Just a sampling of the baby toys and gear for our two-day road trip to Wisconsin! Bonjour! As I wrote recently, L'Husband and I finally took our first family trip with Le Bébé. We rented a house and spent two whole nights in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Find my tips and gentle suggestions for traveling with… Continue reading Road Trip with Baby – Packing List
Bonjour! I recently spent a weekend in Chicago at the American Library Association Annual Conference. June in Chicago is busy and warm, bustling and dynamic. It was fun to be back in the Loop after so many years away (with a quick holiday visit with L’Husband two Christmases ago). This post shares photographs of my… Continue reading 48 Hours in Chicago in Pictures
Bonjour! Well, dear reader, it finally happened! After three years of pandemic-era lockdown, L'Husband and I took our first trip. We rented a house and spent two whole nights in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, just a pleasant three-and-a-half hour trip north by car from our home in central Illinois. This post shares some tips for traveling… Continue reading Road Trip with Baby – Tips for Sanity
Bonjour! I started Joyful Living based on the concept of joie de vivre - a French phrase meaning “joy in living” - in 2019 so I could write about some of my favorite things, from food and travel to ways to incorporate simple pleasures to make everyday living more joyful. Over the years, my priorities… Continue reading What Is Joyful Living?
Bonjour! I'm sharing this a week later than intended, but I was making rather merry at home last week while on staycation with L'Husband and Le Chien. Better late than never, right? Le wink. Something about the end of the year makes me nostalgic, from that back-to-school feeling that starts in September (even though I’m… Continue reading 2021 Blog Year in Review
Bonjour! To celebrate many things - namely, being young and being alive - L’Husband and I recently spent the night in Chicago. In addition to the large, real concerns of the pandemic, political turmoil, and social strife (le sigh), it’s been a busy year for ma famille, from selling a home in Vermont to purchasing… Continue reading Christmas in Chicago
Bonjour! As the holidays approach, I get Very Excited about the coming season of gift-giving, decorating, and extra treats (edible and otherwise). And, as per usual, I am limiting les excursions out and about due to the persistence of the pandemic and my own (mild to moderate) reentry anxiety (vaccine booster notwithstanding). So entertaining à… Continue reading Easy Holiday Appetizer: Honey Goat Cheese and Fancy Crackers
Guten Tag! It’s time for another German takeover (the good kind… too soon?) here at Joyful Living. Thanks to a long-standing friendship with meine Lieblingsfreundin, Christiane, I love German food and culture, including a Brotzeit spread for dinner and making my own Orangina. And since I'm not travelling much (i.e., at all - le sigh)… Continue reading German Breakfast Box
Bonjour! As summer winds down and I settle in to my new home and work routine, I'm trying to take quiet moments for simple pleasures where I can find them. I love being outside in nature, especially by the water (how I miss Lake Champlain in Vermont!), so when my aunt invited L'Husband et moi… Continue reading Pancakes by the Lake
Bonjour! I love to travel in Europe and look forward to doing so one day … in the far and distant future (though I did fly recently, le yikes!). Travel opens the mind, changes the routine, and introduces new ideas and ways of doing things. And the food! In the meantime, I enjoy incorporating what… Continue reading International Food Finds at Walmart
Joyful Living with Katie Kritikos 