Let's recap this year...

Welp, it's been a year.  A whole year since I have had this little bloggy blog.  And quite honestly, I am no less excited about it as when I first started.  It has been the most amazing journey, opened up doors I didn't even know existed, and made friends from around the globe.  I have every intention of staying right here and I hope you do too!

Here is my blog a year in review.  No big grand giveaway or anything just yet because we have some super awesome exciting things going on in April!

February is where it all began and I wrote my very first post.

In March I added my very first but one of many  Makeup Tutorial.

In April I had some people interested in hearing more about our crazy lifestyle.  So I started the My life in France series with a post about our back story and being married to a basketeur.

In May this was my favorite post.  I wrote about loving my husband.  He hates it when I write about him, and I don't do it a lot, but the man works hard and deserves a shout out every once in a while!

In June I feel like I had a lot of fun posts, but one of my favorites was writing about having interracial kids.  It got a lot of feedback and some wonderfully encouraging comments.  Love this blogging community!

In July I posted about 'no heat summer curls' which got a big response, because let's face it, everyone wants beautiful hair in no time at all!

In August I had the first photo contest, which I loved so I am sure it will be the first of many.  I also redid the blog design to what you see now.  And it will soon be changed again by ByAimee and I am so excited about it!

In September I did my own fashion week with a ton of hair tutorials.  I also got pinned from the photo shoot I did.

At the end of September I moved back to France and in October wrote a bit about dealing with jet lag and adjustments.

In November I bought this big poncho. I didn't know if I should keep it or not so I asked you all!  Great pieces of advice, loved it.  *update on the poncho* tried to take it back and they wouldn't let me.  Now it's mine...

I got rid of my GFC in December!  It felt good to have it gone and haven't missed it since!

In January I held the second photo contest which featured some lovely Christmas photos. (The lovely winner was Alyx from Everyday is a New Adventure, post from her coming Monday!)  I also posted a piece I had written about wearing bold lip colors that was featured on SITS Girls back in December.

And here we are, February!  I was so excited to introduce Christie to this lovely blog and think what we have coming is going to be excellent.  I can't believe it's been a year.

Thank you for reading, commenting, and encouraging me throughout this last year.  You are really one of the main reasons I do this.  I hope you stick around and it only gets better than this!

Happy Anniversary to Ma Nouvelle Mode!

Good morning, everyone, and Happy Friday!

Today is a special day to me -- it marks one year I have been writing this little blog.  It is special for so many reasons.  For one, it marks a year.  That's probably the longest I have stayed committed to one thing (besides my husband, of course!)  I have a little bit of an attention span problem and tend to get tired of things easily.  I have not, however, gotten tired of this blog and most certainly not you!

This space has given me the opportunity to meet so many new people, from all over the world, and I feel like I have genuinely developed relationships with a lot of you.  And for that, I say thank you!  Tomorrow I am going to recap this last year, but today I am going to take a second to tell you a bit about what is coming up for Ma Nouvelle Mode.

First of all, I wanted to give a little background as to why I wanted Christie to start blogging with me.  I realize I kinda sprung it on you. Well, I have a love for all things creative and beautiful.  I love hair, makeup, crafts (although not my forte) travel, cooking, you name it.  However, I work best when I am able to bounce ideas off people to create the best possible version of my idea.  When living in France, I can be pretty isolated from true, good, creative friends.  And let's face it, the husband's resources are... let's say... limited.

I also have some very big ideas of where I want to go with this blog and I just knew that I couldn't do it all.  I felt overwhelmed with my ideas and the amount of time and effort that it takes to make them work.  I gave plenty of thought about getting someone to do it with me, and honestly, when it came down to it, Christie was the only person who came to mind.  I love who she is as a person, her humble, real confidence, I love how cute she is, and I knew she could bring a lot to the blog.  I have already been impressed her with ideas, motivation, and organization (which I was in desperate need of).  And as you know, she is also a mom and pregnant so she can relate on that end as well!

From both of our photo shoots - after the redesign, you will see less of these particular photos, promise!

Second of all, I wanted to give you all a peak into what will be coming up on Ma Nouvelle Mode.  The last week of March we will not be posting at all because April 2nd we will be relaunching our blog with beautiful new branding, a move over to Wordpress, and a lot of new features & cool posts for you!  Christie and I are so very excited about it.  We have quite a few giveaway prizes already secured and are doing a big giveaway a day.

Would you like to be involved?  Maybe donate something from your blog/shop for one of the giveaways or host a guest post from us during that week?  We would also very much appreciate any retweets and Facebook shares you can muster up! :)  We would really love to work with you!  Please send me an e-mail at Natalia@manouvellemode.com and we can chat about it!

Once again, thank you, thank you, thank you for so much love and support over the last year.  I am incredibly thankful and Christie is so excited to delve into this world of blogging because of people like you!

Have a fabulous weekend!



 

A very unglamorous day

This is the first time I am going to let you into a very REAL, very IMPORTANT part of my life. The moment my first born baby girl came into the world, this is who I became at my very core. What did I become you ask? I am a MAMA BEAR, the kind that is ferociously protective, unapologetically emotional, and unconditionally loving. Did I choose to be all these things? No. Did I ever imagine how it would feel, before I had kids? Not in a million years. Do I think it is always appropriate to defend and protect my kids from all turmoil and discomfort? Not even a little bit. But on February 14th, 2012 I allowed my "Mama Bear" to rear it's God-given head for the sake of my little 2 year old son and here is a little documentation of this event

****WARNING**** If you would like to believe I am a glamourous person, turn away now! This may be a little shocking.

At 6 am on Valentine's Day we took our son, Charley to Los Robles Hospital to have a simple procedure (tonsillectomy). He was very suspicious of everything that was occurring

The Part that my husband and I were MOST dreading was when they would take Charley away from us in the OR. We imagined Charley screaming and crying for his parents. Well, they think of everything these days! They gave him something to make him feel "drunk" (their words, not mine!) And boy did it make him drunk!

And if you have any doubt as to why they would intentionally make a 2 year old feel drunk here is your answer:

 

He just calmly let this nurse take him away from his mommy and daddy!

Because of his age, he was admitted overnight for observation. I think these pictures sum up the definition of Pathetic

The long, agonizing night Charley and I spent together will be ingrained in my memory for the rest of my life. It was spent comforting my weeping babe,  looking into each others eyes as he stroked my face while nodding off, and holding my pee until he was asleep deep enough to allow me a moment. This was bonding at it's best and, now that I am better rested, I am able to look back at the memories with sentiment and not horror.

At about 9am the next morning, I was finally able to fall asleep while my boy slept next to me and of course this is when my husband walked in and embraced the moment

Your welcome........

And here are some of our final moments at the hospital before being discharged. (This hospital offered "pet therapy" to its patients)

And now we are back home and doing quite nicely. Charley refuses any food but Mac n Cheese and Chocolate Almond milk and my daughter is kind of ticked of that we are allowing such a thing while she continues to eat what I serve her. But other than that and some horrid moments of administering charley's medicine things are getting back to normal!

Thank you for joining me into a very REAL glimpse of my life. My next post will be back to feeling fabulous (which I am anxious to do) but for all of you who want to know what keeps me motivated....you just got a small taste of it. I love you all! 

XOXO- Christie

Boy Baby Shower Decorations and Menu

I think I mentioned in an earlier post that I really do love to entertain. I love to have people over and make them happy, comfortable and well fed! Recently I had the pleasure of hosting a baby shower for my beautiful, adorable friend Lisa. She is the kind of pregnant that makes one excited to be in one's 3rd trimester only to realize that she is, in fact, the exception not the rule...

I REST MY CASE! Ok posting that picture of Lisa was kind of a last minute decision....I hope she doesn't kill me :) But doesn't she look fabulous!?

Aaaaannyways, I am excited to show you what we did for the shower! (And when I say we I am talking about myself and my two friends Rachael and Anna who are simply fabulous) 

I am not huge on themes when it comes to my own parties (though I do love them when other people host them!). So this is what we came up with. I will be doing a tutorial for the giant flowers on the backdrop in a post next week!

So as you can see our main flower was Babies Breath scattered throughout the house in lovely vases. This really tied everything together. We also had Cherry Blossom branches that were absolutely stunning on the table (Thank you Anna!!) Everything else you see on the tables were random pieces from each of our own homes and I think the effect is just gorgeous. 

For the menu we had an assortment of cheeses, cured meats, breads and crackers. Red Velvet cupcakes for dessert (thanks to my fabulous Mom!) And these unbelievably delicious salads (seriously I am starving looking at these pictures)

Salads left to right: Italian Pasta Salad, Fruit Salad with Pomegranate seed and Mint, Asian Cabbage Salad, and Arugula salad with herbed feta

Are you drooling??? I am! 

Thanks for tuning in! XOXO Christie

What I wore, Night out with Family

Ok, so here's the deal: My son is having surgery tomorrow to have his tonsils and adenoids taken out and he has to stay overnight because he is so young (No it's not a big deal, but it feels like a big deal!!!!)  So of course, we are all celebrating Valentine's Day today! Yes, my hubby is taking me to a fabulous dinner and Yes, I will be wearing the ensemble that won the highest votes in my previous post. However, my Vday post and pictures will have to wait until I get home from the hospital.

So as a substitute, I am posting a cute, wintery outfit that I wore for a family night out a few weeks ago. Layering is my favorite thing to do on a cold night. That way I don't necessarily have to put a coat on and cover up my whole outfit (disclaimer: I LOVE coats).  I like to feel cozy and warm, but not all bundled up. So here is my Cozy Fun Night Out Outfit:

Headband: Avery's Loft, Cardigan: Anthropologie, Top: Kohl's,  Jeans: Joe's Brand, Leg Warmers: Kohls, 

Boots: Steve Madden

See you post surgery! Hope all you fabulous women have a fantastic Valentine's Day whether it is spent with someone or not! YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL! Xoxo - Christie

SITS Day

Welcome to Ma Nouvelle Mode!! Thank you so much for stopping by.  We are so happy you are here!  Without further adieu, let us introduce ourselves!

We are Natalia & Christie, the dynamic duo of Ma Nouvelle Mode.  With Christie in Southern California and Natalia in France, we have come together to give you our best!  Want to know a little more about us?   Here ya go!

My name is Natalia and I live in France with my husband and two boys.  I started this blog when I had been feeling pretty dumpy being a mom and not taking a lot of time for myself.  My kids had been sick for something like 4 weeks and I hadn't left my sweats in probably the same amount of time.  I thought, "Wait!  I used to be creative!  I used to wear makeup!  I used to get out of my PJ's and occasionally do my hair!!  There is no reason having two kids should stop me from doing just that!"  So that is where 'Ma Nouvelle Mode' came from, meaning 'my new style' in French.  I am reinventing myself in a way.  I have come to a point where I am learning to embrace the woman God made me to be and trying to use his gifts to the best of my ability.  You can read a bit more about me and my family here. 

My name is Christie and I live in Southern California with my husband, my daughter and my son. I am also currently carrying my third baby! My hands are full with my family and I LOVE them more than I can ever express in words. But just like Natalia, I was losing sight of who I was and the strengths and passions God had given me. So I joined in on this FABULOUS blog and it has been a great motivator for me as a mom, as a wife and as a woman in my own right! Always working on the beauty within, so that whatever beauty exudes externally is genuine, confident and secure in who I am.  You can read more about me and my family here.

Our mission at Ma Nouvelle Mode is to encourage, motivate and inspire women of all walks of life to discover {or rediscover} their own fabulous panache. (We thought it was a fun word too!)  We want to see women build the confidence to embrace who they are through the modes of fashion, beauty, home décor, travel, and other creative passions.  Here we are building a community of supportive women who cheer each other on throughout it all.

How do we work our magic?  With fashion we share ideas of how to shop your closet, build a wardrobe on a limited budget, and find new ways to style old items.  We like to have photo shoots featuring different styles and eras so there is something for everyone.  In the beauty department we have a plethora of tutorials from smoky eyes to red lips to help our readers gain the confidence to be able to create these looks themselves.  We love sharing do-it-yourself techniques for the home to inspire creation of a space that fits the style and feel of our readers.  We both have traveled quite a bit, with and without our kids, and we love to share our stories and photos.  We also include plenty of recipes for the culinary inclined!

We would love for you to come on this journey with us!  You can subscribe through RSS feed here.  You can also follow on Bloglovin' if that's more your style.  Our Facebook fan page is chock full of cute posts about which shoes to buy, which outfit to choose, and sometimes even some fun giveaways!  You can often find Natalia chatting away on Twitter (haven't convinced Christie just yet!).  And if you're like almost everyone we know and you love Pinterest, check out our Pinterest page.  It's just so much fun!

And please, please, please reach out to us if you have a chance!  We love meeting new people and to us it isn't about how many 'followers' we can get; it's about making friends and building a community.  We hope you will become a part of ours!

Have a great day and thank you so much for stopping by!

 - Natalia and Christie

Before the Snow

Winter is in full swing here in St. Etienne, France.  Like full swing.  Snow everywhere that.will.not.melt.  Last week it snowed and snowed and snowed and there was a minute there that I thought I would never go outside again.  The temperature is lower than I have ever seen in my life.  It was 8 degrees last night.  EIGHT.

Anyway, enough with the whining.  I am instead going to post a pictures that was taken before the massive snowfall to give me hope that I will indeed see the grass in my backyard again!  I bought this sweater in Sweden and I love it.  It's comfy, cute, can be casual or fancy and most of all it keeps you warm! 

I also bought the tights there, but I don't love those.  Well, I love the way they look, but they already have a run in them!  Cheap, I guess.

Here are some pictures of my makeup.  I did a purple smoky eye just for fun.  You can see the tutorial for it over at 30 Handmade Days where I'm a beauty contributor.  Hopefully, I will have some fun makeup tutorials coming here soon!

This was in the running for a Valentine's Day outfit, but another one won out.  We went on a date last night because we gotta take what we can get with limited time & babysitters.  

Are you going on a Valentine's Day date?  If so, I want to hear what you will be wearing!  You can post your favorite look, whether from Pinterest, Polyvore or something you put together on our Facebook page!  Need opinions on which look to try?  Post that on our Facebook too!  We do it all the time and love the feedback everyone gives us!

Have a great day!

Oh and if you have a minute, could you click the circle of mom's top 25?  We are in the running for Fashion & Beauty blogs!  (we're not really in the running, we're like #40, but I thought I would give it a try!)