[ merry christmas! ]

FROM our home to yours...

have a wonderful Christmas filled with joy, laughter and holiday cheer!

lisa

[ happy weekend! ]

AND happy valentine's day to you all! What have you got planned with your loved one?

Our day will include a movie date...

a romantic dinner at home followed by a bit of this...

and of course a few of these thrown in...

Have a wonderful lovey dovey day!

lisa

[ someone's having a birthday! ]

HAPPY birthday to my guy today! Still as cute as ever ;)

lisa

[ heart and soul ]

TODAY is a very special day...

it's our anniversary ~ the day I married my true soul mate. I couldn't imagine spending my life with anyone but my guy. And every year just gets better and better. I'm a very lucky gal. xo

lisa

[via cozmikhugs.tumblr]

[ bouncing back ]

THANK you so much for your sweet virtual hugs and well wishes for my guy. He's doing a bit better each day and slowly things are getting back to normal.

It's scary times like these that make you realize what really matters.
From me to my guy...

lisa

[ 4 weeks! ]

YAY! I'm officially 4 weeks post-op today and I'm happy to report that I think I've turned a corner over the past few days and am feeling like I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things!

My guy has been an incredible nurse/housekeeper/entertainer through all of this and as if that weren't enough, he surprised me with the prettiest little box...

...containing the prettiest bit of sparkle...

... and all because he's happy that I'm recovering so well. Now if that's not enough to keep him, I don't know what is! Oh, except that he made sure to buy it from Tiffany so I could add the bag to my shopping bag art wall! And I thought I was the only crazy one! sigh... I love my guy.

Thanks so much for hanging in there while I've been a bit MIA. Now let's get this year started! xo

lisa

[swing via think9ink.tumblr.com]

[ paris ]

I'VE BEEN sorting through my pics and thought I'd start off by showing you around the neighbourhood we stayed in. We chose the Latin Quarter in the 5th arrondissement, on the left bank of the Seine. It's a great neighbourhood with lots of cafés and little shops.

Our little boutique hotel was Hotel Henri IV on rue Saint Jacques...

the welcoming lobby had lovely rustic features and was beautifully decorated...

and while the rooms were a little small {like all Paris hotels}, it had everything we needed, including a super comfy bed, well sound-proofed rooms and a charming view out to the street...

Once we checked in, we started off with a sip of wine on a terrace around the corner. I didn't think anyone would be sitting on terraces in November, but they all had heat lamps to keep you toasty...

Here's a sample of what we saw around our neighbourhood...

As you can see from this small sample, it's a lovely area of Paris with plenty to see. My favourite thing was the Pont de L'Archeveche with all the love locks...

Couples come to Paris and put a love lock on the bridge and throw the key into the Seine as a symbol of their undying love...

And so of course we went searching for a lock and inscribed our names and the date on the back...

Now we'll have to come back to Paris to visit our lock!

Stay tuned for the next instalment ~ a peek at the big Paris flea market ~ Les Puces de Saint-Ouen.

lisa

[ introducing jameson ]

LET ME just start by saying that my guy is fun to shop with. Especially when he has a purpose. Bag shopping with him this weekend was an absolute blast!

We headed to Dubai Mall, straight to the Fashion Avenue area, that wing of the mall where I might pop my head in to drool over Hermés or Chanel or Louis Vuitton to kill time on a hot afternoon. Going there to buy something was giving me heart palpitations.

[lee abbamonte]

I hadn't slept the night before ~ too excited and weighing the pros and cons of what type of bag I would choose ~ something small and cute? Maybe a larger casual bag? Perhaps something for travel?

After a lot of browsing and comparing, I finally settled on a Burberry Jameson tote...

I was lacking a good sized tote and knew it would be perfect for travelling. Love the dark orange leather accents...

But my favourite part? Clip the two sides together...

And voila! A completely different bag! Two bags in one!

I love that it morphs into a bag suitable for use anytime ~ making it the perfect bag to travel with too ~ tote your stuff on the plane, then use it as your purse. It fits my iPad and camera with plenty of room to spare. It's classic, will never go out of style and durable. The perfect bag. Now that was fun!

lisa

Thanks for all of your lovely anniversary wishes - you're the sweetest! :)

[ love is in the air ]

SO TODAY is our wedding anniversary! And not only did my guy make me a card, he's taking me bag shopping!

It doesn't get much better than that! How did I get so lucky? xo

I'll show you what I get on Monday. Happy weekend everyone!

lisa

[via marchorowitz]

[ celebrating ]

SO TODAY is my birthday and my guy is acting very sneaky. All I've been told is to pack an overnight bag. No idea what he's up to but I guess I'll do as I'm told! ; )

lisa

[ love is in the air ]

I'VE GOT love on my mind today...

Hope your Valentine's Day is filled with love!

lisa

[getty; designinspiration.net; foreverfailure.soup.io; musicphilosophy.co.uk;

getty; scriptical.wordpress; ornamelle.com; weibo.com]