One thing I love about my husband is that he’s always full of surprises.  He loves to garden.  So while I have authority over our interior spaces, the exterior is all his.  In years past, he has jealously guarded each and every bloom in his garden, insisting that they remain outdoors as a part of his magnificent creation. 

But this year, much to my surprise (and ongoing delight!), he has taken to bringing his blooms inside.

One morning, I arrived at my desk to discover a tiny bud vase of wildflowers and miniature roses, complete with rosemary and mint as green filler.  And, over the past few weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying beautiful bouquets of hydrangeas from plants at the far end of the garden (an area where I seldom venture). 

Since mon jardinier (so much more romantic than the English equivalent of ‘gardener’) has taken to this new habit of making my day with fresh floral bouquets, I thought you might like to share in my delight.  I hope you enjoy this photo (a virtual bouquet) that currently graces our entry way. 

Long after the flowers are gone, it will remind me to relish life’s little surprises.

I know that I just posted a blog about my nephew, but I couldn’t resist doing it again.  You see, Carter and his parents paid us a visit last week.  And now that he is old enough to chew (he’s got at least five or six teeth), his Mom said that he was ready to try his first bon bon.

We gave him a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bon Bon (still in its pink wrapper) and let him go at it with no interference from the adults.  They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I really don’t think I need to say anything more about what Carter thought of his first taste of Uncle Pascal’s handmade, hand-dipped gourmet chocolate confections: