If I Could I Would Give You a Hug or a Glass of Wine or Both

Paris in the evening

Writing a blog has given me the chance to met many wonderful people. Your stories, Your emails, your gifts sent, your encouraging comments that cheer me to continue blogging and at the same time how your comments add generous spice to the theme of the day. I appreciate each and everyone of you who read my blog. I do not think I would keep blogging without you. Thank you!

Many of you tell me that you read my blog with your morning cup of coffee. Each morning when I wake up I wonder what I am going to write about (I hope you didn't splatter your cup of coffee on the computer screen yesterday?) some days I feel inspired and others days I wonder if I should just stick to one theme like these bloggers do:

For example:

  • Skinny Dipping,
  • Photography
  • Daily life adventures,
  • French Kissing,
  • Antiquing,
  • Living in France.

As you know I kinda go all over the board on my blog. I admire those blogs that have a focus and stick to it. When I read them I know what to expect. I am sure many of you wonder if you should sip your coffee or not before you open my blog. I think I should change the name of my blog to: Jack in the Box or in French: Jacques dans le Boite. 

antique engraving

Well I guess Tongue in Cheek implies cheeky… you never know what you are going to get when you read my blog. Your comments lead me:

Linda C. wrote: "If you had stayed in the monastery, do you think you would have been the "problem" nun like Maria in Sound of Music?"

I was a problem.

Wendy b. wrote: "You are like an onion… so many layers to read…"

…and often I smell like an onion too.

Sally wrote (for those of you who have asked) "Another
reader commented about another reader saying you should write a book
… well, the other day when I was reading a post of yours Corey, I had
the strongest (and strangest, since I don't know you) feeling, that you
"are" writing a book."

Yes, or actually writing a blog. Or call it a book with chapters that are not in order.

Holly (My mother's business partner) wrote, "Your Mom says nothing surprises her anymore!
She also added that she and your dad ended up on a nude beach in France and they…..
"

My parents never took off their clothes in public.

Some of my family reads my blog, my teen age children do, my mom does, French Husband does and most of the stories I write they know by heart and are sick of hearing about them. That is why I am sooooooooooo thankful to have your listening ear.

Thank you for reading my blog! Thank you for your friendship and encouragement too.

Now, after that morning cup of coffee go out and have a daring day!



Comments

83 responses to “If I Could I Would Give You a Hug or a Glass of Wine or Both”

  1. TICA, please don’t get all focused and singular – it’s the hopping about from subject to subject that makes your posts so interesting and enticing. It’s fun to feel my eyebrows crawl up my forehead now and then (as they did at yesterday’s post) – you keep me young!

  2. Volunteer India

    I like the way you write almost all kinds of topics here on your blog.

  3. I love the variety in your blog Corey. Due to the time difference living in Australia, your blog is the last thing I read at night..so I go to bed with laughter, beauty, inspiration and, also, profound thoughts about what this life is all about. I thank you every time I read your posts. Linda C.

  4. C los angeles

    I was just looking around and I find your blog very enjoyable to read. Thanks for never giving up blogging.

  5. Your blog has always been like finding a box, opening it, and seeing all sorts of fun trinkets and treasures 😀
    Two things I can’t stand are predictable and standard. Your blog is neither.
    You are the best! Sweet, generous, kind. I’m lucky to have met you.

  6. Thank YOU Corey for being You. Reading your blog is like the prize in the cereal box, or better yet,a box of chocolates, you never know
    what you will find inside, only that it will be a sweet surprise. Yes,
    I start out every morning with you and always feel inspired to be the best me! What do I dare to do today? Today the calender turned a new page, now I’m ’50’. I still have lots to learn, so keep writing and inspiring,Corey!
    °°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°50°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
    HaPpY BiRtHDaY JEnI!!

  7. There are a few people in my life who I LOVE being around because they’re loving and non-judgmental. When I am in their company I immediately relax — every fiber of me releases any tension and I feel so at home. And that’s what I feel like when I read your blog. Just keep doing what you’re doing because this is a very special place.
    kim

  8. I too enjoy reading you each morning here in Virginia and am thankful that you have opened up your life to so many you don’t know.
    I hope that sometime you’ll write about your experience with cancer. My great-grandmother and grandmother both died of ovarian cancer.

  9. Jeanette Mc.

    I agree. I love the cornucopia of your blog – I never know what to expect and that’s a good thing in life these days. It’s not really what you write about, it’s how you tell us the story that makes your blog so delicious. Keep up the good work Corey.

  10. I have blog THANKS to you . I keep on blogging THANKS to you ( and others bloggers )…Keep on writing posts !!! Don’t stop !!
    See you on Friday’s night and then on Saturday’s morning for our candles class !!

  11. I do love your blog. It is unselfish and full of grace. Thank you for writing.
    Linda

  12. Is this daring enough. It was the last day of regular employment for me. I have taken the leap and with the love of a good man, my Att moaics are off to a running start!
    You are an inspiration dear Corey!

  13. ps that should be ART mosaics.Please blame the half a bottle of champers I have just consumed!

  14. I read many blogs, but yours by far is my favorite. It is the everyday and the unknown that makes it so wonderful. You are the best friend I never knew, living in a place that I have always wanted to visit. Keep telling the stories Corey and I will continue reading with anticipation and starting off my day with my coffee & my friend that lives in France.~♥~

  15. Corey THANK YOU for writing such a funny, informative, caring, lovely….blog. Your blog is like no other and I love how you cover so many different areas. You make me laugh, cry and smile but never once have I felt upset or angry after reading your beautiful words. You are truly one of a kind!!! I started reading your blog because of your love of french antiques but found it to be wonderful no matter subject was covered. You have had a very interesting life so keep doing what you do best!!! Love you & your blog just the way you are!!!

  16. Corey I love your blog just the way it is. I like that each day you write about something different, but, yet it is all about you and your life. Keep it up!!!

  17. I do love your blog, the way it is, that’s why I love it. There is always going to be something different and interesting.
    I have to say for me, I am enjoying getting to know who you are…. and your stories make me want to know more. I am sure it’s because of your personality and your soul that reaches out and connects to me. You can make me go from laughter to tears and to compassion and heartbreak, all with my morning coffee!!!
    I read lots of blogs and enjoy each one’s different style, but I do have a soft spot for you, thank you for being you!
    Hugs,
    Margaret B

  18. I, for one, am glad that I do NOT know what to expect each day Corey!!! Thanks for the fabulously fun stories 🙂
    Yesterday’s did almost make me splatter water at the monitor!

  19. Kisses of the most mistletoe kind.
    Read the book Still Alice if you can.
    Love you
    Jeanne♥

  20. Thank you for being you. I so enjoy my cup of tea with you each morning.
    Now I don’t know how daring this is, but I am off to jury duty. That could be scary.

  21. Thank you for writing your blog! You are the sunshine in my morning!!

  22. your morning blog is the closest thing to spiking my coffee.
    Have a uber duber day Corey.

  23. You pop up at the end of my day here in Australia and repeatedly send me off to bed pondering your generosity, your humour, your wisdom, your wit … your thanks isn’t necessary it’s Moi saying THANK YOU Corey. Merci, Merci for ending my day so with glorious bliss. xo

  24. Corey . . .if I could I would give you a hug and a glass of wine . . .hell, how about a bottle or two! I actually look forward to the possibility of that happening, whether it be here in Maryland or in France. Your blog has brought forth such a change in me and my thoughts (all for the better) . . .I can only hope one day to meet you. Thanks again for yet another thoughtful post. . .looking forward to tomorrow.

  25. Your blog is a delightful spot in my day and a lovely gift you put out into the world. I love the rambling nature of your topics, just like talking with old friends, moving from idea to idea and back again. I only hope that one day I will be lucky enough to chat with you in person.

  26. Corey, I read your blog every day, usually with a cup of tea, but, today is a coffee sort of day. I love your brocante stories, your Annie stories your adventures both big and small and I love that, just as I’m settled in with a subject, you pop up with a different theme! It is life. A flavorful ragu. It is what friends do around the table over a cup of whatever – they chat, they inform, and it the middle of it all, someone changes the subject.
    I have blogs I frequent that are one subject only. That’s fine, but, not what I have come to love about visiting each morning with you. Don’t change.

  27. Dear Corey,
    I have been reading you since a long time now. And I had never commented on anything. But today I felt to be a good time to tell you how much I appreciated your stories. I read them at work every day in a tour I make on mid morning. Being a French expat in Chile, you are a window to the world. I just love your sense of humor : you are a smile in the morning. I thank you. xoxo

  28. Ye- with the morning cup of coffee, rain or shine. I’m happy to read anything you write and I like that you mix it up.

  29. Thank you for writing!:)

  30. Katherine Miller

    Corey – Each day I wonder what your subject might be. Yes, I love the brocante bits, the decorating and travel bits and I hope every day to see how the kitchen turned out. I do have to admit French husband and family are very – well entertaining, interesting, stimulating! All my best Corey to you and your family! Take care

  31. I am glad that you are all over the board. That is what makes your blog interesting. I love hearing stories of Annie and of the adventures around your house. I like the antiques too, but the stories are the best.

  32. Your blog is the smile that starts my day. Don’t change what you write about. One of the nicest parts is that you never know what you’ll write about on a given day. Like talking with a friend or “adopted” sister (which you are).

  33. Marie-Noëlle

    Today I will do with a hug, thank you !
    I DO love your blog !!!

  34. Hi Corey,
    I LOVE the randomness of your blog. Somethimes it’s fun or sad, or encouraging. Sometimes it’s playful, sexy, lovely. I have found out so many interesting things from what you write about. That is why your’s is the last of my 5 blogs I look at daily-because I know I will not be disappointed and that I will be uplifted for the day. Your photos are so precious too-they seem to tell the tale as well. Thanks for sharing so much with us. Laurie

  35. Julie Ann Evins

    Thank you Corey for adding colour, humour, and variety to my day and to so many others. I would hate you to become too focused as the blog would then become static. Haven’t you ever started reading a blog because the subject matter interests you, and it does, but a week later it is saying the same stuff ? Your ever changing feast is what keeps us all hanging on…. well that combined with your many talents; your brilliance behind the camera, your wonderful way of using words to paint a picture, and perhaps your finest talent of all – that wonderful ability you have to build romance & suspense. Sometimes I have felt the blog could be renamed Les Liaisons Dangereux !Don’t change Corey, you old soul, Luv Jxx

  36. Thank you Corey for writing everyday. You are a grownup version of “Miss Capucine” with your enthusiasm for living life fully, and you have an extraordinary ability to inspire others.

  37. Toni Mason

    Corey, as long as you write your blog I will be reading it! Read it everyday.

  38. I don’t comment often, but I read your blog everyday, usually with a cup of tea on the desk. I love all the stories you tell – of the brocante, your family near and far, romance, redecorating, strugges with language and culture – your words are wonderfully fresh and evocative of the life you lead.
    blessings to you,
    Lorrie

  39. I love the variety in your blog. Never know what I’m going to wake up to. Your such a vibrant person and it carries over into my day.
    Thanks, Corey for being you.
    Carolyn

  40. And thank you for sharing! Your blog is a good way to start the day- even if I spill a bit of a coffee now and then. 😉

  41. jend’isère

    The first suprise from a jack-in-the-box wow us. After repetitive laughs, into the the toychest it goes. Dust gathers with the other outgrown toys. Your blog revitalizes itself and readers daily with inspiration! Keep sending us your random thoughts!

  42. I AlWays enjoy reading your writings every day and love the variety of the “chapters”. Love it and don’t change anything!

  43. dancing kitchen

    Thank you Corey…yours is one of 2 blogs I read every day, no fail. I love the variety, and the daring and the cheekiness. You come across as someone who I’d love as a close a personal friend, that’s what attracts all your readers…you being you.

  44. As everyone is saying, Corey, we know each post we’ll be getting YOU and that’s we we all come here. The writing and photos are superb, yes, but it’s the you you you.

  45. Corey…you are everyone’s best friend! I think we all feel the same…we read you for adventure, laughter, companionship and sometimes tears. You are a constant in our lives even though we most likely will never meet – though I am sure we all would LOVE to meet you. Truly amazing. Thank you for sharing and being there EVERY DAY!
    Ruth

  46. Natalie Thiele

    I was a frequent “Tongue in Cheek” reader until the stories centered on “the blind date.” Then I made sure I read daily and I haven’t stopped. I’m hooked!
    Hey, I thought we were going to get a little update on those lovebirds. Yes, no??

  47. Hi Corey! It was such fun to see my name in your post today! 🙂 I’m betting (and hoping) on the chapters being gathered up one day, into a book and your new title will be Best Selling Authoress.
    I vote for variety and lack of focus! 🙂
    Sally, looking forward to another Stumparoonie Game!

  48. I am truly amazed by how you never miss-a-beat. I know that each day I can come to your blog and I will see a post, no matter if you are traveling across Europe on a motorcycle, or at an antique show in the U.S. I, on the other hand, am lucky to get three posts on in a week. Right now I am with my father who is recovering from surgery, and since there is no wi-fi in his retirement community and I cannot access anything on my laptop, I’m out of luck. At least there is the local school library where I can go occasionally and read other blogs!

  49. Oh Corey PLEASE don’t change a THING.
    I LOVE your blog the way it is.
    Please please pretty please leave it the way it is 🙂

  50. Oh Corey! Please Please pretty PLEASE don’t change a thing! I love your blog just as it is.
    P.S.
    Thank you for the lovely links but PLEASE don’t change! 🙂

  51. Anne GSOLFOT

    “Tongue in Cheek” says it all. I think I’ve been reading your blog since almost the beginning and I wouldn’t be able to start my day properly without it. Shocking, sweet, sad, silly ~ I never know what will be on the menu for the day but I welcome all of it. Don’t change a thing! I love you as you are, Dearest Corey.
    Anne ~ gsolfot

  52. I love that you blog about a variety of things, Corey. Hopefully all of us are not just one-dimensional and the more you share, the better we get to know you and the closer that makes me (us) feel. Variety is the spice of life, non?

  53. Thank you for sharing your world. You greet me every day with an interesting story about life, France, brocantes, etc. You bring so much joy and inspiration. I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate the time and effort you put into each post. You are a peach – Thanks!

  54. Corey, the ten-dollar word for you is “eclectic”!
    For anyone wanting to follow a particular thread on which you’ve blogged over the years, there’s always your “Categories” list of general topics in the right-hand column.

  55. Hi Corey, I love your blog and look forward to reading your thoughts every day. I wanted to ask, what language do you and FH speak at home? How did you learn French and he English? Your recent posts have gotten me so curious. Thanks!

  56. DON’T change a thing! I love you the way you are!! I look forward to a morning break, at my desk, where I can sit for a moment and travel with you where ever you go that day. If it was the same subject, my random mind would wander off and I would lose interest. With you, I never know what to expect and it is a delight to open your blog every morning! And sometimes I just have to call my daughter and exclaim, “Have you read Corey’s blog today! Stop right now and open it!” What fun you are. Your writing brings you and your readers across the world into relationship. As others have said, I’d love to meet you, and I’d love to have you spend time with my daughter and my sister-in-law because they have so much in common with you. Keep changing it up. It’s real life!

  57. Dinah Soar

    I don’t comment often, but I too read your blog everyday..love it…love hearing your stories…love reading about life in France..love the images…love, love, love. Yes, don’t change a thing..just you be ‘you’.

  58. I have the same delicious feeling of anticipation opening your blog each day as I have on opening a gift. Thank you, your blog is wonderful.

  59. Thankyou for your blog Corey!!!
    Thanks for sharing so much of yourself. And for sharing your family, your recipes, your pictures, your adventures, your fabulous brocante finds, your France from your eyes! I love it all.

  60. Don’t ever doubt that your blog makes many peoples’s days!
    Your blog reminds me of the gifts my son used to give me. I never knew what they’d be, but they were much anticipated because no matter what they were they would be something I’d absolutely love. Anyone who ever received a gift from him would have said the same thing.
    Variety is the spice of life and you’re definitely spicy, dear Corey! If it were even possible, please never change.

  61. I simply love you all-over-the map posts! Keeps it fun and interesting!

  62. Goodness, multiple layered stories and antiques thrown in for good measure…I too enjoy your exploits and of course your insights about places to visit and food and brocante et al……but somehow I seem to have missed the bit about your being a nun in a monastery…how did I miss that! Where do I find this bit of the story so I can read on?
    Cheers
    jennifer
    Nelson, New Zealand

  63. Dear Corey, You are an inspiration, we love you just the way you are. Your blog is the only one I read everyday and respond to. I always look forward to the next chapter of your blog book. Sometimes there are tears of laughter and sometimes of sadness. THANK YOU.

  64. Corey…SVP don’t change, we all love getting a glimpse into your lovely soul!
    It is a daily treat to see the world through your French eyes.
    Merci for the mention and
    Happy Beaujolais Day! Sante

  65. Do not even give a moments pause to any kind of blog identity questioning. I know I for one look forward to either the personal retellings, the exquistive brocanting adventures, or the uniquely Corey take on France, family and love each day. I also enjoy another blog (The Pioneer Woman, http://thepioneerwoman.com/) and in it Ree goes all over the map of her surroundings (ranch life), her family, her loves (food, cooking, photography, etc) and there is not a theme exactly, just her. I come to find that I enjoy blogs in the same manner I enjoy people themselves–the whole bag of personality, interests, and character. Thank you always for sharing and giving us your time.

  66. i had to smile when i read the title of your latest blog today cos i was in need of a hug or a glass of wine or both! My husband had been summoned to a meeting today with his boss and told that the salesforce were on a 4 day week from now until january which will result in a drop of a few hundred euros for the family!
    i am on ebay shopping for christmas presents but i did smile when i read your title how apt for me today but my motto is soldier on!

  67. I’ve been hooked on your blog for a while now. I will read whatever you post. For example, I’ve never been interested in BMX before, but reading your post on it and the love and admiration for your son oozing out between the lines, led me to enjoy that post very much.
    In no time it will be time to scout for a book publisher, Corey!

  68. We live countries and time zones apart…
    When sleep somehow ends early (and I mean early) in the wee small hours I can find enjoyment in stopping by to visit you.
    It is like sitting at your table over a cup of coffee and enjoying conversation about life…
    Susan

  69. Kathleen in Oregon

    TIC is perfect just the way it is, don’t change a thing (well, you could finish some of the cliff hangers). I started reading when Eva was on her way to France, and I’ve read every day since.

  70. Corey,… I am one of those who has gratefully read your daily blog for several years, but never commented. We all love and admire you and your blog. Sometimes I tell my friends what you’re up to. Sometimes I worry too many people know too much about you. We all send thanks for your wonderful blog and for sharing your daily musings with us.

  71. It’s so wonderful to read how all your blog-friends feel the same way about you as I do…we are addicted to your stories, no matter what you choose to reveal of your life!! I love the addiction and seek no cure…just please keep blogging as long as YOU enjoy it. That way I (and many others) won’t go into withdrawal..;o)
    Elizabeth

  72. Corey, as a mother of two boys, nothing surprises me. However, I can remember when I came home from visiting my dad’s first wife and my two half brothers in Nice and I brought home half a bikini.. well, you gotta do as the natives do, don’t you?? When I taught highschool, I let the kids know right away that there was nothing they could think of that I either hadn’t done or thought of. We got along perfectly after that. My dad’s favorite threat was “Off to the convent!!”

  73. The only time I have to read some of my favorite blogs {especially yours!} or to post something that is on my mind or caught my attention, is in the quiet hours of the evening. The family has been fed dinner, we’ve shared the days events, the dog has been walked for the last time before bedding down for the night and the kittens are curled up in their favorite chair(s). I can relax with my cafe au lait and “enter” your home. Thank you for letting me in!!

  74. Keep it random–a little of this, a little of that. It is more interesting, less predictable, and more you. For you see, we know you a bit, from reading you for these few years. That’s the beauty of blogs.

  75. i feel so flattered to have offered a contribution to today’s blog-side response. your many readers leave so many considerate love notes for you. and you deserve every one of them. you hit so many points of interest for so many people… and that is the source of plain clever story telling. no subject is unimportant, and your voice is clear and clean.
    it is rather important to say that i have watched waaaay too many disney movies over time. the comment made regarding an onion and layers was unintentionally bogarted from the movie “SHREK”. still it is applicable to your multi-layered, lovable, clever tales and the personality behind them.
    unlike the majority of your guests who report reading your blog as a wake-up treat, i prefer the centering that your blog offers after a long day of being me. ha ha.
    so keep those layers building and peeling away. i know at the center there is a huge,kind, considerate,loving generous heart . i thank you for it’s voice. xow.

  76. Alena dreamer

    Corey, reading your blog makes good day better !
    THANK YOU!!

  77. Corey,
    I have loved your blog since I first began reading it- I have been moved to tears and burst out laughing at your stories and everything in between. I am glad that you write an eclectic blog it keeps your blogposts fresh but more importantly, it reflects something that you are thinking about and want to share. I toast and celebrate your unique blog and Thank you for your interesting and thoughtful posts. Merci beaucoup.
    Warmest regards,
    Anna

  78. Actually I read your blog before I go to bed each night. I’m not a morning person, so I wait until the last minute to open my eyes and jump out of bed. My nightly ritual is to hit my favorite blogs before I can go to sleep. Your blog is the first one I jump on.
    ~elaine~

  79. Your stories. So well written. I catch myself holding my breath while reading them. Thankyou for sharing.
    Waiting to exhale in San Franciso-
    Laura

  80. Oh Corey, you’re a sweaty.
    Come and have a hug or a glass of wine with me anytime…
    Your blog is an organic revelation that seems to tune into a story that we all need to hear everyday. Opening us up more…
    I really feel it is such a trusting act (maybe a bit like getting on the beach naked!) It can lead us to new, more wonderful layers of life. You know when you let go of a layer of the restrictions (of the mind) around you, and life itself reveals its beautiful nakedness to us, more colourful then we can imagine.
    Your blog is a beautiful gift to all of us, we love it as is! Thank you for thanking us.
    With lots of love
    Katiebell (ethereal friend)
    PS I love coffee but like you cannot drink it. I read your posts over a big blue bowl (French inspired) of organic earl grey tea, in the afternoon or late in the evening mostly (I’m 8 hours ahead of you I think).
    PSS Is it OK if I just stay home and paint today? – it really can be adventurous!

  81. Corey,
    Your blog is a popourri of life and emotions…this is why I have read it faithfully for so long. It inspired me to create my own little spot in bloglandia and you actually did me the honor of commenting on my very first post. I am enjoying my journey and can see why you have continued yours. Thank you for your authenticity and generous spirit. Take care!

  82. I love the variety. I started off loving the photos of French life but as I have got to know you I have been intrigued by your personality, family etc. Keep the variety coming. What’s a few tea stained tops between friends…

  83. kimberlyhope

    Corey,
    Thank you for writing ! I try to read your blog every day when I’m home and it gives me such pleasure. I enjoy everything you write about so , thank you once again for all the wonderful and inspiring stories!

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