Everything comes to those who wait!

Let me start by apologising, it's been over a year since I've last posted and lot's of things have changed.

As many of you know, last year I put an offer in on a town house in France. This was accepted and I was assured everything would go through quickly. How wrong that was!!

It's been nearly a year and after eventually losing patience and threatening to pull out of the sale, I have received a completion date of this Wednesday when the keys will finally be mine.

We returned from France a week ago and while we were there  I said enough was enough. The notaire has had my money since July and they were still waiting on a signature. It has been made more complicated as there were 8 people selling the property.

As many of you know my plans for the property were to originally set up a tearoom on the ground floor and let a couple of bedrooms out. I had also planned to run classes for paying guests and locals. This could still be the case but won't be able to happen straight away. There is an absolute tonne of work needing done to the property before guests can stay... new roof, new electrics...new bathrooms...new kitchen etc.etc.

I have found out that the ground floor of the house used to be a shop when the house was built in 1800.

I do understand that this is taking a big leap of faith as during the summer months will be fine with tourists etc. but other times of the year I could struggle with just the shop, so an online shop will also be needed and I can still run classes for locals and visitors to the town.

Anyways, I have a lot to think about but I promise to be back here at least once a week keeping you all updated.

Hugs

Sacha

xx

France in a Bag

Hello my lovelies, as promised over on facebook I'm sharing what I have planned for 2016.

As you will know the plans for the chateau have fallen through, for now at least but I'm still going ahead with my plans to rescue and restore old buildings in France and bring them back to life, so that they can be used and loved by everyone. This time I am starting small, really small...I'm going to be converting the old barn I already own. This old barn is in the French lake district, it is set in deepest rural France and offers a relaxing, laid back way of life. 

I will do another post on my plans for the barn next week but for now I want to tell you about my other new venture and my plans for 2016.

I absolutely adore France and I know most of you feel exactly the same way as I do. I love the food...the wine...the people...the buildings...the style...in fact I love everything French. With each trip to France I find it harder and harder to tear myself away. Each time I leave I bring a little bit of France back home with me. This got me to thinking...wouldn't it be great to receive a little bit of France each month, something unique, something stylish, something not massed produced. I would love this and I know many of you would too!

This brings us to my plan for 2016

...France in a Bag.  

A unique subscription service delivered to your door each  month.

 

Each month you will receive a bag of goodies which has been personally sourced from small and artisan suppliers in France. Each piece is either designed or manufactured in France ( mostly both) and will be of the utmost quality.

 

Each bag will have a retail value of at least £30 giving you a great saving each month.

 

It's also perfect as a present, making it a gift that keeps on giving each and every month.

 

 

 

Items can include products such as:

savon de marseille, french lavender products, french linen products, postcards etc. 

This is a monthly subscription service but

you can opt out of our monthly subscription anytime you want - no hassle and no fuss!

 

We will deliver to UK, Europe, US & Australia and guess what...P&P is included!

 

We want you to be so happy with your purchase that you will share with your friends 

Our aim is to delight & surprise you each and every month!

 

 

 

 

 

A new website is in production as we speak and the 1st of the bags will be available to order next week, with dispatch date being 15th January 2016.

 

As a special thank you to all my facebook friends and new blog readers I have decided to offer a Special Limited Edition 1st bag. This bag will have a retail value of £50! This special offer is valid for the 1st 20 subscriptions only. 

If you are interested in being updated when the website goes live and the offer is valid please send me an email HERE and I'll let you know.

Don't forget to let me know what you think of the idea!

Love and Hugs.

Sacha xx

10 must do things in France

We don't need much of an excuse to visit France but here are 10 good reasons:

1: Visit one of France’s 33 Unesco World Heritage sites

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 2: Admire some of the new architecture of France.

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3: Visit one of the many chateaux.

 4: Indulge your sense of smell in the stunning lavender fields of Provence.

 5: Take a wander through a colourful market.

 6: Visit the D-Day beaches, cemeteries and war memorials across the north coast.

 7: Visit Monet’s garden at Giverny.

 8: People watch in one of the many cafes.

9: Take a trip along one of the great waterways such as the River Dordogne or the Canal du Midi.

10: And not least...visit Paris!

What will you do on your next trip?

Leave a message in the comments and let me know.

Love Sacha xx

Thankfulness and getting life into perspective

Well it was Thanksgiving a few days ago in the states but it was only yesterday that made me realize how much I truly have to be thankful for. 

The day started earlier than I would have liked as I had to drive the 2 hours south to pick up my eldest daughter and take her for the results of her last brain scan. We were hopeful that everything was fine because we hadn't been called straight back like before - always a good sign in my opinion.

We went in to see the neurologist, who is the sweetest, kindest man - he even gave Lauren his direct email address so that she can contact him straight away if she is worried about anything. Anyways, the news was good...more than good...it was GREAT!! The tumour has not grown one tiny bit in over a year - he is surprised, but we are all so, so grateful and thankful.

We then had a mother and daughter girly day, shopping for Christmas decorations for her and her sister's new houses. I think I was worse than her, no restraint when it comes to Christmas decorating...love it!

When I got home and checked email, things changed. I got the email that I dreading...the chateau that I was interested in has had an offer put in.While I was disappointed I was not devastated, the visit to the neurologist in the morning had put everything into perspective.

Whilst I don't have everything in my life that I would like (who does?) i have so much to be thankful for. I have 3 beautiful daughters and we all are healthy (or as healthy as we can be under the circumstances). And whilst someone else will get the chateau I was after, that's ok. I believe everything in life happens for a reason and so I wasn't meant to have this beautiful old building at this time in my life. I guess I'll just have to wait and see what is next on the cards. 

Maybe I am meant to stop dreaming so big for my first project and just get on with fixing up the property I already own in France, a gorgeous little barn in rural France. The only problem is I won't be able to run my classes, retreats etc. from here as it way too small. Oh well I guess it's back to the drawing board.

Remember the good things we already have in our lives and be thankful for them. The things we already have, someone else is praying for!

Love & Hugs 

Sacha xx

Dreams & Fear

Steve Jobs once said, “Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life.”  Shortly afterwards he started a multibillion-dollar product line – the iPhone.

Our mortality is our most powerful ally, yet many of us live every day blissfully ignorant of its presence.  Most of us  move through our entire lives without even thinking about the reality that it will one day end. 

As we sleepwalk through life, we push all our dreams and desires to ‘someday,’  but someday rarely comes. For many of us, it is only when we come close to death that we start to pay attention and discover the treasures that live deep within us. For it is only when we risk losing something that we truly find its value.

Just over a year ago my eldest daughter Lauren was diagnosed with a brain tumor, an epidermoid cyst on the brain that she has apparently had since birth.

 

Me & Lauren last year

I will never forget the day we sat with the neurosurgeon and he explained the situation to her. We came out of his office and she turned to me and said 'Oh ... well that's a bit of a nuisance.' Instead of falling to pieces, which I was doing on the inside, she made the decision to live each day to the fullest. Her and her boyfriend bought their first home in July, they have just come back from holiday, she is off to France skiing in the new year and she has just been promoted to senior therapist at her work...not bad for someone who just qualified a year ago. She is determined to make every day count.

Lauren & her boyfriend this year

While many of us would have given up at this, Lauren chose to live her life to the full. She doesn't know what the future holds but neither do any of us. My daughters have been a huge inspiration for me, showing me that it is better to try and to fail than not to have tried at all, the youngest telling me what I am 'being called to do' and my eldest showing me that it is important to overcome the fear and get on with living life to your fullest potential.

Holly, my youngest & miss knowitall!

I can't stress enough how important it is to follow your dreams, Niamh my middle daughter has always wanted to sing and dance but at school her teachers wanted her to study and become a doctor. Niamh had no interest in this and worried because 'teachers know best'. I have always taught my girls that you must do what makes you happy in life, so...

she took a year out, got a lead part in a play, now teaches 2-5 year olds ballet & highland dancing while studying to become a dance teacher.

Niamh on opening night

Now is the time to take a leaf from my daughters book and 'live the dream'!!


The following is taken from an article by Nanice Ellis for Wake Up World:

The fear of disappointment stops more people from living their lives than anything else? We are so afraid of disappointment that we fail to even dream. Many of us believe it’s better not to dream at all than to get our hopes up, only to fall. If you live your life in fear of disappointment, you are not truly living — disappointment has tricked you into playing it safe, and you will end up with the very thing you sacrificed your life to avoid.

Disappointment is your ill begotten friend who wants to keep you safe from loss and pain. But disappointment knows nothing of resiliency, determination, and perseverance. Disappointment knows nothing of reaching the mountain top and planting your flag!

If you are truly committed to your dream, disappointment is impossible. Disappointment only occurs if you give up. If you are committed to your desire, there is no giving up. If not one way then another – and another and another, until you succeed. Every successful person has experienced temporary disappointment but each got over it and “on with it” – to ultimately experience success. When you refuse to take no for an answer, disappointment is impossible and so is failure.

Along the way, disappointment will likely call you in and comfort you in the solitude of its cave. Disappointment will present you with a story that makes it all seem too hard to go on, and will reassure you of a safe life. Disappointment will lure you with the comfort of avoiding defeat and invite you to settle into relief.

If you are going to pursue a dream, commit to going the whole nine yards. If you just test the waters, disappointment will surely stop you in your tracks. But, if you tell yourself “I am going to do this and nothing is going to stop me,” success is eminent and guaranteed. The rocks on the road that might have tripped you, if you weren’t committed, will be small pebbles that you skip over.

Disappointment can only strike if you give up!

So, if you are going to do something, do it, and make a commitment to yourself that you will not give up – that you will see it to the end. The opposite of disappointment is believing that you can have what you desire, and it is your beliefs that manifest in reality.

The road to your dream may look very different than you imagined, so let go of the way that it has to look, and go with the flow. This means that the love of your life might be a different person than the one that you had your mind set on. You might also be very surprised that twists and turns take you in a more direct route than the one that you pre-planned.

Success is around the corner, but sometimes corners create shadows, and disappointment can hide in the shadows. But shadows aren’t real and neither is disappointment. Risk disappointment…

This is the simple formula for success – dream big, commit to your dream, let go of the way it has to look, trust the process and never give up.

What are your dreams? Pop your answer in the comments below and we can make our dreams happen together.