Cork Crafts

I'm still suffering a little bit from jet lag. My clock is still a little off. I want to go to bed at 8:00 but I'm up at 5:30 in the morning. After 5 days of being home, I'm just starting to feel normal. That's a good thing since Kimi comes home tomorrow..get ready for plenty of puppy pics.

I'm very excited to have been mentioned in someone else's blog, Robin at http://www.mymelange.net/. You should definitely check out her blog since she was my most motivating factor for starting my own. She adores Paris and has had some wonderful adventures there that she's blogged about. She also adores Italy so how could we not become friends??? AND, she has a dog....sigh! Also, Robin sent me over to this site http://geggieblog.blogspot.com/, she's having a cool contest so check it out and definitely tell her I sent you.

Unlike Robin, I am not suffering from the winter blues, just the jet lag. Late afternoon seem to be really bad. When the sun starts to go down and all my body wants to do is sleep. So yesterday, while dogsitting for a neighbor, I decided to start a craft project. Now I have a whole craft room filled with stamping and cardmaking material AND a whole list of thank you cards that need to be written after the holidays. I just couldn't drag myself up there. So, motivated by Robin's winter blues and her wine drinking, I decided to take the corks we have been saving and do something productive. Here's the outcome:

I have a very small cabinet section in a corner of my kitchen and it's where the phone goes, cell phones get charged, etc. and it's fairly hidden so it was a perfect place for an experiment. A word of caution, don't start any hot glue gun projects when you're tired....tee hee. I started the wall about 2:00 thinking that I had plenty of time to finish before a 5:30 Pilates class. Wrong. I only had 3/4 of it done so I went to Pilates then came home to finish the project. I did, but I practically burned all the skin off my fingers from the hot glue. Tired and cranky, I had a little more trouble fitting the puzzle together. But, it's all done and it's really cool.

I got my recycle bin yesterday and my papers are going in...woo hoo!!! And, I just finished reading my first book of this month "In the Company of Newfies: A Shared Life", an awesome book by Rhoda Lerman. Rhoda is a breeder of Newfoundlands and this book is a heartwarming read for anyone who loves animals. Her relationship with her dogs is amazing and a must read for anyone getting a puppy, Newfoundland or not. You can also check out her dogs at http://www.blueheavennewfoundlands.com/. This is actually the 2nd time I've read this book...does that count towards my 2 per month? Yep, I think so!!!

Things To Be Thankful For

Yesterday was a post filled with resolutions and things I want to accomplish in 2008. My life wouldn't be complete, though, if I didn't reflect a little on the past and things that already fulfill me. So, here's my TOP TEN 2008 list of things I am SO, SO thankful for.

1. My health and the health of those people I love, along with being able to be physically fit....that my body still will allow me to do all that I want it to do.
2. The love of my life, RCR, who has brought me more love and joy than I ever imagined possible and continues to enrich my life in so many ways that it boggles my mind. We are about to celebrate 15 incredible years of marriage and it's amazing to me how fast those years have flown by.
3. Our dogs...every single one of them has been special in their own way and I know that Kimi will be no different. I'm sure she is only the next one in line to live a spoiled, Radawicz life!!
4. The love of my family. My mom who always makes me feel loved and special. My wonderful sister who is there for me every single time I need her. My gorgeous nephew who is fighting for our freedoms every day in Iraq and still manages to put a beautiful smile on his face and root for the #1 football team in the nation....Geaux Tigers!!! For my beautiful niece who is thoughtful and sweet, and just grows more beautiful through the years. And for the newest addition, my great-nephew who is our "Little Prince" and as adorable as can be. Through thick & thin, good times and bad, happy and sad...we are a family that loves one another dearly and that trumps everything else that we may go through.
5. My friends. New friends, old friends, neighbors, dog friends, blog friends, craft friends. Every single one of you brings very special things to my life. I am lucky to have my life filled with honest, sweet, funny, creative, thoughtful, caring people. I love each and every one of you dearly.
6. For the opportunity to travel and see the world.
7. For the "stuff" that we are blessed with. They are not the most important things in our life but they help make it comfortable and sometimes easy.
8. For the opportunity to take some time off from work and figure out what I want to be when I grow up.
9. Cable TV...okay, that may seem silly but I LOVE TV...I hate to admit but everyone who knows me knows that's true. I love TV and movies and books....anything that tells a story!!!
10. And last, but definitely not least, being able to live HERE....being able to live here in Colorado is the greatest gift for us. It is wonderful to live in a place that you are happy to come home to. And we are happy to be back here every single time we go away. There are many wonderful places to visit in this world but to us, none is as special as 1402 James Way!!!!

Glad to be home and Jet Lagged

Whew, finally made it home!!! We got lucky and were upgraded to 1st Class on our leg from Paris to Dulles....and we had the pods. Talk about make it easy to sleep when you can fully recline!!! Okay, so this is a horrible picture of me, but you get the idea.

Thank goodness I was able to sleep because we got stuck in Washington. Our 5:30 flight got cancelled so they rebooked us on a 9:30 pm flight. Then that flight was delayed. We decided that it was in our best interest just to get a room Saturday night and take the first flight home Sunday morning. That worked out well although poor Dick had to leave Monday morning...again!!! So, here I am, glad to be home but still feeling jet lagged. I feel good until about 4 in the afternoon then I start to lag. Last night I made it all the way to 8:00 pm then I crashed. Of course, I was then awake at 4:30 this morning. I managed to go back to sleep but only until 6:00 a.m. At that point, it was just easier to get up. I'm enjoying getting back into my routine. There's nothing I love more than luxuriating over my coffee, eggs and newspaper in the morning. It's the #1 thing I love about not working.

This afternoon I'm splurging and going for a 2 hour (yes.....120 minutes) hot stone massage. I bet that makes me sleep even better.

Well, the holidays and vacation are over and I am very excited about 2008. I normally don't make many resolutions but this year I have a few things on my plate. First is the new puppy, Kimi. She's coming home with us on Saturday and I am so excited. The house is as puppy proofed as it's gonna be for now. I am off to Las Vegas in January to work with Sally at the furniture mart. Wish me luck that I don't twist any more body parts!!!

We are off to Italy in May with Sally and our North Carolina friends. We are all on pre-Italy diets right now so stay tuned for updates!!!! Here's one of them (who will remain anonymous) and his motivating self portrait!!!

After Italy, Jason & Regina (our Paris partners) are getting hitched in Key West, Florida. I'm sure a good time will be had by all.

I should throw in a few resolutions while I'm at it:

1. Recycle - if nothing else, at least my huge stack of newspapers (I've even requested a recycle bin so I'm making progress.

2. Read more - my goal is one book per week but I don't really think that's doable. So, my actual goal will be 2 per month. And, I want to keep track of them since the more I read, the less I remember what I already read.

3. "Do" More - one of the reasons I quit working was to spend more time with friends, working on crafts, doing fun stuff. In reality, I spent alot of time just hanging out at home so this year, before I go back to work, I'd like to do more of the stuff I quit my job to do: read, golf, spend time outside, spend time with friends, and be productive.

4. Drink less wine - it can become too much of a habit and that I don't like. I love a good glass of Beaujolais at night and in the summer a nice Sauvignon Blanc always is tasty, but I think it's good to give your body a break sometimes and this will be mine.

5. Lose a few pounds before Italy - I'm back on low-carb South Beach which has worked for me in the past...I'll keep you posted. It's usually pretty easy for me if I'm not eating out.

6. Exercise more - I'm not planning on running any marathons this year, especially since my twisted ankle still isn't healed, but I'd like to at least get to the gym to do SOMETHING 5 times a week!!!

Okay, now it's down in writing so we'll see how it goes!!!! Happy New Year!!!

Last Day in Paris

Today is our last day in Paris and I am both sad to leave Paris .....and ready to go home. Paris is my favorite city in the whole world and people always ask why that is. It's hard to explain somehow, but here are some glimpses of why I love it here. And before I forget, HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNMARIE!!!

If I wanted to move here, there's already a company for me here:

Two cars in one parking space!

Scooters that deliver pizza.

Streets that end in Grande Arches.

Streets that end in Grand Churches.

Creative advertising: Chocolate "Moose"

Eiffel Tower hats on gift cards,

A place setting display at Printemps...obviously the French consider a cell phone part of their place settings.

And last, these beautiful residential streets.....

Au revoir Paris...au bientot.

2 Posts in One Day

Since we were up so early this morning, I actually have enough energy to post again tonight! Today was a fairly lazy day....we finally left the apartment at 1:30 pm and headed straight over to the Musee D'Orsay. I love this museum...it's manageable and just has beautiful, beautiful art. It's also in that gorgeous train station so even if there were no art, it would be impressive. I've taken a few pics of some of my favorites. Here's a picture of the building itself...isn't it just beautiful???

Here's a close up of the clock that you can see in the distance above.

Here's a small part of Toulouse-Lautrec's La Danse au Moulin-Rouge, painted by him in 1895. It is a huge painting in person and awesome to see. His work was all fairly dark and the dancer really stands out.

Here's Van Gogh's Starry Night Over the Rhone....it is a beautiful painting in real life. It also is not the "Starry, Starry Night" painting he painted while in an asylum.

Here's a piece of Renoir's Moulin de la Galette. Another large painting that is exquisite in person. Renoir did not use models for this painting, he painted his friends instead. Again, just an exquisite painting to have seen up close and personal.

And last, but definitely not least, is one of Monet's paintings of the Rouen Cathedral. We have sat in the square facing this Cathedral so it is just an awesome feeling to know that Monet probably sat in the same vicinity for these paintings. His home, Giverny, was nearby and he travelled to Rouen to paint the Cathedral in different light, different time of day, different weather. Altogether, he painted 30 canvases of the Cathedral. At the Musee D'Orsay, five of them are hung on the same wall so you can see them all together...amazing!!!!

I wish I'd had more of an appreciate for art and architecture when I was younger. I love the art...all of it....in museums, but to stand in front of paintings, sculptures, etc. that have been around for 100s, sometimes thousands of years....just amazes me. Architecture as well continues to amaze me. We were in Notre Dame tonight, on our way home, it was dark in there and they were showing a film....it just made me want to weep

Here's me at the end of the day, standing outside of the museum...in case you were wondering...I brought several coats but this one and the fur are the only ones that have been warm enough for me to wear!!

We had dinner in the Latin Quarter tonight. Dick and I had both been wanting raclette, a Swiss cheese dish....the cheese is melted with a special lamp and you serve the melted cheese over meat, potatoes, bread, etc. It is yummy and perfect for a cold, Paris night.

Lazy Day in Paris

It is now 11:30 on Thursday and we just got out of bed!! I really believe we're coming down with the Paris sleeping disease. We can't seem to drag ourselves out of bed before 11:00. Today is gray and raining outside so we've decided to stay in for awhile and get some packing done.


Yesterday was a gorgeous, blue sunny day but cold...almost 30 degrees. Wouldn't you know it, though, I left the chip for my camera in my laptop so I could only take 5 pictures on the camera and then, I can't download those pics to my laptop because I didn't bring my cable...oh well. You'll have to wait and see those later.

We spent the day around the Marais and the Bastille. We walked around the Place de Vosges, one of of Paris' prettiest squares. Here's a stock photo!!


I was completely overwhelmed with French food today so we went back to one of our favorite Thai restaurants, Chieng-Mai on Rue Frederice Sauton on the left bank. This is the second time we've eaten there this trip and I love it. I had the Phat-That: noodles with egg, chicken, peanuts & green onions. Dick had a yummy, yummy chicken soup then pork skewers with sticky rice. We both had dessert...he had bread pudding with coconut and ginger ice creams. I had the ginger ice cream - delicious!!! I also had lemongrass tea.. I've had this made from tea bags that friends brought back from Thailand but this was actual stalks of lemongrass steeped in hot water. It was so delicious I am definitely going to have to find lemongrass in the states and try it at home. It's so refreshing and calming in the evening.

Well, we only have one more day left in Paris and I am ready to go home. We love our life, our friends, our neighborhood and are looking forward to coming back to our life. And, we are soooo excited about bringing Kimi home next week!!!!

Last day for Jason & Regina

This is the most exciting thing to happen here!!! Apparently now if you have "smoking" section, it has to be in a sealed room.

Yesterday (1/1/08) was J & R's last day here in Paris. It was a cold, cold day here so it was a late start then off to lunch. It's amazing how much money you can save when you don't wake up in time for breakfast...tee hee. And it wasn't evena late night NY Eve. We had a delicious NY Eve dinner then sat at an outdoor cafe watching the world go by until after midnight. We were not in a position to see formal fireworks but we did have a group hanging out by the bridge shooting off fireworks and singing in the New Year!

The last thing J & R wanted to do before they left was finally see the inside of Notre Dame. Unfortunately, it was a gloomy day outside and I didn't get any decent pictures of the inside. Here's one picture of the Creche that came out decent.

The rest of the we spent eating and shopping....generally just hanging out in Paris. Regina wanted to at least see Le Grand Colbert (yes, from the movie "Something's Gotta Give") so we were on a mission to find it. Along the way:

A little fun in the Metro

A lotta fun on Rue de Beaujolais

More fun on the Metro

and finally...the Opera, beautifully lit at night

AND Le Grand Colbert!! We tried to have dinner but they were full...c'est la vie!!!!