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Sharing is Caring

I have never been the type of girl who keeps secrets. I am a complete open book and my info is your info. I will always share all of my sources… Furniture, restaurants, clothing shops, housekeepers, masseuses, dog walkers, bakeries, cheese shops, hotels… You name it, I will share it. I hate when people hog sources.

So today, I thought I would share three of my favorite favorite favorite blogs with you.

Lately, the first blog that I check every morning when I wake up is My French Country Home written by Sharon Santoni. I literally want this woman’s life. Here’s why:


This is her house in Normandy.

This is her garden at her house in Normandy.

These are her dogs in her garden at her house in Normandy.

This is her guest house (available as a short-term rental) at her house in Normandy.

This is her online brocante that she curates from Normandy.

 
If you know me at all, you know that this is my idea of complete bliss.

She also wrote a fabulous book that I have to get my little paws on called My Stylish French Girlfriends. She is accepting preorders HERE.

 
Her blog is fantastic, especially yesterday’s posting about a little house for sale in Normandy. Take a look HERE



 So, when you have a chance, pop over to her blog… You will not be disappointed.

Now, my second favorite blog that I always check is Lost in Arles. This little gem is written by my friend Heather Robinson. Bring your dictionary to this blog because you will need it. Heather is a smarty-pants who went to Yale and it shows but relax, she’s relatable. :-) She reminds me of my other close friend who is a smarty-pants as well (Stanford) and these are the two girls I go to with grammatical questions. It’s always good to have a balance between the Kardashians and Ivy League, right?

Heather’s blog is full of remarkable photographs taken by herself on all things Provence. If you have any questions about Provence, Heather has the answers. She has the answers about the good stuff like where’s the best fleamarket in Provence, what’s the best restaurant in Provence, where’s the best farmers market in Provence, where’s the best place to find a summer rental in Provence… She’s like the magic genie of Provence. She has great tips about what to avoid in Provence as well. How many times can I say Provence? Nine times in this paragraph alone. :-)
 
This is Heather's blog post about an adorable book called Hudson in Provence by Jackie Clark Mancuso.
 
 This is Heather's blog posting about her friend's house that is for sale in Provence.
 
This is Heather's blog posting about the St. Etienne du Grès fleamarket in Provence.


This is Heather's blog posting about fruit confit in Provence.
 

If any of you are heading to Provence, I highly suggest you sign up for one of
Heather’s walking tours. You will not be disappointed. Heather is knowledgeable,
friendly (loving, actually), patient, easy-going, reliable and has great taste in
everything. She will make you laugh and smile, learn something and you will want to
give her a big hug at the end of the day. Truly, a rare genuine person. I will share her
with you.

My third favorite blog is written by my uber chic friend, Hollye Jacobs. The blog is titled, The Silver Pen: Finding the Silver Linings. Hollye is a breast cancer survivor and one of the most inspirational women I know. Hollye and I have agreed to do a little back-and-forth questionnaire between each other answering questions that are sometimes hard to answer. It will be a whole blog so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, get yourself familiarized with her blog, it will brighten your day.
 

 This is my friend Hollye... Isn't she adorable?

This is the best-selling book Hollye wrote for women as a guide to breast cancer. You can purchase her book HERE.

So those are my three shares for the day. What are yours? How about all of the readers share one secret source? It can be your favorite blog, favorite website, favorite restaurant, favorite hat shop, favorite florist, favorite caterer, favorite decorator, favorite bakery… If you love it, will love it. Write a comment, give your source, I will post it on the blog and everyone will have done their good deed for the day. Sharing is caring.

http://sharonsantoni.com/

http://lostinarles.blogspot.fr/

http://www.thesilverpen.com/


*Something you don’t know about me? I think I’m going to write another cookbook with my mother. I received over 100 emails about her Baked Beans recipe alone. We decided it would be fun if we shared all of our family favorites. Not fancy, mostly country. These are the recipes that are our everyday staples… Chicken Fried Steak with Gravy, Porkchops with Fried Apples and Mashed Potatoes, Spaghetti and Meatballs, Pineapple Upside down Cake, Green Enchiladas, Chicken Divine, Linguine with Spicy Shrimp, Green Pepper Steak, Bacon Wrapped Scallops with Bearnaise Sauce and more, lots more. The recipes are from my great-grandmother, grandmother, mother and aunts...The men in our family don’t cook, or clean for that matter (except my brother and my husband). Stay tuned for that… But tomorrow, we will get back to our barbecue fixin’s!

54 comments:

  1. I'm so glad to know who your favorites are! Here are three of my favorite blogs: My French Country Home. When I started to search for blogs by French women hers was the first I found and I've been a loyal follower ever since. I've tried several of her recipes and they've always been met with applause. She seems to live such a charmed (and charming) life - I think I'd love to walk in her shoes for a while!
    The second one I found is A French Word a Day by Kristin Espinasse. She's an American married to a Frenchman and living in/near Bandol. I look forward to every post - I just love it!
    My third would have to be yours. I just found out about you last December but now I'm hooked. I feel like I know you and when I don't get a posting for a couple of days I start to worry. Keep 'em coming!

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    1. A French Word a Day! Sounds great. Going to go check it out. Glad you like my blog, and don't worry… I'll be here. XOXO

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  2. Absolutely, you are #1. I wish you posted every day. I am married to a french man and we live in Miami, but have a home in Berry - close to the home of George Sand. We travel there often. My husband also adores the carrot salad at those rest-stops on the autoroute.... I ususally go crazy with the confitures and the cookie aisle at Carrefour. And the teas - oops, infusions.... So, I hate to admit my other favorite site - which I open up and read before I do anything else in the morning: The Daily Mail (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/ushome/index.html)
    It's the best place to keep up with Hollywood and royalty. I wish they had an equivalent French site..... I check your website every day - and when you haven't posted, I go back and read one of your old postings... They are always fresh. You have the BEST photos - and I love the black, smudgy frame on the photos. Ellie, you make every one of my days a better day.

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    1. Thank you Carmen! So sweet of you to say. Thanks for your sources. I'm going to go check out The Daily Mail right away! XOXO

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    2. you will love it sick- never again will you need to buy a magazine!

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  3. I agree with Carmen you are #1 Ellie. Funny too, is Carmen my relative- because I check The Daily Mail too.
    I was clueless about these blogs but once again you've saved me! Also regarding the real estate I think we need to buy a little holiday retreat in France. Something to retire to in a few years. Everything is better in France, including the gas stations as we all know (carrot salad).
    Thanks for sharing Ellie and yes please to your family favourites cookbook, sign me up. XOX

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    1. How did I not know about The Daily Mail? OMG! :-)

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    2. Kim Kardashian loves the daily mail - says it's on of her favs - so there ya go. DM is like Carmen wrote: Hollywood gossip. I read somewhere that mom-Kardashian pays daily mail to keep them in the news...and I think Clooney recently wrote DM a nasty response after they published BS about his dame Amal.

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  4. YOU do know that I was on my way to meet SHARON right after meeting YOU!!!!!!I went on one of her ANTIQUE SHOPPING TRIPS!I think SHARON's blog was the first or second BLOG I FOLLOWED!Then the third BLOG I found was HEATHER"S LOST IN ARLES!!!!!!!!!!!
    I have been a FAN for YEARS................Heather use to chat about her cocktails.........remember??........OH how I loved how she would describe her APERTIFF!
    It is GOOD TO SHARE.......................I SHARED YOU!THATS how HEATHER found YOU!I wonder if SHARON Is FOLLOWING YOU............I think she reads ME!!!I would imagine SHE is following YOU!THANK YOU for sharing...............and THANK YOU for your COOKBOOKS........another ONE would be MOST WELCOME!!!!!!XOXOXO

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  5. I can't wait to read your suggested blogs, thank you! I enjoy following a blog called Reggie Darling. Are you familiar with it?

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    1. I love Reggie Darling. A blog after my own heart. Thanks for the source. :-)

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  6. I read Lost in Arles too! and like Carmen I check the Daily Mail every day! I also love reading Maitai's Picture book- she lives in France and her Hermes scarf scholarship and ting know how are superior x

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    1. Thank you for the Maitai picture book blog! I just spent an hour over there and then lost track of time because I was counting how many Hermes bags she has! Her blog is fantastic and she is definitely the most knowledgeable person I've ever seen about scarves. Thank you for the source!

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  7. Thank you soooo very much for including me and my blog (the one that I call "the little engine that kind of can") amidst two such amazing women! Sharon's blog was one of the first that I found along with Vicki Archer's and Kristen Espinasse's. When I first started mine I actually had to stop reading all three for a while because they were SO good that I knew that I would just end up comparing and sighing sadly. heeheehee

    Hooray for sharing! A very poetic blog that I enjoy is Loree at Stories and Scribbles who lives on the island of Malta (can you imagine being asked, "Hey where do you live?" and responding, "Oh, on Malta").

    But lemme see. Today I will also share my favorite depot-vente in Provence: Le Depot-Vente in Eygalieres on Route 24b just outside of town. You never know what you are going to find there! For example, we bought a service of La Jaune Chrome porcelain - I think we spent maybe 60 Euros for the set of chargers, dinner and salad plates - only to come home and find that each dinner plate alone was worth over 200! Whoohoo.

    Another share: Jute in Arles for handmade espadrilles! They are fantastic and very well priced - as with the depot-vente, the shop (I think they have an online one now too) is run by a lovely couple as well. I saw a pair of dusty rose pink platforms in the window yesterday that are calling to meeeee.

    Sending much Love to you and Popeye Strength,
    Heather

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    1. I love the Emmaus in my neighborhood. An almost complete Limoges tea set (well..., eleven teacups and saucers) with teapot, creamer, covered sugar in an exquisite design for 15 euros. I actually brought it back to my Miami in my carry-on.

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    2. I am a sucker for espradrilles. Going to pull my out of hibernation this weekend. Thanks for all the recommendations Heather!

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  8. Thankyou for always being so interesting and entertaining! I think it is lovely that you share things as I cannot seem to see the point in being miserable and not sharing. Look forward to reading some more recipes. x

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  9. Thank you for the blogs I follow the silver pen in Instagram and now subscribed to all three blogs and to the Matai blog also! I too lost track of time looking at the many ways to tie the scarves. I have been in a bad place and this brought me much needed sunshine. Thank you Ellie for always making my day a little brighter . Of course, I just decided I am selling my condo and moving to Provence xoxoxoxo

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  10. Hi Ellie, I haven't commented before but I love your blog and love to see your posts drop into my inbox! I came to you via Faux Fuchsia, whose blog I love too. My share for the day is a website called salihughesbeauty.com. There are beauty tips, recommendations and videos and there is also a forum for beauty and other chat. I also like the blog Coulda Shoulda Woulda (naomipicks.blogspot.co.uk). It is mostly interiors, fashion and culture with intelligent, funny commentary. x

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    1. Going to go check out all of these ASAP because we all know I need a makeover or a live-in makeup artist. Thanks for the recommendations.

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  11. Thank you Ellie for sharing your friends with us! I have been following Sharon for many years and now I'm following your friends. Your blog is a delight to read and I'm sure your friends' will be too.
    I guess I will have to check that Daily Mail...
    Keep shinning. Xx

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  12. Yep, I could definitely be happy in that house in Normandy. I wouldn't change a thing...just move right in. xoxo Mary

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  13. Thank you for the suggestions, Ellie. The Daily Mail is also my dirty little secret.. it's filled with gossip :) I Love http://bourbonandpearls.blogspot.ca/ although I think Tabitha is mostly posting on instagram now. Reggie Darling is wonderful (he just started posting again after a year hiatus) as is http://dresslikeaparisian.com/ I found your blog about 6 months ago, and admit that I read all your archived posts in one weekend.

    Bonnie

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    1. Bonnie, I am like you, when I find a blog that I like I read the entire thing… binge blog reading. I love the blog Dress like a Parisian! Thanks for the source.

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  14. Good Morning Ellie,
    I agree that "My French Country Home" and "Lost In Arles", are worth checking first thing in the morning. I also love "Southern Fried French"! But....this next blog is one I've come to rely on, much like oxygen, "Have Some Decorum"......the first blog I look for each morning!!! Angela Muller

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    1. So sweet of you to say Angela. Thanks for the recommendation to Southern Fried French… Just started reading it today. Love it.

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  15. I found you through the wonderful Lost in Arles! I am so happy to have two more to add to my reading list. I have been working on a similar post, there are just so many great things to read and pretty pictures to look at!

    I will share a favorite place. The island of Ponza just a few hours south of Rome is in the middle of the Tyrrhenian sea. Positano and Capri get all the attention, but Ponza is a gem. Slightly ramshackle but with just enough glamour, everything is pretty and relaxed. Just the way a secret island should be.

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    1. My kind of place. Thanks for the secret source. :-)

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  16. Tongue in Cheek Corey is a California girl, married to a Frenchman and lives near Marseille. She is the queen of brocantes. Check her out.

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    1. Just spent an hour over at Tongue-In-Cheek. Loved it. Thank you for the recommendation.

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  17. Ellie I adore both Sharon and Heather along with their amazing blogs! Completely different styles, yet so easy to relate to each . The friend I am not familiar with is Hollye who I will check out right away, another fabulous woman! Will also check out The Daily Mail! Thank you for sharing and I am excited about your cookbook!

    xoxo
    Karena
    The Arts by Karena

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    1. Love your blog Karena. Your love of the arts is infectious. :-)

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  18. Well besides you...and FF, who I discovered through Mai Tai...here are my next three
    David Lebovitz, who mostly writes about eating and cooking in Paris.
    Slim Paley, how to describe other than funny lifestyle maven?
    Cote de Texas, from a designer in Houston.

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    1. David Lebovitz is great. So knowledgeable. I used to live in the same little town as Slim Paley and I would drive by her house all the time so I could get a peek in. She's fabulous. Cote de Texas is an all-time favorite. Thanks for the recommendations!

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  19. Thanks so much for the fabulous blog shares. I'll check them all out. However, I'm now fixated on your mention of bacon-wrapped scallops - and with Bernaise, no less! I was smitten the first time I tasted the divine combo of bacon and scallops, but to add my favorite (and most fattening) sauce is insane! My late mother would call that 'gilding the lily', but what did she know.
    So, I'm off to the farmers' market Saturday to buy the freshest large diver scallops and feast on them as soon as I can prepare them. Thank you for the suggestion, my cholesterol thanks you, too.
    xoxo
    Joanne

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    1. Gilding the lily is such a great term. Want to know a secret? My mother uses Knorr Bernaise sauce from the packet and then spruces it up. She adds so much butter in sinful. :-)

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  20. Love this post and all the comments. One of my favorite blogs is the wonderful food blog, Use Real Butter (userealbutter.com). Jen lives in Colorado and is an exquisite photographer and exceptional cook. I find her so charming in an alien kind of way. She hates overly specific kitchen tools (I live for overly specific kitchen tools), and has such a positive outlook on life, and lives to ski and be outside getting dirty (the closest I get is deadheading my geraniums). So despite our vast differences, I love her. Oh and she just got an adorable black lab. go back and find some of her September-October posts and enjoy her vivid photography of the aspens changing color. Those are always my favorite.

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    1. Stephen, I love you more than all the butter in the world, real or fake. Can you come live with me please? I will let you deadhead my geraniums until your hearts content.

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  21. I love, love, love your blog. I have stayed true to you and not previously followed other blogs. ;) I've lost the last two hours in the suggestions here and am now subscribed to more. Thank you Ellie & friends!! This spring I have fallen in love with the Gardenista website. I have been redesigning my yard and exterior and have gotten much of my inspiration there.

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  22. Dear Ellie
    Thank you SO much, this is just incredible generous of you, I am overwhelmed. You say such kind words and you include me in such great company, I am thrilled!
    I apologise for commenting so late in the day. I have literally been on the road and in Paris all day today, from dawn to dusk, and no matter how often I tried, my phone wouldn't let me leave a comment on your blog.
    I have been a fan of Heathers blog for many years but Holly's is new to me, so I am off to check her out straight away.
    Merci beaucoup!
    love
    Sharon
    x

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  23. OMG!! I have been on the mai tai picture book blog all day! Thanks for the heads up readers!!

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  24. So great that you and Hollye are doing the Blog thing together - great minds think alike ! Love you ! A

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  25. What fun -- I love sharing secrets. For a lovely, quick read, I adore Jeanne's blog (http://www.i-dream-of.com/), who is blog friends with many of the lovelies listed here. I also think many of you would enjoy 5 minutes a day with my boyfriend (in my mind) Garrison Keillor, who will read you a poem and tell you some wonderful literary history (much of which is in France, of course). You can read it yourself, but it's better to listen to his wonderful voice fill you with a little wisdom and a lovely poem. Just click "listen" or get it via podcast. http://writersalmanac.org/

    Ellie, can't wait until your next shop update!

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    1. Love Garrison Keillor! Jeanne's blog is great as well. I will have a shop update soon. Thanks for the recommendations.

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  26. It's totally trashy but I love http://surisburnbook.tumblr.com I do my best to inject a little trashy into my Ivy League life! I LOVE your blog best!! xo

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  27. Pineapple Upside-Down Cake is so underrated.

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  28. How cool to see my book. I love reading Lost in Arles, and will be favoriting you and the other blogs you recommend!

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  29. I absolutely adore your books and your illustrations. Love love love love. So utterly charming. Wish you would illustrate my book.

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  30. I love the word "sharing is caring", thanks for sharing.. looking forward to your next blogs :)

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