Picnic Soup

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Picnic Soup

(Today's post is being dispatched from The South of France by Lisa Fontaine. Enjoy!)

I'm excited to be back at Poppy Haus today as a guest contributor, thanks Heather for having me!  Fall is always one of my favorite times of the year.  The kids are back in school, the tourists have fled the Bay Area- reducing commute times (only slightly), and the weather is warm and glorious for our Indian summer.  This year, things are a bit different, although equally enjoyable.  My husband and I decided to fulfill a lifelong dream and are spending the year abroad in France with our three young children Bijou (8) and twins Eero & Wilder (3).  We are living in the countryside in southwest France in a 200-year-old farmhouse and our children attend public school in our nearby village of only 800 inhabitants.  Needless to say, things are quite different than our urban life back home.  

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On The Road

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On The Road

A little while back I was presented with the opportunity to take a trip down the California coast with a few other bloggers to test drive the new Ford C-MAX Hybrid, and go on a little weekend getaway. The C-MAX is the first-ever hybrid-only vehicle line from Ford in North America, available in two models: The C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi Plug-in Hybrid. I decided to join in on the adventure for a couple of reasons- I live here in Northern California, and we like our hybrids, so I was really curious about this car, and I also needed a little break to recharge my own battery (hybrid humor). Taking on this type of project affords me the opportunity to bring you guys even more original content, DIY and recipes, and gets me away from the work table to get a new perspective. I knew by going on this trip I'd get to know this car so that I could give you a thoughtful review, what I didn't expect was that this experience would remind me of something very important, especially to the work-at-home or stay-at-home moms out there... 

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Skinny Legs and All

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Skinny Legs and All

Call me a traditionalist, but I like my Halloween to be spooky. Every year I look forward to opening the bin that holds our faux black crows, furry bats and creepy guaze fabrics.  October is the best. The other day I made a few new pieces to add to the mix, including these long legged black widow spiders (using navy tights, orangey-red nail polish). They are currently spooking up our piano keys.  See more pictures below, including a tutorial in case you want to make some of your own. Have a happy weekend!  Follow me on Instagram and Twitter this week- I'll be on a fun blogging adventure over the weekend, heading down the California coast testing out Ford's new C-Max Hybrid. I'll let you know all about it when I get back!

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White Bean Chili Verde with Pumpkin

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White Bean Chili Verde with Pumpkin

This recipe is one of those things that came together on a day when we might have been just too tired to cook, and could have very well ordered some take out to get us through. Instead we turned to our old friend the slow-cooker, because I had a hankering for chili verde. The addition of pumpkin makes it a hearty, autumn stew, and we ate ours up with sliced avocado, and honey cornbread.  Here's the recipe...

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The Autumn Flower

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The Autumn Flower

A while back I asked my friend, the floral designer turned painter, Jen Daily to teach me how to arrange grocery store flowers to make them look more lovely than their $10 price tag.  When I spotted these blush colored dahlia's at the market the other day I thought about her advice and got to arranging.  Dahlias are my favorite fall bloom, they remind me of the peonies of summer time.  Dahlias come in a variety of colors ranging from deep dark purple to nutmeg, to this pale hue.  I used trimmings from my yard, including Japanese maple, and a mystery flower that I just love.  You can't do this wrong, just keep it loose and mix textures. See how I built this arrangement below.  And before I say goodbye for the weekend I wanted to give a quick plug to Jen Daily and her new project of tiny little paintings now available for purchase in her Etsy store.  I bought this one and I can't wait for it to arrive...

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