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My friends, my loved ones,
I always start my blog with "My friends, my loves" since I share it with my family and friends, but dear colleagues, after three years at the villa, I also consider you my friends and my loved ones.
First of all, I apologize for the radio silence since Friday night. There are several reasons for this absence. After a big party, I never manage to fall asleep immediately, so I finished the cleaning you had so generously undertaken, then took the time to enjoy a glass of wine to unwind and taste Anrea's chocolate cake. Yum!
I finally went to bed at 3 o'clock! Getting up the next day was difficult and tutoring was not easy either! Sunday morning, I woke up with a sore throat and I began to cough. It's still miraculous that my first cold has appeared in mid-December, because I usually start in October! I took the time to read your emails, but I didn't have the energy to respond. On this Tuesday morning, I managed to get up early and write to you about our great evening.
First of all, I would like to thank you all for participating in such large numbers, an evening I had the greatest pleasure of organizing for you.
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| My pretend X-Mas tree! |
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| The tables are all set! |
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| The buffet is ready! |
But I must add that you are amazing guests! You bring plenty of food and drinks, and you eat everything on the buffet table so I don't have to fill the fridge with leftovers (except my pasta salad, because I'm always afraid guests will starve so I make it for 50!).
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| The men light the candles, Josée pours herself a glass of wine... |
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| Incredible gang! |
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| The women in red |
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| The women in green |
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| Mrs Claus in action! |
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| And we're off! |
I hope you are happy with the gifts exchange! Personally, I stole a beautiful lamp that Lynn barely had time to touch and before she even realized what was happening, I had already hidden the lamp not to have it stolen from me! Sorry Lynn for being so enthusiastic, but look how beautiful it is in my living room!
You also gave me so many beautiful gifts: wine, sparkling wine, Aperol, biscottis, Langue de Chat, wafers and Dr. Hauschka's cream. I was also very touched that you all gave me a beautiful necklace to thank me. Kisses to everyone.
You are also exemplary guests, because you participated with great enthusiasm to Pictionary, which led to a late evening filled with laughter, screams, tears, foot-stamping and unusual artistic revelations!
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| Sylviane's originality ! |
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| Lynn's conviction ! |
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| According to Robert, this represents osteoporosis... |
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| Josée's limoncello, the expensive bottle to the left and the cheaper version to the right! |
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| No one found this word. Try again ! |
I would now like to thank you all for your presence, your participation and your help:
François and Julien, thank you very much for being my movers of folding tables and chairs! Fortunately, Françoise left with two of the tables and twelve chairs so the return will be less painful!
Thank you also François for an excellent lasagna and Julien for the good wine!
Véronique, a big thank you for being an exceptional barmaid and an outstanding host. I'll hire you again for the next party!
Marion, thank you for coming despite your precarious health. Finally, you were one of the last to leave! Well done!
Dominique and Josée, thank you very much for doing all the dishes! The evening was over and I had absolutely nothing to wash! Wow! Dominique, my buttocks also thank you for the biscottis, Langue de Chat and wafers! Paleo diet in the trash! Chantal, thank you for coming despite a very long day of work and driving Montreal-Ville-St-Laurent in bad weather! I am so grateful that you were among us.
Anrea, thank you for bringing the best chocolate cake in the world! I had the chance to end my evening with this delight! Paleo diet, huh?
Tea, despite your injured knee, you made it and for that, I thank you. Take good care of yourself!
Sylviane, thank you for your delicious lasagna, but especially thank you for making us laugh out loud with your unusual drawings. You are unique!
Marie-Anne, thank you for keeping me company in the kitchen while I prepared the prosciutto-melon starter. I always love being by your side.
Adrien, thank you for the beautiful bottle of wine you gave me and the greatest pleasure was to see you laugh to tears during Pictionary! It was precious!
Julie, thank you for the beautiful bottle of red wine and I hope you had time to have fun despite the work... Yolande and Sophie, a big thank you for the bottles of red wine you gave me! To be tasted very soon!
Marie-Josée, I love Dr. Hauschka! I have a cousin who was COO for this company and always offered me creams and oils and one day... He left the company. Sniff! So thank you for the beautiful cream!
Christian, thank you for joining us with your excellent mushroom pork! It was delicious and so was your company!
Françoise, thank you for the sparkling wine and the Apérol, it perfectly complemented our Italian theme during the aperitif!
Robert, thank you for your presence and for the sometimes far-fetched words that you projected with conviction during Pictionary. You made us laugh!
Lynn, I owe you one for the stolen lamp... You made me a very happy hostess.
So, I thank you all one last time for the good meal, the laughter, the gifts, but especially for your presence at my place!
Big kisses,
Diane