a few words about miss chelsea elizabeth...

she likes: making kites, dancing in the rain, adventures, little-while friends, letters, whole-leaf tea, crayons, bare feet, jumping in rivers/streams/creeks/waterfalls, language, catching the clock as it changes numbers, sleepovers, trains (big or small), cuddling & waking up before the sun rises, among other random things.

oregon-born, seattle-raised, bellingham-bred and franco-refined, she had moved back to the states from her affairs across the atlantic & now resides in columbia city with french husband & love of her life rémy. they spend most of their time taming the garden, taking care of their three chickens & two cats, and preparing the urban homestead for a new little chick of their own.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

love x 2.

They say life is full of surprises. Well, folks, I'm here to confirm that this statement is, indeed, very true.


Turns out we love each other so much, we made two! <3 p="p">

Quite a shock to find out when you are already five months pregnant! Having TWO little sweet peas in my pod (although they are much bigger than peas at this point - now they both already weigh in at over a pound each!) instead of just one means a change in our due date! Full term for twins is three full weeks before singletons, so our little boys should be arriving sometime around November 29, 2012! We certainly will have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving!

love love love love <3 br="br">

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

love.

Well, folks, you may or may not have heard the rumors. I'm here today to tell you that the rumors are true.


We are having a baby!!!

Our little sweet pea (well, this week it's as big as a lime) is due to enter the world on December 17 December 20, 2012*, so we still have a sizeable amount of the journey left. We are the luckiest couple in the world, to have found each other and now to have created a little bundle of love to share with the rest of the world!

love love love! <3

 *EDIT!!! At our appointment this morning (5/25) the midwives checked the size of my uterus & changed the due date to December 20. (Sorry Katie!!! Baby still loves you!)

Monday, May 14, 2012

home is wherever there is you.

One of my dearest friends in France sent me a letter which I happily received today and she mentioned that I haven't shared any decent photos of our new digs. We moved to our perfect little oasis in Columbia City a little over a month ago and are so happy it makes me giddy!!! Since I can remember we've always had this magical wishlist in our heads of what we would ideally like in a place to call home, and we try to check as many off the list we can when we look at prospective places.

The list:
  • A fireplace
  • Hardwood floors
  • A decent kitchen
  • A "real" yard/garden (this can be interpreted a thousand ways, of course)
  • Close to work
  • Good walking score
  • Nice neighbors/community
 Well, my friends, this place takes the cake! Not only does it fulfill every item on our wishlist, but it is so much more! It has amazing energy and I think it's safe to say we will both be very happy here for some time.

As promised, here are the chez Coutarel photos!

101 in 1001: the end of an era

Remember back in the day when I started a crazy project in an effort to cheer myself up and drag myself out
 of my lonely French apartment?

Times sure have changed.

In the beginning I used this project much like a crutch; it helped me baby step my way out of some serious depression after my cousin died & I moved as far away as possible from the rest of my family. (Don't worry, it turned out just fine.) I spent hours perfecting my list and hours choosing how to successfully cross things off.

Slowly but surely I ventured out of my apartment and out of my comfort/fear zone & life started picking up speed again. Soon I didn't need a crutch to help me anymore, and before you know it I had forgotten the internet entirely, fully invested in my amazing uncyber life!!

Well, it has come to my attention that the date of completion for Project Zero has passed! (Over a month ago!!!!) And it's time to do a little recapping.

(More after the jump!)

what's new?

Well now, doesn't time just fly right by? I guess that means I must be having fun. ;)

Here's what's been happening chez Coutarel over the past few months:

Old stuff:
  • I'm still teaching French before school at Laurelhurst Elementary and loving every second of it.
  • Remy's still at PCC and loving it, too.*
  • Tippen & Napoleon (our two cats) are cute as ever.
  • My 101 in 1001 project has officially come to an end.
 New stuff:
  • We bought a car.
  • Our car got stolen.
  • We got our car back. (!!!!)
  • I started working at PCC in West Seattle. (As a second job.)
  • I turned 27.
  • We moved to a new house in Columbia City. (Well, technically Hillman City, but same diff.)
  • We got three adorable chicks who are now in their awkward adolescent phase.
  • I started a new project focused on reconnecting.
  • I started a few new blogs (things that chelsea did & project reconnect), although I've been equally neglecting those for a while, too.
  • I'm working on revamping this blog.
  • We planted a kick-ass garden.

*We recently bought a lotto ticket (for the first time ever in the US!) and while discussing what we might do with $118 million, Remy decided he wouldn't want to quit PCC, meaning he must love it there! I was very impressed.

I promise I will do my best to keep you more informed on current events! In the meantme, I hope you all have been enjoying the beautiful Seattle sunshine!