HONEY I'M HOME!

Happy New Year, Bonne Année! In France it still counts when you say it before the end of January by the way. So happy and healthy, and peaceful New Year to all of you.

Our year started with a quick trip to Lyon. After a festive Christmas, and a restive New Year's, we were ready to spend a few days in a big city. I wanted to check out the sales, eat out, and see friends. There were of course a couple of doctor appointments (specialists are hard to find "a la campagne", which I discovered first hand when I had a dental problem, and ended up going to - Paris - for a quick "rendez vous"), and new reading glasses to order for both of us.

Hunting for antiques is in my blood, so even with the closure of my business I will be out there looking for amazing things

This seems to be the rhythm for us now. While we enjoy the everyday in a calm environment, breathing fresh air and resting our eyes on green nature, we are also city creatures. So every few weeks we plan to spend a few days in Lyon, Paris (outside of emergency dental appointments, who needs those!), or another big European city. This balance seems to be working for us.

If you have been following my story you know that it was a messy, dusty, noisy situation for about a year and a half. We lived in the "war zone", and had to be on site. Now with just a few things to be done by the workers, we have some breathing room. Yes, although the bulk of the work is completed, we are still waiting for some minor things to be finished, tweaked, finessed... hopefully really soon.

There is still a long list of things to take care of for us - curtains! trellises! I am writing everything down, making lists. I even started a special notebook with measurements, lists for each room, colors... I will be tackling all of it, soon...

But looking back at where we were a year ago, it is an amazing change for the better! It is no surprise that it is much easier to get used to comfort, and we tend to forget (most) of the uncomfortable, painful, uneasy situations. I feel that we have accomplished so much in such a short time, that giving ourselves a bit of a breather is not unreasonable. We will get to everything on the list as time comes, without too much pressure. Now is the time to enjoy it all!

Planning a garden

Even if it's January, I enjoy the garden. I go out and work there whenever the weather is friendly to spend some time outdoors. I am laying down new beds in the potager, mainly one long one that will surround the four big square existing ones in the middle. This big bed will run along an old wall, create a demarcation between the rest of the garden and the potager, and eventually enclose the entire vegetable garden. There will be a fence, and a gate. The potager will become a designated, and clearly separated, part of the garden where we grow vegetables, some fruit, and flowers to cut for the house. And the garden? The garden will be ever expanding, growing delight. I made a big progress last year widening the flowering beds, diving the existing perennials, and deep diving into various gardening publications.

Late summer, early fall in our corner of France

It is entirely my project, with my husband lending me a strong arm when it comes to carrying heavy bags of soil, cutting down thick branches, and mowing grass. The new beds are created by using mainly the permaculture method. I proudly tell everyone who wants to listen that last growing season we didn't buy a single vegetable. All the veggies we grew ourselves. The whole garden is run as sustainably as we can, fed our own compost, and mulched with straw from a nearby farm.

Potager in January. The stone marks the future beds.

As for the house itself late winter into spring of 2025 saw a big development in the state of affairs. As we were past the major construction phase, and the dust literally was settling, it was exciting to see the custom furniture being installed, our beautiful "pierre de Bourgogne" floors laid down, and the rooms being finished one by one. The heat pump that replaced the fuel heating system was working properly so we were enjoying a warm winter for a change.

Our numerous boxes of books were finally carried into the salon and the books placed on the shelves. And after the kitchen furniture was delivered, fitted in, painted, the natural stone countertops installed, and the Delft tiles I so meticulously sourced put up, we could finally feel a bit more relaxed and positive about all the difficult decisions we had to make when embarking on this adventure. Summer and fall saw us settling into the house, making friends and neighbours welcome, preserving produce from the garden (and the forrest).

Quince jam made from the fruit gifted by the neighbours

In the house, as the spaces were being finished one by one, I was happy to see that the color and material choices just "clicked". The salon became the room to gather and relax as I envisioned, and the kitchen is the warm space where we cook, eat, and when people come to visit they don't want to leave. In a project of this scale, a project that takes months from start to finish, we hoped that our vision and intention turn out as we wanted. In our house I was happy to see how everything just started working together.

Two hard working spaces - the kitchen and the salon - turned out exactly as we hoped

Slowly, slowly, the bedrooms, hallways, and even the bathrooms are getting the art on the walls, and I am finding proper spots for most things. We discovered that we still lack a few pieces of furniture for some spaces so I have been looking at antique shops and various brocantes for them. Yes, the flea markets, antique shops, are still the main source of furnishings for me, and other bits and bobs as well. But nowadays what I shop for is for our French maison.

I am still enjoying flea markets, and nature walks

In the fall I was faced with the new realities of shipping internationally. The new tariff rules forced me to rethink what makes sense financially, and logistically. In short, it became too complicated, and costly to run my business. I had to close "My French Maison" boutique. I loved very much sourcing all the antique and vintage treasures, and I met so many wonderful vendors and customers while doing it for seven years. But it was time to move on. Such is life, everything runs its course, as is my little enterprise.

Christmas decor on a mantelpiece in the salon

This year is about enjoying life. Taking trips, spending more time with friends and family. Being more relaxed, and taking care of ourselves. As well as devoting more time to our passions.

After a long break I took up painting again. For so many years there were other priorities, and necessities that were always more important. But now, I said to myself, it is now or never. If you want to follow what has been coming out of my little "atelier", I started an Instagram account to post my landscapes, and still lifes (for now), @jomorganart

"Market Carrots" acrylic on paper

Wishing you all lots of health and success in everything you want to accomplish. Thank you for reading!

xoxo Joanna