adventures of an american housewife in the south of france

Happy Birthday, Amurrica!

Happy 4th Everyone!  I'm having a bit of America FOMO over here.  No fireworks, no long weekend, no backyard barbecues.  Sigh.  It seems like every 4th of July weekend we're either at a wedding, HSMF or a party.  Always something fun!  To get myself more in the holiday spirit, I took a look at some of my past 4th of July weekends. In 2006, The Hub and I spent the weekend having an amazing time at my first...

Baby’s First Christmas

Living on the West Coast and having our families in two different states in the Midwest, it can be difficult to decide where to spend the holidays.  The Hub and I are so lucky that we both come from amazing families that we actually want to spend time with, so we have to plan our holidays diplomatically.  However, this year the decision was simple.  You see, this year, we had a new person in the picture:  our...

The Year of the Beard

Last year was the first Christmas that The Hub and I celebrated together as a married couple.  We decided to spend the holiday in San Francisco and start our own traditions.  We bought a tree, had our parents send us some of our favorite childhood Christmas ornaments (Barbie for me, Star Wars for The Hub) and spent a quiet, cozy holiday with our little family of us and Figaro. Because we like to make a big deal...

Don’t Forget the Earth! Holiday Tips from Patty Preachy

Patty Preachy here again. You missed me. As much as I love recycling, I'm going to try not to use any material from my Thanksgiving post. If you're looking for food tips, you can likely find them there. Now tis the season to talk about what you all love to hate to love to do: SHOP. CONSUME. FILL THE VOID. While I can't give you a conscience, I can give you some pointers. SHOPPING/GIFTS Give gifts with a...

Holiday Host Gift Guide

As you know by now, I firmly believe in the etiquette of bringing a little something for your host or hostess when you arrive to a party.  With the holidays in full swing, it's fun to go above and beyond the typical gifts like a bottle of wine or bouquet of flowers. Earlier this week I shared my idea of preparing a pretty mason jar full of Spicy and Sweet Glazed Nuts.  Here are a few other gift ideas I've come...

Hump Day: Festive Holiday Cocktails

Happy Hump Day everyone!  It's official, the holidays are in full swing.  Tomorrow I'll be attending my first of many holiday parties this season and to get in the spirit, I thought I'd share some pretty delicious looking and festive cocktails that I found.  I can't wait to try these out .  What's your favorite holiday cocktail? Peppermint Patty You'll Need: - 1 oz. Smirnoff Vodka - 1 oz. Peppermint...

A Midwest Delight: Mom’s Pinecone Dip

One of my favorite things about this time of year is that I can make my mom's adorable Pinecone Dip. I'm not sure where she found this recipe, but it's totally a Midwestern thing, right up there with the Jell-O Pudding Chocolate Eclair that I'll share with you sometime when summer returns. The Pinecone Dip is super easy to make and looks so fabulous that you'll impress everyone you serve it to.  I have been...

Holiday Host Gift: Sweet & Spicy Glazed Nuts

As the holidays approach, our calendar is filling up with parties!  White Elephant parties, Ugly Sweater parties, and Work parties.  Each year The Hub's company hosts a fabulous holiday party at an awesome venue with a fun theme.  They've done Vegas, Roaring '20s, '80s Prom, 1979, and this year's theme:  Truman Capote's 1966 Black & White Ball. We had to do some research to figure out what this meant. ...

Thanksgiving Sleeper Hit – Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

You guys, I have something to confess... I don't like Pumpkin Pie. I know!  I know!  How completely unAmerican of me!  But it's true.  I like Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin Cookies, Pumpkin Muffins, but I don't like Pumpkin Pie. Now that I have that off my chest, I can share my latest recipe with you - Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes.  I decided to try these out as an alternative to Pumpkin Pie so that I could feel...

A Thankful Thanksgiving

The Hub and I have spent a lazy day today watching football, reading and emerging from our turkey and stuffing induced hangover.  We had a fantastic Thanksgiving filled with delicious food and wonderful friends.  We are truly lucky to have amazing family, not only by blood and marriage, but also here in San Francisco. For the past few years, The Hub and I have hosted Thanksgiving at our house, but after a noise...

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