Anniversary

Today was my (our) 16th Wedding Anniversary... Sweet Sixteen?  Yes, it was.  My parents arrived from the US  to spend two weeks with us, and more importantly! ... to meet 'Petite-Fille'!  We didn't reminisce very much about that day 16 years ago. We were distracted by Mom and Dad finally getting here after a 24 hour hour delay (Merci! Delta/Air France for taking such watchful care of your jets that a majaor engine problem -- "fuel leaking"  !?!?! can be missed until 10 minutes before boarding) ... my parents enjoyed a lovely and relaxing 24-hour stay in Boston's Logan Airport Marriot courtesy of the airlines ... so much better than sleeping in the airport, yes!

But if I sound a tiny bit bitter it might be because one less day of visit time with us and cuddle-time with the new baby ---uh?.....p-r-i-c-e-l-e-s-s.....so that hotel stay and the fifty-buck meal voucher, did not even scratch the surface of compensation in my book!

But they are here!  And 'French-Guy' and I will go out to dinner sometime during their stay (free babysitting!) and have a nice dinner, or take a walk on the beach....or okay, go grocery shopping 'sans enfants'....did I mention we have been married 16 years?! (You know this when ANY outing without children is instantly "a date").

I will be honest, this year leading up to 16 has been "challenging"... sometime right before number 15 we decided to move to France...I think for our 15th anniversary I was in stunned-disbelief.... we did go out to dinner, but all else (trips to Hawaii, diamonds, spa getaways...) was not in the cards because of the pending move and new adventure.  And since then--wow-za! New home (new country!) new life, new baby!!!  We got our money's worth, as they say, out of year 15!

But we got here--HERE.  That is what is most important.  We have been trained and were guided by the best--my parents have been married for 50 years and 'French Guys' for 54... so to those standards, we got plenty more to go!

Tough to find the best thing about today...Mom and Dad here meeting grandchild #10... looking at old pictures, the one above was taken the day after we got married at a wedding-brunch in Malibu, California ...   The excitement of the 'garcons' at the idea that they have Grandma and Grandpa for the next 12 days ... helping Mom unpack the suitcase full of adorable clothes for 'Petite-Fille' (dresses!) ... or the 26 magazines that she smuggled in her 49 pound suitcase ... or the huge bunch of flowers, made into three bouquets that 'French-Guy' brought home from work this evening...not purchased at a fancy florist, but picked road-side....

I loved it all---Sweet.  Sweet-16.

Bon weekend mes amis!

Un Amour de Macaron! aka--Macaron Love!

It is sometimes hard to believe that I managed so long without knowing about 'le macaron'!  Not to be confused with 'Macaroon' (note the long sound 'rooooon' rather than the short sound 'ron') The later is the yummy sticky coconut globs that we eat in the US (and other places) which are quite yummy too--but definitely not the same -- nonetheless the spelling and pronunciation of the two are often mixed up.

There is an obsession with these little darlings; crispy on the outside, filled with extraordinary flavored creams and jellies, with the perfect rough 'foot' at the base of each individual cookie. Once you have had them you will also be hopelessly obsessed going to great efforts and unlimited lengths to have more....and more....and more....

At first discovery, I was a tiny bit put-off by the sometimes wacky colors and even now (deeply into the obsession) Beyond the expected chocolate, pistachio, lemon or strawberry, there is often the more unusual; Hibiscus, Cardamom, and even Black Pepper... or the whimsical; Peanut Butter and Jelly, Cinnamon Banana.....I gravitate towards the more subtle natural looking colors and flavors because the taste is so amazing in either case, the shape so pleasing and the texture; crispy-chewy --- perfection!

I have not yet tried making them but I have them on my list to attempt.  I have heard that they are an artisan science to get right but worth the effort.  Macarons created professionally are closely critiqued on shape, texture, the amount and placement of the filling and the foot.  Oooo La La!  My stomach is aching and growling for some as I type!

Before I go -- one last sweet discovery I must add!  For the calorie conscious or for the visual appreciators of the French Macaron -- I recently found a lovely gal in France named Beliz who creates the most adorably sweet crocheted macarons I have ever seen!

She is currently making trois for Petite Fille -- with little rattling bells inside per special request!

Belize (Fabulous Etsy Shop) is from Turkey and lives in Paris while her husband attends pastry school (bien sur!) makes macarons and other sweet things -- you must take a look!

So I leave you on this very happy and SUNNY Monday morning in Normandy with these images of yummy and adorable beauty of my current obsession -- J'adore le macaron!

Bonne semaine mes amis!

Home is where your story begins.....

So I have this little plaque given to me by a friend a while ago, when I was still in the states and moving into a new house.  I had seen this saying before...  and okay... let's be honest, it's a little sappy, no?  Nonetheless this little token of friendship made it's way out of a box and onto a table in my bedroom when we moved to France because I adore the gal that gave it to me ... no matter what it said.

When I dusted it (Yes!  I do dust! .... sometimes ... okay just occasionally ... okay usually just before my parents come to visit ...). when I dust it, I kinda think, "yeah, yeah ...  whatever."  Next to it is a wooden bird ('French Guy' hates it! In fact there used to be TWO of them, but the other 'mysteriously'  disappeared. ??) and the other thing is a petite pair of antique fabric baby shoes, and yes! Petite Fille has actually worn them!

Recently I started more to think about this saying.  There has been an unexpected change of climate regarding the notion of living in France.  The change has been more than just the real climate change from grey and rainy here in Normandy to upper 70's and sunny...which is F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S......but no, it's been more than that.

Suddenly, I am feeling HOME.  We have been here for 10 months now and I am finally starting to feel okay about it....more than okay really.  Which if you are a friend of mine or have read this blog from the beginning, you will know that it has been a really, really rough transition to the vie en France......

I looked around and I started to realize that I like our house.  It's pretty tiny, oddly configured, has had some bad remnants of the past occupants in the form of wall-paper and tile, and by European standards, at just 100 years old, it is far too young and just doesn't have that 200 or 300 year old charm!  But I like it. I actually think it is coming together pretty well.  We still have middle-guys room to strip and paint, still have some pretty ugly tile in the kitchen and are still trying to figure out what someone was thinking when they installed the useless bathtub....despite that the house is feeling 'homey'.....  that's important.

Today I walked into the dining room and was knocked over by the smell of the lilacs on my dining table, I had just made a batch of muffins for the kiddos who don't have school on Wednesdays and I thought, wow!  Homey!  So I took a picture, and I think it looks like home....don't you?

Creatively--my brain has been on fire.  I am currently planning an Easter Sunday Menu (Kir Royale, Goat Cheese and Leek Tarte, Ham, Gratin Dauphinois, Harricot Vert, a cheese plate (bien sur!) and for desert; sorbet and macaroons...) I have projects sketched out in my planner, a table to paint and a line up of sewing projects.....

I love my French family and we are finally starting to fall into routines that include Sunday afternoon lunch and going brocante-ing together.... and that's my other love; I realized I absolutely LOVE what I am doing!  Finding things at brocantes and fairs, shooting and posting them to sell in hopes that someone will see and love in them what I did!

Although my heart still aches for my friends, who I have been relentlessly badgering to come and visit me in France... I have made new friends both here and out in the world that I wouldn't have if we hadn't moved here.   

.............   Creating, cooking, writing, enjoying family, loving what I do and finding new friends... a new story?  Maybe it's true?   

Home is where you story begins.... and this is a pretty good one.

Trash Talk

Like many, I have been doing a bit of a juggling act these last few weeks.  Working on the development of my web-shop, taking care of 'les enfants' and unsuccessfully ignoring the sweet call of Spring...which is a good thing, in fact it's all good....most of the time.

Yesterday, Wednesday...."Web-less Wednesday".... I scheduled in a jog to start the day.  This time, much to my surprise and thrill, my 'tween' oldest garcon wanted to join moi!   The idea was amusing  ... he is at an interesting age and I am very sure, on the brink of the stage of time that hanging with Mommy will soon be well, kinda un-cool.  So I need to cherish these occasions, when my sweet eldest elects on his own to do an activity with me, even if it is giving up my most cherished part of the day, my sweet solitude and early morning body and brain workout during sacred 'me-time-beach-jog'.

So we set off, just before 10am...there is no school on Wednesdays for les enfants in France. The other 4 days of school each week are almost 9 hours long, so Wednesdays are a catch-up day...a yet another sleep-in day for the pre-teen guy, so we got a later start.

I had warned him that I wear my ear-buds and listen to tunes for the jog--it keeps my mind calm, sets the pace and is the only time I have only ONE noise happening in my ears and head all day long.  But only a few paces from the house I realized this was going to be impossible....because as usual,  my escort was talking non-stop and I decided to make an effort to listen even if was all about the latest, greatest game or download.....

I am always a little 'high' when I am on the beach.  I love the smell of the salty air, the breeze, the sand underfoot....we chose our direction and set out.  But a few strides later we came to a dead halt.  Never in the 9 months of living down the road from this beach ... "our" beach ... had I ever seen so much TRASH.  It was low-low tide and everywhere .....  everywhere .... you looked there was trash.

I can only think that the tides are changing right now and holidays are in full Spring Break swing, (which means the Parisians and tourists are in town) and hence the incredible increase in post-picnic debris....otherwise it could only be that a huge trash barge crashed and sunk just off the coast and all of the remnants of it's cargo has come afloat and landed on Normandy beaches.....

In any case, it was disturbing and I have contemplated sending the children, backed with a large bribe of 5-10 euros, and armed with super-size Hefty bags to begin to collect it, before it washes out and back again and out and back again ... and back again, in between gagging, choking and killing precious sea life in it's wake.

 I moved a huge bundle of styro-foam up onto land so it wouldn't go out again at high tide.  I will go back and fetch it later on.  On the return home, my sweet eldest fell behind, and took a rest, and fell more behind and I returned home with about a 20 minute lead.

Not the idealic start of the day I had hoped for.  But a true reminder of the need to take care of and take time for the things that are precious to us.  I wish more people would ... .

A bientot, mes amis.