frenchlavie.com/?p=86605 Thank you for all the lovely messages yesterday! ❤️! I hope one day that I can meet all of you. Here we are digging through boxes, climbing up flights of stairs to one of a kind places. You never know what you will find, And sometimes I think it finds you. Thank you for tagging […]]]>

Thank you for all the lovely messages yesterday! ❤! I hope one day that I can meet all of you.

Here we are digging through boxes, climbing up flights of stairs to one of a kind places. You never know what you will find, And sometimes I think it finds you.

Thank you for tagging along xx

]]> https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/969506003/0/tongueincheek~And-Away-We-Go/feed/ 0 https://www.frenchlavie.com/2026/09/21/french-la-vie-autumn-journeys/ French la Vie Autumn Journeys https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/969440537/0/tongueincheek~French-la-Vie-Autumn-Journeys/ https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/969440537/0/tongueincheek~French-la-Vie-Autumn-Journeys/#comments Mon, 21 Sep 2026 11:00:38 +0000 https://www.frenchlavie.com/?p=86600 How many of these have I done? I’ve never been very good about counting, adding, or keeping a tally. But if I were to give it a wild guess, I’d say at least 45+—and still, it feels like the first time. Four guests arrive tomorrow. Maureen has been here a few times, and what adventures […]]]>

How many of these have I done? I’ve never been very good about counting, adding, or keeping a tally. But if I were to give it a wild guess, I’d say at least 45+—and still, it feels like the first time.

Four guests arrive tomorrow.

Maureen has been here a few times, and what adventures we’ve had! The best part about doing this is that people come back, and friendships are established, even among one another.

Then there’s Jan. She came before I started doing groups, and she came to my town, rented an Airbnb, and we hung out together. Now she’s coming to join us for a French la vie! She’s bringing her friend Mary, who is a newbie.

And then there’s Marilyn. I met her last year in Willows. She’s been reading my blog for a very long time. If you read my comments, you’ll see her there. If you leave comments on my blog, I feel like I know you because I’ve been reading your comments for so many years.

Okay, now I have to get back to doing what I’m doing—preparing the rooms, writing the menu, cutting flowers, and making sure that everything is just so.

I hope you’ll follow along. It’s going to be a wonderful week!

]]> https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/969440537/0/tongueincheek~French-la-Vie-Autumn-Journeys/feed/ 7 https://www.frenchlavie.com/2026/09/20/ancient-art-in-the-louvre/ Ancient Art in the Louvre https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/969379382/0/tongueincheek~Ancient-Art-in-the-Louvre/ https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/969379382/0/tongueincheek~Ancient-Art-in-the-Louvre/#comments Sun, 20 Sep 2026 11:00:15 +0000 https://www.frenchlavie.com/?p=86590 Last week, I visited the Louvre with my cousins, and we spent nearly five hours there. I told them I had heard that if you spent just one minute in front of each object, it would take 23 years to see everything. It is a glorious feast for the eyes and the imagination; the depth […]]]>

Last week, I visited the Louvre with my cousins, and we spent nearly five hours there. I told them I had heard that if you spent just one minute in front of each object, it would take 23 years to see everything. It is a glorious feast for the eyes and the imagination; the depth of knowledge and history contained within those walls is overwhelming.

I stood mesmerized by these delicate terracotta statuettes, surviving for more than 2,000 years — crafted in a time far beyond what my imagination could grasp. Many of them date from between the 3rd and 5th centuries BC, carrying the beauty of the ancient world.

Everywhere you look — above, below, around a doorway, along a molding, within a frame — there is something extraordinary: the colors, a signature, an inscription, the precision of a carving, the evidence of how something was made, and the incredible fact that it has survived.

Standing there, I felt a strange sense that we were moving backwards rather than forwards. Surrounded by such beauty, detail, and human creativity, I was reminded of what can be lost in a world that often feels increasingly sterile and disconnected. The ancient world seemed so full of soul, imagination, and a devotion to beauty —

]]> https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/969379382/0/tongueincheek~Ancient-Art-in-the-Louvre/feed/ 6 Weekly Top Posts: 2026-09-20https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/969324701/0/tongueincheek<ol><li><a rel="NOFOLLOW" href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/969069809/0/tongueincheek/~Sunday-Antiquing">Sunday Antiquing</a></li> <li><a rel="NOFOLLOW" href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/969024869/0/tongueincheek/~Just-Dessert">Just Dessert</a></li> <li><a rel="NOFOLLOW" href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/969114812/0/tongueincheek/~Brocanting-Isn%e2%80%99t-a-Word%2c-I-Made-it-Up.">Brocanting Isn&#x2019;t a Word, I Made it Up.</a></li> <li><a rel="NOFOLLOW" href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/968988767/0/tongueincheek/~2000-Years-Bajardo">2000 Years-Bajardo</a></li> <li><a rel="NOFOLLOW" href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/969158447/0/tongueincheek/~Seek-Goodness">Seek Goodness</a></li> </ol><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt="" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;padding:0;width:1px!important;height:1px!important;" hspace="0" src="https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/969324701/0/tongueincheek"> Sun, 20 Sep 2026 04:00:01 GMTtag:feedblitz.com,2026-09-20:tongueincheek/2026-09-20T04:00:01-00:00 FeedSplice by FeedBlitz https://www.frenchlavie.com/2026/09/19/all-of-the-time/ All of the Time https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/969317807/0/tongueincheek~All-of-the-Time/ https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/969317807/0/tongueincheek~All-of-the-Time/#comments Sat, 19 Sep 2026 11:00:15 +0000 https://www.frenchlavie.com/?p=86576 I hadn’t seen Gabriel (7) for about five days, and before that I had only seen him briefly. It felt like an eternity, even though it really wasn’t. The moment I saw him, I wrapped him in a big hug, held his sweet face in my hands, and said, “I missed you so much. I […]]]>

I hadn’t seen Gabriel (7) for about five days, and before that I had only seen him briefly. It felt like an eternity, even though it really wasn’t.

The moment I saw him, I wrapped him in a big hug, held his sweet face in my hands, and said, “I missed you so much. I thought about you all the time.”

With complete sincerity, he looked back at me and said, “Oh, Vavi, I love you. I thought about you too. But not all the time—I had other things to think about: school, the cats, reading, and my own thoughts. But I did think about you.”

It was a sweetly honest response. Children have a way of telling the truth so simply, and it makes their love go straight to the heart.

photos of Gabriel reading to his sister.

]]> https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/969317807/0/tongueincheek~All-of-the-Time/feed/ 5 https://www.frenchlavie.com/2026/09/18/tucking-things-together/ Tucking Things Together https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/969282503/0/tongueincheek~Tucking-Things-Together/ https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/969282503/0/tongueincheek~Tucking-Things-Together/#comments Fri, 18 Sep 2026 11:00:56 +0000 https://www.frenchlavie.com/?p=86564 I am constantly arriving at the very moment I leave behind. Each moment—a year in seconds, a day held deeply in our foundation. Or sometimes, a single day freeze-frames and becomes who we are. When I was younger, I was eager to welcome the next step, the next door, curious to see what lay ahead, […]]]>

I am constantly arriving at the very moment I leave behind.

Each moment—a year in seconds, a day held deeply in our foundation. Or sometimes, a single day freeze-frames and becomes who we are.

When I was younger, I was eager to welcome the next step, the next door, curious to see what lay ahead, only to realize that most of those thresholds meant closing the door to chapters I held dear. Or maybe, it is just a matter of tucking things together to make room for it all.

There was so much reflection and reminiscing while my cousin was here. We have been close since childhood, sharing many memories, and over these eighteen days, we talked about many of them.

Most of our memories felt close at hand: our cousins—hundreds of them—and our aunts and uncles whom we loved deeply. We recalled camping trips, Christmas, and the beautiful freedom of childhood that we had and held so sweetly. We were fortunate to grow up during that place and time within our rural community. It was such a blessing to recall and to bring it deeper to heart.

The peace of aging comes when I can hold with gentleness the momentum of the days flowing by… the softening of my steps, maybe shifting my priorities, and welcoming wisdom that surfaces while doing ordinary things.

Oh my, to see the person I am becoming, with kindness and the grace of presence.

photos via my cousins.

]]> https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/969282503/0/tongueincheek~Tucking-Things-Together/feed/ 8 https://www.frenchlavie.com/2026/09/17/aurevoir-cousin-alma-and-mike/ Aurevoir Cousin Alma and Mike https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/969242219/0/tongueincheek~Aurevoir-Cousin-Alma-and-Mike/ https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/969242219/0/tongueincheek~Aurevoir-Cousin-Alma-and-Mike/#comments Thu, 17 Sep 2026 11:00:10 +0000 https://www.frenchlavie.com/?p=86557 Every minute, no every second of these last 18 days, I have enjoyed your company. Certainly, the house is going to feel empty without you two xxx]]>

Every minute, no every second of these last 18 days, I have enjoyed your company. Certainly, the house is going to feel empty without you two xxx

]]> https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/969242219/0/tongueincheek~Aurevoir-Cousin-Alma-and-Mike/feed/ 10