SA's first real "horsey" ride and first taste of the traditional French "Buche de Noel".

A CHRISTMAS OF MANY FIRSTS

I wanted to entitle this blog "Foie Gras-ed Out" or "Freezing In France", but I am determined to write a positive account of the many humorous parts as well as the difficult parts of our first Christmas in France. We had a wonderful Christmas yesterday, and I am so happy to be enjoying the company of my husband for the next 2 weeks as he is taking advantage of the wonderful European vacation benefit currently. (He gets 8 weeks each year!)We are indeed blessed here in our little French town with our little French house and our precious little SA, and I am enjoying this season of blessings! However, this season is not without its challenges as well. Some have been humorous and some are just plain irritating, but I suppose they are all for our growth and I pray that I will grow through them.

It seems that foie gras is a menu must for this time of year in France. All of the French people that I know were planning to have it, and I even considered buying some until I realized that all my friends would be serving it. For those of you who don't know, foie gras is either duck or goose liver, and it is considered a delicacy here. I had been a little disgusted at the thought of eating it for the past year, until I visited some Irish friends who served it to me on toast with some champagne. I thought it was foie gras, and trying to be a good sport, I ate it and actually enjoyed it for the first time. I was proud of this "progress" as I had tasted it a time or two in restaraunts with D but never liked it before. It is pretty important in French culture to enjoy such gastronomic delicacies. So, on Sat. night, being the culture conscious guest, I induged in a few little pieces of foie gras covered toast at a party with friends. Around 2 AM, I woke up in the middle of the night very sick. Little did I know that my foie gras filled holiday had only just begun!

On Christmas Eve we had a French couple from our church over for dinner with their adult son. They are very good friends and kind of like adopted grandparents to SA. They brought the entree (appetizer) which was, you guessed it, foie gras. This time it was battered and served with sauteed apples! I tried to explain to my friend that I had eaten too much of it the night before and had been a little sick. She seemed upset, however, that I would not be enjoying this "delicacy" and appreciating her culinary efforts. SO, attempting to be the culturally sensitive hostess, I ended up eating the whole serving. (It was actually very good, and I did manage to keep it down this time.)

These same friends had invited us for lunch the following day with their 4 adult children. We had intended just to stay for an aperitif. However, after they showered SA with gifts, we felt that the appropriate thing to do would be to stay for the meal. Guess what we had for an entree? This time the foie gras was served with a salad and what I think was raw ham! But before we got to the entree, we had an "amuse bouche" of escargot! Ok, I had never intended to be this culturally sensitive, but when you are at someone's house and they are serving something as normal to them as mashed potatoes would be to us, it is hard to say no. I did tell them that I had never tasted escargot before and that I was a little scared, but that just made for a kind of awkaward moment. So, when served, I just turned off my brain and ate the little snails (luckily they were stuck in little puff pastries so I couldn't see them). And of course being the good Southern girl that I am, I commented, "C'est bon" (It's good). That comment got me an extra helping of escargot that I really didn't want, and then I had to shove them in as fast as I could because my friend told me that they would get hard if they got cold! The escargot was followed by the foie gras which was followed by the main dish, venison (yes,deer!) and a celery puree. Then we had the cheese course (my personal favorite) and dessert (traditional chocolate Buche de Noel) a cake that looks like a yule log.

So, this has been a Christmas of firsts. Currently, my husband is working on getting a space heater set up as our house has been at 15 degrees Celsius/62 degrees Farenheit for days. This climate control (or lack of) has been the biggest adjustment aside from the language barrier in this move to France. I am sure that you remember my grumbling in July about how hot it was, well, now it is below freezing- negative four Celsius to be exact. Our tile floors throughout the house stay very cold, and one can feel the cold coming in under the doors. I have pillows in front of the doors, but the draft still comes in. My normal body temperature has always been below normal- around 97.9 and I have perpetually cold feet and hands especially in the winter. Slippers and robes are an absolute necessity here. I was elated when I found a microwaveable pair of slippers that my mother in law gave me last year. They are like heaven for cold feet! The feature of all houses here that makes the least sense to me is that we have to open and close the shutters all the time which lets the cold in and the heat out during the winter and the heat in and the cool air out in the summer. It is dreary to keep them closed and live in the dark though. Hopefully, this space heater will help tonight. Here are some Christmas pics! SA eating her mini "Buche de Noel" and riding her new "cheval a bascule"!

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It's Christmas time at our house, and SA has enjoyed tasting the frosted fruit ornaments on our tree this year. Luckily we have had only one glass ball ornament broken so far, and fortunately she has not actually ingested any artificial frosted fruit. We have been reading about baby Jesus and how He is the reason we celebrate Christmas. I have pulled out almost all the Christmas books that I used to read to my third graders and she listens intently to them. She really loves that there is "hay", "cows", "sheep", and a "donkey" in all of the stories about the birth of Jesus. And she loves that there is a huge bright star too.

The other day we had her friends over to make sugar cookies. Thanks to Aunt Abby's recipe, we had some lovely icing to decorate with, and I had some sprinkles and red hots from home to use as well. I am still learning what one can and cannot find here for all of our traditional American recipes. Apparently, we decorate cookies in the US more than they do here, but then if we had patisseries in the US like the ones here, I bet no one would decorate cookies there either. I am still on the hunt for food coloring. I need it to make colored icing (next year) and to make red velvet cake for Christmas Eve. We are having our French friends over for an American meal (except the foie gras which they will bring, and the champagne and cheese that we will have with the meal). Joyeux Noel!!!!!!!!!

The Fields >



The Clarks >

The French Turkey!

A Real American Thanksgiving!

I am happy to report that it is possible to have an American Thanksgiving celebration abroad, but I never would have guessed how challenging this task would actually be. Now that I know, however, I will make sure that I import some necessities and plan far in advance for others. I actually thought that I was pretty on the ball when I ordered my turkey at the end of October, but little did I know the other ingredient challenges that would arise before the big celebration was over. It is a bit disgruntling, although understandable, not to have one's national holidays recognized in the place where we live. Thanksgiving is a regular workday here, and D was actually in Poland this Thanksgiving day. But, determined to maintain our national tradition and pass along some American culture to our daughter, we planned to celebrate Saturday the 18th before Thanksgiving and invited some friends over to celebrate as well. I ordered some books for SA from Barnes and Noble.com on Thanksgiving that have still not arrived, but other than that, we were able to celebrate Thanksgiving just like at home! It did not, however, happen easily. Here is the story of my gathering of the Thanksgiving essentials. How I wish I had had Publix to count on for all my Thanksgiving needs!

After hearing horror stories of American ladies picking up live turkeys at the market, I talked with a local French man at the outdoor market in our town, and communicated very clearly about how I needed the turkey to be dead, without the plumes, and without the head. He was very accomodating and promised to have the turkey ready to go in the oven for me on the 17th. I was to pick up the turkey in a different town that had a market on that day as the turkey would be fresh for only a day or two in the refrigerator. I was very happy with my accomplishment of finding someone to supply me with a Thanksgiving turkey and having communicated well with him- in French, of course!

My turkey dilemma on the 17th, however, was a little more complicated. After driving around for 20 minutes to another town and another 10 to find the market, walking around the market looking for the man that I had ordered my turkey from (I had no name, just knew that he had a red truck, not many teeth, and a beret type cap), I finally found him and was so relieved to finally ask for my turkey, but he gave me a blank stare and said, "Today?" Trying to keep my cool, I explained that I had 11 people for dinner the following night and that I needed my turkey. He admitted that he had just forgotten even though he had written down my name and my order on his calendar, and asked if I could pick up the turkey the following day in another town (which is another 30 minute drive). Having no choice, I told him that D would pick it up, and I resumed my day of trying to gather the other necessary ingredients for the Thanksgiving feast. Apparently I am the only person that has ever wanted a turkey at this time of year (the French eat them at Christmas).

In the days leading up to our big celebration on the 18th, I planned to prepare sweet potatoes, cornbread dressing, and cranberry sauce in addition to the turkey. My lovely friends brought the pies, yeast rolls (no French bread for us!), green beans, and potato casserole. Little did I know what challenges lay ahead in the area of getting together all that I needed for a successful Thanksgiving dinner. As I searched my cookbooks for turkey recipes, I found only one and it called for corn syrup, which I found out is unavailable here. So, I switched to another recipe that I found in aCooking Light magazine from last year, but it called for sherry (which I never did find but used white wine instead) and fresh sage which is out of season and unavailable at this time of year (the dried was fine). The sweet potatoes proved not to be too difficult. The French do not eat them much, so they can be difficult to find, but my supermarche usually has a supply of them from Israel. The cornbread dressing, however, was more of a challenge. I went to the store with the French translations of my American ingredients but did not find cornmeal. It seems that although it is supposed to exist here, it is not always readily available. Luckily, my friend had some from the States left over from another friend who has since moved back to the States. She had just enough to whip up a batch for me which I used to make the family cornbread recipe that I grew up eating every year (with apples for a twist-knew you would love that, Abby!). The cranberry sauce would be the crowning glory of my accomplishment i.e. hosting Thanksgiving dinner. My brother-in-law who is a real chef has a magnificent recipe for homeade cranberry sauce that I love! I tried to make it last year with groseilles (which I have since discovered are red currants) since I couldn't find cranberries, but it was not the same. This year I was determined to find cranberries, so off to the fresh produce supermarche I went. They didn't know what cranberries are or canberge which my French dictionary said were the French term, but after several conversations in which I described the size, color, etc, we determined that they are "erreilles" in French, and they ordered them for me to pick up- guess when? That's right Saturday morning. :)

Saturday morning at the Branyon house was quite uncharacteristic as we hurried to get ready and get out of the house in order to pick up the turkey and the cranberries and get back in enough time to have everything ready for dinner at 5. Luckily, Danny found the turkey guy with only the afforementioned description and he did indeed have a huge turkey for us- I think it weighed 11 kilos- that's 22 pounds! I got the cranberries (which, by the way, were a product of the USA) and everything was ready to eat around 6 o'clock amazingly. SA made placemats for everyone with fingerpainted turkeys, and we all sat down to a delightful and delicious Thanksgiving dinner! I think it was delicious, by the time dinner rolled around on the 18th, I had come down with an infection and a virus, so I didn't eat much and quickly got rid of all the leftovers. For a stress free Thanksgiving dinner, I recommend eating in the US with the family and letting them do all the cooking! That is what I have always managed to do until I moved to France. Oh well, as we say in French, "C'est la vie!"

MY BILINGUAL BEAUTY

SA is really progressing in her French along with me. As you might imagine this a little humorous as she is just 20 months old and learning English at the same time! Actually I am a little scared about keeping up with her in French once she starts to preschool. "C'est pas juste!" Translation: it's not fair! ( how children learn languages so much more quickly than adults). Seriously, we are so happy with how she is picking up French here. She goes to a French babysitter twice a week so I can go to class, and she and I hang out in the nursery at church on Sundays and with our French friend on Tuesday mornings which gives us lots of exposure to conversational French. Other than that, she lives in an English speaking world. That is why I am surprised at how much she is picking up. She has been saying "Bonjour! Aurevoir! Oui! And Coucou! (the French equivalent of peekaboo) for a while. But lately, she has really started surprising me. When we were looking at dolls in the store the other day she said, "Poupee!" (translation: doll). Then when I gave her some applesauce the other day, I told her that it was apple/ strawberry after which she told me, "pomme/ fraise!" (translation: apple/ strawberry!). C'est incroyable! Translation: It's incredible- to me the way she is just picking up things that I am not even consciously teaching her! In public, I say, "Pardon" quite frequently as I am always needing to make my way through crowds holding a baby or pushing a stroller (not to mention that I am just bigger than mostof the petit(e) people in this country). She has picked up on that expression, and the other day she told me, "Pardon, Mommy." as she maneuvered her way past me while I was cleaning. The wife of our proprietaire i.e. our landlord, told me that SA can repeat in French without an accent, which made D. very happy!

Lest the grandparents be discouraged, she is also learning English very well! She tells everyone, "God bless you" after they sneeze, and lots of other really sweet things in English. She is getting proficient at using "please" and "thank you". And when she is excited about anything, she says, "Oh Boy!" which her little American/ British friends who are 3 and 4 years old really get a kick out of. Tonight at dinner, she held out her hand and told me, "Blessing, Mommy" to remind me that we needed to say the blessing before eating. She calls D. "Honey Daddy" because she has heard me call him "Honey". And her most frequently used English phrase is "Hold you" which she says when she wants to be held- which is often. Her second most often used English expression is, "What's that?" She is like a little sponge soaking in everything that we tell her. Lately she has been really excited about seeing the sun, moon, and the stars. I took her outside the other night and showed her the moon and the stars for the first time, and she was really into it. She is learning "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" which she calls "Tinkle, Tinkle", but her favorite song right now admittedly is French. It is called "Ainsi Font, Font, Font" and is a song about marionnettes that has hand motions. So we have a bicultural baby, I guess. She never seems to experience "cultural stress" as I do and she has assimilated into the French culture with no problem. SA thinks it is normal to kiss everyone on both cheeks when you greet them and when you leave- it's called the "bisou" in French and I am still working on getting it right. Most of the time I feel like a social disaster in French contexts because I am worried if I kissed the right people and if I kissed them the right number of times. "Ce n'est pas evident." Translation: it is not always evident- (the ways of the French).

J'AI COMPRIS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Translation: "I understood!" Today I am just plain happy! After over a year of living in France, today, I understood the pastor's message at church for the first time! I just wanted to share the joy and to let those of you who are praying for me know that I am indeed making progress in my language learning (by God's grace, of course)! I didn't just catch a word here and there, I really understood the message! He was preaching about the verse where Jesus says, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men." He really emphasized that Jesus said He would be the one "making us". I actually left church encouraged in the Spirit by God's Word (this is a first for me as I usually don't understand God's Word preached in French).

When we first moved here I felt like a character in Charlie Brown's class- you know Charlie Brown's teacher who just speaks in gobbledy-gook? Well, that is what all French people sounded like to me when we first moved here. After a few months, I started to be able to pick out words here and there. Then I began to understand bigger bits and pieces, but today, I really understood almost all of the sermon! This is indeed miraculous considering that I only go to French class 4 hours a week and we take 2 week breaks about every 6 weeks, and everything else that is involved in my language learning is informal and self-initiated. I get together with a French friend once a week to talk and work on grammar, I listen to the radio in the car and watch a little French TV every day too, and as much as I can, I shop in the same small shops or stands at the market where I can chat with the owners. Understanding always comes before speaking, so I really need to make an effort to speak in French every day. Today, I had coffee with a lady from church that I could not understand at all this summer. I understood her much better today, and I was able to communicate with her too! I am so thankful to God for enabling me to begin to learn this language!

I am a pretty schooly person, so if left up to me, I would be attending intensive French classes in order to learn, but the Lord arranged it so that my responsibilities, time, etc. make it necessary for me to learn wholly dependent on Him - through a little class and alot of different relationships (provided by Him). My favorite Christmas card from last year is on my refrigerator- it has a picture of my cute little niece and nephew (A&A) discovering a snowball. The verse at the top says, "The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy." Ps. 126:3 That is my theme verse for today! He has done great things, and I am filled with joy!

MY PUMPKIN PIE

Usually on Sundays, I have a reality check after trying to understand French all morning. I usually come away wondering if I really am making progress with my language learning and if I ever really will be able to really participate in friendships with the French in French,or a medium to long conversation in French, or ever really understand the message that the pastor preached. How am I to be a light and a witness in this place where I really cannot fully communicate or participate? Sometimes the week goes great, but when I end up sitting in the nursery at church with SA and several non-English speaking adults, I am reminded that I really am living with a huge handicap here- the inability to communicate and be understood. This for those of you who know me well is hard, for I am a communicator by nature and believe that part of good communication is understanding. Here in France I am unable to understand much of the time and unable to be understood as well. So, Sundays bring me face to face again with my weakness as I enter into the French world at church. You see, most of the time I live in an English speaking world - at home with my family and with English-speaking friends -simply because I am unable to particiapte in the French-speaking world. After living here a year, I am able to shop and do all of the things that are necessary in French. But, life isn't all about just surviving; it's about making a difference for the kingdom wherever we are. So, how to make a difference without the ability to communicate or participate? Well, today I am reminded that just being a reflection of God's grace to those around us matters and that "His grace is sufficient for me, for His power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor. 12:9). It is this weakness that has made me more aware of my need for His grace. Also, I am reminded that one of my primary purposes in this season is to care for and train my little precious daughter, and for that I need God's grace as well.

Isn't she the cutest thing ever? I know, I am a little biased. When we walked into a creperie, she immediately pointed out this "big pumpkin" in the fireplace. I love it that she talks so much now. Jesse and Tracy taught her to say "Hallelujah" with both hands in the air, so now she is praising the Lord in line at the grocery store. I love it! Her mama has a master's degree in missions but can't communicate well enough to be much of a verbal witness over here, but SA is a little missionary at 19 months! "From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise." (Matt. 1:16). She is my little piece of encouragement for today. When I think about my life and its purpose here and remember that just caring for and pouring my life into this little one is enough for now, I am able to rest and be content, for He has given me a precious gift in her and I will treasure this time that I have to focus on just being the mommy that He has called me to be and asking Him to make me a reflection of His grace in marriage, in motherhood, and in friendship.

Here's another shot from le Puy en Velay. My sweet friend T has been visiting us, and it has been so nice to have a friend from home here. We have enjoyed hanging out, watching movies, girl talk (in English), exploring the region, etc. She has been such a help to me with SA too. Last week her husband, J, joined us after having worked in Iraq for the last couple of months. J and T went to Paris for a long weekend, and now they are back until they leave for Amman, Jordan, on Friday where they are moving with J's job. D has also been enjoying having his friend J around. They have been smoking cigars, hanging out at the local Irish pub, sharing copies of "The Economist" and "Foreign Affairs" and discussing the politics of the Middle East. We will be sad to have them leave us but excited about their adventure ahead!
Check out their blog at http://the-cubbyhole.blogspot.com/
They have some cool pictures of Clermont-Ferrand and Billom on their blog!

We went to visit Le Puy en Velay, a city that has "beaucoup" history. See the church on top of the hill in the background? It was pretty neat to climb all the way to the top. I didn't think I would be able to make it as I sprained my knee a few weeks ago. But I let D carry SA, and I made it. The climb was not as bad as it looks. The craft that this town is famous for is lacemaking. We were able to observe this firsthad at some of the shops.

BIRTHDAY LUNCH AT THE PUY-DE-DOME

For my 31st birthday, D took the day off and spent it with me. I do have a wonderful husband! This was an unexpected treat as he was booked to be in Algeria this week. His trip was cancelled at the last minute, and I was thrilled that we were able to spend the day together yesterday. We took SA to the babysitter and went to a restaurant at the top of the Puy-de-Dome for lunch. The Puy-de-Dome is the highest mountain in our region and it is also an inactive volcano. Pretty cool- huh? Anyway, you can see it from miles around, and on a clear day like yesterday, there is a beautiful view from the top. After we had lunch and enjoyed the scenery for a while, we headed back into the city to pick up a portrait of SA that we had framed for my birthday present. It is magnifique! I can't wait to hang it up on the wall. D came home Tues night with flowers (lilies which are my favorite) and chocolates from the best chocolatier in town. So sweet!

ZIGANTIC ZUCCHINI!!!

Here is a picture of my friend F. and her daughter J. with SA on our front porch. Do you see the zucchini she is holding? It was 19.5 inches long! I made four different recipes with that zucchini! Zucchini mousaka, 2 different Thai chicken dishes, and Bowtie Pasta with Zucchini- that huge zucchini supplied all of those dishes! My friend F. was my first French friend. She speaks great English, and she is helping me once a week with my French. She is a blessing, let me tell you! It is very hard to find English speakers in the area where we live, and it is great to be able to talk with her in English when I have questions about French. She also gave me about 2 pints of cherry tomatoes which were delicious. We enjoyed them in salads, as snacks, and in pasta dishes! This week when she came to help me with French, she had another huge zucchini (this one is 21 inches long) and more cherry tomatoes for me!She is a great gardener, and I am enjoying the fruits of her labor. She also gave me several strawberry plants which I have been taking care of. F. says that next year I should be harvesting my very own strawberries! If any of you have any good zucchini recipes, please send them to me.

SA loves sheep! Here she is wearing a lovely blue dress that was handmade by her aunt Abby. Can you see the sweet little lambs around the collar? By the way those of you who are keeping up with Abby, she had a little baby "girl" today!

A STINGING MISADVENTURE!

I felt a little like Alice in Wonderland yesterday. D, SA, and I went on a walk down the country lane where I usually run. I noticed some lovely green plants that were reminiscent of menthe growing on the side of the road. I have seen lots of menthe recently in the markets, so I thought I would check and see if this were the plant I had noticed. I was thinking dreamily about menthe tea as I reached out to pick a sprig, but I was met with a shocking surprise. The plant actually seemed to have "teeth" that grabbed my fingers and stung them! On the way home, I racked my brain and remembered something called the "stinging nettle". I have never heard of anyone I know encountering this plant, though, so I wasn't sure if this is what I had encountered. Apparently, it was. I learned from a quick search on Google, that this plant has tiny hairs that are akin to tiny hypodermic needles which enter the skin and deposit fourmic acid, the same acid that an ant has in its saliva. Anyway, I felt the sting for a full 12 hours. It was very weird and pretty painful. I could see the tiny holes in my finger and thumb after the "sting" occurred. I read that a paste of baking soda and water could be applied to help with the pain, but I am fresh out of baking soda and they don't carry "Arm and Hammer" over here. Watch out for this plant. Apparently it is in season, and it is located all over the US except in SC and Hawaii.

Looking for a Lovely Afternoon...

As always, I am looking for ways to be involved in the community where we live (which is not easy as an outsider who is still learning the language). Saturday, I was happy to have my husband back from working abroad. We had noticed signs up in town for a medieval festival this weekend. Thinking that this would be a nice cultural event for us to attend as a family, we arranged our day in order to attend. Our town has a medieval quarter with very old buildings (where people still live by the way), uneven cobblestones, etc. You can still see these huge hooks on the sides of the buildings on Rue du Boucherie where the butchers used to hang their meats. There are also 2 churches from that period one of which has a crypt. It is pretty cool considering how old this stuff is. Having been pretty much home bound for a week, I was ancy to get out of the house. The chance to eat lunch "out" with D is pretty much a big event as I hadn't seen him for a week and really hadn't seen anyone else either. I am always a little reticent about "facing the world of France" when I am out of practice speaking French, and I always feel better with D. since he speaks much better French than I. Anyway, we set out about lunchtime to walk into town with SA in tow.

Upon entering the medieval quarter we saw decoration banners and signs and little shops and stands with crafts and artwork for sale. The shopkeepers were dressed in medieval attire. We stopped at the creperie for lunch where we sat for the usual 2 hours, but as you might guess, we ended up taking turns walking SA around in the jog stroller during the meal. What better way to see the sights of the medieval festival! Right? Yes, but I noticed a strange phenomenon. What I had hoped to be a fun, family, educational event, turned out to be a bit like Halloween. The fair people of Billom were not content in simple period dress. Most people were dressed up as someone scary looking- we saw dracula, bloody prisoners dragging chains, a green faced monster man, and really tall faceless men in black robes with hoods. Some of the less scary were a woman with a dog head, a little girl dressed up like a genie, a little boy dressed like Peter Pan with a green face, and several people with white robes and Obie won kanobie ears/ Spok ears- I think maybe they were supposed to be nymphs? Anyway, I guess they thought it would be more fun to dress up as mythical characters. As we looked at the schedule of events we noticed that there was a spectacle of torture later in the afternoon! This did it for me. Highly disappointed in my town's medieval festival and my reimmersion into the world of France, we began walking home, but on the way we encountered a guy with a whip and a metal face mask who had a green faced, insane looking, bloody prisoner on a leash who kept lurching out at everyone. Luckily SA didn't seem to notice or be scared by these bizarre figures. I tried to divert her attention to the "doggies" and the "naay" (horse) until we made it out of the medieval quarter. So much for our lovely afternoon of medieval history! Luckily, Sunday afternoon we managed to leave town and visit Vichy where we shopped (a real treat as everything in our town as well as Clermont-Ferrand is closed on Sundays), went to the park, and had fruit smoothies (nonexistent in France except for this cute little place called the "Juice Cafe" which is run by an English lady!).

AIRPLANES AND MIND GAMES


We have been back in France about a week now, and I finally feel like SA is back on schedule and we are both over our jet lag. This flight home to France was a killer as Little Miss Toddler did not sleep a wink on the plane. Instead she threw a tantrum in the middle of what was supposed to be the night. The flight attendant had to come and sing French baby songs and do the hand motions to calm her. I had a lady offer to walk her around the plane "for everyone else's sake"- How Rude! Another lady said loudly,"Give her Benadryl". If she only knew that I tried to give her Benadryl to no avail on the flight to the US. It only seemed to make her more excited. This trip was definitely marked by jetlag on both ends more than we have experienced before. On each of the 3 airplanes that we flew back to France on, picture D heavy-laden with an overstuffed backpack full of books and stuff that wouldn't fit in our overweight luggage and a large Britax carseat lumbering onto the plane in order to install seating for our little princess. Then picture me a few people behind him with the baby and diaper bag in one arm, my purse on my back and the cat in a carrier in the other arm meowing all the way to our seats. Who would want to sit near us?

Anyway, the flights were not uneventful. Let me leave it at that. To top it all off, two days after we arrived in the US, the "UK Transatlantic flights to the US" bomb scare took place. After having just flown from Charles De Gaulle in Paris to JFK in New York a couple of days earlier, I was really rattled to hear of this news. Then the day after we arrived back in France, the Delta Comair flight crashed. We had just flown Comair to Cincinatti, so news of that crash was quite rattling as well. Actually, I have noticed that since becoming a mother I have been alot more susceptible to fear and worry than I ever was previously. I know that concern over the safety of one's children is natural, but I am talking about more than concern. I am talking about worry and fear.

As Christians, we are commanded, "Do not fret (i.e. worry)- it only causes harm" (Ps. 37:8). So even though worry is natural for mothers, we are not supposed to worry? Oh, yeah, we are supposed to be living in the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit aren't we? Well, let's be honest, lately, I haven't been. But I am getting into the Word to get back on track. How are we to control something that is so natural like worry? How do we stop conscientious parenting from turning into fear of all of the "What ifs?" The prescription for worry that is given to us in Ps. 37 by David is the command to "trust" in verses 3 and 5. Do I trust the Lord? That is the bottom line question. Do I trust Him with the life of my child? Can I trust Him in every circumstance- even in times of terrorism and violence against children? If I believe that He is good and trustworthy, if I have put my faith in Him for the salvation of my soul, then I have no choice but to say yes, I can trust Him. I must trust Him. By faith, not according to my own feelings, I say that I will trust Him. Then for me, the Lord has shown me that step number 2 is keeping my mind from things that lead me toward fear. This does not mean that I plan to be like an ostrich with my head in the sand oblivious to everything that is happening in the world. It means that I realize that I need to choose to filter what enters my mind and choose to think on the things that the Bible says that we should think on- things that are "true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report" (Phil 4:8). For me, these things do not include extensive media coverage of the JonBenet Ramsey case nor do they include psychological thriller/ suspense type movies or TV shows that highlight bizarre murders and crime. I have this replay button in my brain that I must consciously turn off in order to refuse to allow those images to surface, because, for me, they fuel fear. So, this week's meditation in the Word for me has been Psalm 91. I am commiting verse one to memory and plan to use it as my weapon against this mental war against worry and fear:


"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust'."

As you might have guessed, I am lacking in the fellowship area over here, so this post has been my attempt at accountability. These are books that I am currently reading that are helping me to gain a biblical perspective on fear: Living Faith by Helen Roseveare and The Mighty Hand of God by Dale Evrist

Well, after weeks of sweating because of the "cannicule"/ i.e. heatwave, we are now experiencing a very pleasant 64 degree day of nice breezes. It feels like fall, and it is such a nice change from the recent above 90 degree heat that we have been having. I know, ya'll are still in that above 90 heat, but there is a huge difference- You have air conditioning! You go from your air conditioned house to your air conditioned cars to air conditioned stores, workplaces, churches, etc. It is very different here. There are very few air conditioned homes. Most places of business are not air conditioned, with the exception of the grocery store and the inside part of malls (not the stores in the mall though). I could not escape from sweating all day long. I had to absolutely give up on drying my hair because I could not bear the heat. Appliances give off so much heat in my non-climatized house that I didn't use them much either. Sarah Adeline and I have been sitting around in the dark (no lights on- that gives off heat too) with the shutters closed (to keep out the sunlight which heats up the house) for weeks. I finally came to the conclusion that those last few pounds that I wanted to lose before going to the pool did not matter anyomore- we just needed to get wet to cool off! On the news they recommend going to an airconditioned place for at least 3 hours a day to get your body temp down, so we have been shopping alot- at the grocery store and in the center of malls. I was shocked to find out that the major dept store here does not have air conditioning. In fact, many French people get sick when they stay in air conditioned places. Don't ask me why, but I guess their systems just aren't as used to it as we Americans are. Anyway, I have bought 3 fans and 1 refraicheur d'air- it is this machine you plug in and put in water and ice packs that cool the air. I feel like a pioneer woman. I made homeade lemonade for the first time on Monday- out of necessity- you can't buy it here. Crazy, huh? Anyway, I have been making mac and cheese from scratch too since we've been here,and today I am making chicken and vegetable stock to use for cooking. Who am I turning into? I know- it sounds like June Cleaver, but to me it feels like Laura Ingalls. Help! I am coming home on Tuesday to the wonderful air conditioned US where there is Crystal Light and Kraft macaroni and cheese (although I think I prefer homeade) and cans of everything one needs to cook with. Hope to see you all soon!

Little Miss America on the Fourth of July in France!

Here's another at the same place- Mommy and daughter. :)

Daddy and daughter walk hand in hand up the lane to visit a 12th century Abbey on the coast. D and I discovered this one while riding our bikes, and we went back to visit with Nini and SA. A wedding was being held there in the evening, so we toured the ruin while they were setting up the tent in the back. This is a very different venue for a wedding than one would find in the States, don't you think?

SA enjoyed her first trip to the beach! We got some funny looks from the French with our huge jog stroller loaded down with floats, towels, etc. But, Nini, Mama, Daddy, and SA all got wet, built sandcastles, and enjoyed the west coast of the Atlantic.

Here's a picture of us at the 5K we ran with our friends. It was called Courir A Clermont, and it was a major city event. The streets were blocked off and everyone lined the streets and cheered us on. We had alot of fun, and the course turned out not to be as hard as the cross-country course that we run around home with SA in the jog stroller. So, we did it in about 29 minutes- not too fast, but not too slow. People did finish after us. :) Next year, I would like to run in the 10K.

Toddler Time!

SA loves to eat baguettes. She even knows how to pull out the soft part that she can chew easily. The ladies at the boulangerie (bakery) love her and they are always giving her free little cookies called "cigarettes". You know, the kind that sometimes comes in ice cream at fancy restaraunts. And, I think Pillsbury makes one called a Pirouhette. Anyway, she likes to carrry our bread out of the boulangerie. She calls it "B" and she will start trying to bite into it,if I don't get it from her fast. All of this is very endearing, however, some not very endearing behavior has commenced as well. I need some toddler tips from those of you experienced ones out there.

She has started hitting things when she is mad, and she gets mad alot. She likes to throw little fits when she doesn't get her way, etc, etc. Of course, all of this is normal and I realize that it is part of the sinful condition of mankind, but how do I deal with this behavior with a 14 month old? She throws things down that she doesn't want, and if my foot or head happens to be in the way, it really hurts! I know that there is no malicious intent here, and I know that it is my job to teach her self control. But just how much self control should one expect from a 14 month old?

Books: I am reading Dare to Discipline by Dobson and Shepherding a Child's Heart by some other guy. Bec suggested Grace Based Parenting. Anyone else have any recommendations? The Carnster is coming in a couple of weeks, so I think I'll load her suitcase down with books in English- they are pretty hard to get here. :)

Here are SA and I in the medieval district of Billom, our town. Last Sunday we went for a walk, and we ate dinner at a creperie in the medieval district pictured here. Eating out in France is not a kid-friendly adventure, I have found. IF the restaraunt has a high chair with a seatbelt, you are very lucky. Luckily, our little creperie had such a high chair, so we walked around town until they opened at 7:30 and were promptly seated. I was so glad that the restaraunt was not crowded, because SA wanted to take a tour around every nook and cranny of the place. In France, there is alot of waiting at restaraunts. I guess that good things, such as French food, can only come to those who wait, but when bedtime is around 8:00 and hunger strikes, it is not a fun time when the food is still not yet served. We took turns walking SA around and did manage to make it out of the restaraunt before a great meltdown ensued. We keep discovering that eating at home is a much better idea, but we keep trying to make the eating out thing work for us as I get tired of cooking every single night! Last week the frozen food store called me and offered a really reasonable price for a full course dinner for 3 and offered free delivery. They called just the right person! I am always looking for quick and easy meals. They are going to call me once a month. See what silly things I look forward to here!

Actually, I was really proud of myself that I was able to understand and communicate with the person from the store who called. Learning French and becoming fluent is such a long process. It is a long term goal, and I need to have short term goals to focus on as well. SO...I have decided to run a 5K race on June 2. I have always wanted to run one of those, but have never done it. Danny and I and our friends, a British/ American couple, are going to do this together. I have been training with SA in the jog stroller. We have a route that we take that is 5.5K. I can't quite run the whole thing yet, but I am working my way there. There is just one hill a little over halfway through that I still can't make it up with her, but I am hoping that by the end of this week, we will be running the whole thing. I am not concerned about my time, I am just trying to make it all the way running right now. I still get lots of strange looks from French people when I am out running with SA, but I guess they will get used to me. I won't run the race with SA, by the way. I am hoping that by training with her, the race will be alot easier without her. I'll let you know!

Chateau Codignat

Thanks for the comments. They do help me laugh more and enjoy being here! This blog is a stress reliever for me and it is fun to stay in touch this way.

Lest I be the voice of negativity all the time, I must tell you about the joys of living in France in addition to the irritations. We live in an absolutely gorgeous region called the Auvergne (pronounced O - vern - ya). There are mountains all around us and beautiful rolling plains too. Now that everything is green and blooming and the weather is better, I am getting out more with SA and my jog stroller. I am thinking of getting a bike with a baby seat too, becasue we live in a small town with lots of lovely country roads going through cute little villages and past old, medieval chateaus. However, another cultural difference arises- the french don't run with their babies. I think that they think I am very strange as I get alot of odd looks when I am out with SA in the jog stroller. Oh, well, I'm just that crazy American in town.
Another of the joys of living in France is that the French take lots of vacation! Last week D had the week off and we spent lots of time together running, resting, relaxing, drinking wine in our jardin (garden or yard) and on the terrasse (that's front porch for you Southern girls.) We also spent some time working to get ourselves more organized and settled into our house putting up light fixtures (they don't come with the houses here), curtains, and hanging pictures (finally got a drill bit strong enough to make holes in our stone walls). The highlight of the week for me was going on a date with D. It was the first time since we have been here that we have been able to get a babysitter and go out at night alone together. He took me to the Chateau Codignat which is a beautiful old chateau in the French countrysidet that has been refurbished and is now- POSH. It is a hotel which has a one star restaraunt- anyone want to come over and babysit so that we can go back and spend the night?
We were greeted by some geese and a view of the lovely, ivy covered round tower of the chateau. Upon arrival, we were seated on the terrasse where we had aperitifs, amuse bouche, and a lovely view of the grounds. (Have you noticed my frequent use of the adjective "lovely"? It is a result of hanging out with my UK friends here in France.)We could hear the sheep closeby and were reminded of SA and her stuffed lamb named "Mimi". (I think Mimi was a gift from Tracy- she LOVES Mimi!) After aperitifs, we were escorted into the round tower (I had been wanting to go in one of those!) where we had dinner. First, they served us another amuse bouche of marinated tuna and foie gras glace (that's goose liver ice cream!), for my entree i.e. appetizer: foie gras with raisin toasts, for my plat i.e. entree: lamb with a little potato strip, and an asparagus. Then a huge cart of tons of cheeses came around from which we sampled a few (Auvergne is famous for bleu cheeses). Finally, for dessert, a plate of 4 types of chocolate- delicieux! Then, like the French, we had coffee (yes, after dessert, and yes, those tiny little cups). We enjoyed the meal but I loved the ambiance as well- it was an unforgettable experience of a lifetime! See the photos above!

Coffee is a mom's best friend!
Forgot to add that yesterday and today I have had no voice. My raspy, squeaking effort in French is really hard to understand with an American accent, I am sure. Well, yesterday I really wanted some coffee to drink on the long drive to get SA. However, I have never seen a French person drinking anything in the car or walking around with a travel mug or to go cup. Everyone just sits down in restaraunts and drinks coke, hot tea, and espressos around here.

THey laugh at D at work because he brings his travel mug of coffee every morning. I had no idea that this was an American phenomena until I moved here. Anyway I mustered up some courage and asked at a cute cafe in the mall if they had coffee "a emporter" i.e. "to go". Of course the lady had no idea what I was asking for, so after another attempt and a little drama she understood, looked around for some disposable cups and then said "sorry, no." Ok, I knew it was a long shot anyway. However, a taxi cab driver in Paris told us that everyone has coffe to go, so I thought I would give it a try.

I passed by another bar/ cafe with a sign for "drinks to go" so I got excited, stopped, and ordered a cafe creme (that is coffee with milk in it). I forgot that the French always and only drink espressos, so my cafe creme came in this tiny little cup- like the size of the kind your mom used to put in the bathroom for you when you were little- or the size that they gave to us when we were like 2 years old in the nursery for juice. I am serious- we don't even use that small of a size in the nursery anymore! On top of that the lid had no way to drink out of it- just a tiny hole in the top that let steam out and a little coffee too. So I am walking to my car with this tiny little cup. I had to take off the top to drink and my hand is getting coffee all over it from the little hole. Well, that experience didn't last too long because in a few swigs it was gone. So now I am really irritated- where was Starbucks, Atlanta Bread Co., Panera, etc?

I decided that I needed some chocolate- they do have good chocolate here! But, I didn't want any fine, expensive chocolates- just a nice big brownie or muffin. Quickly spotting another cafe/ patisserie, I went in, found a lovely chocolate covered muffin and thought- maybe they have coffee? I was in luck and this time I thought to order a "grande". So this coffe was about one-third the size of a tall at Starbucks and is served with no top in a REALLY flimsy plastic cup that burned my hand. It was at this moment that I asked in French for a "sleeve" for my coffee. Sleeve is not a French word nor am I sure that it is the right English word to use for those nice little things that come on your coffee cup at Barnes and Noble that keep your hand from getting burned. Anyway, the girl gave me a napkin to put around my cup and I managed to make it to the underground parking garage, pay for my parking at the little machine that doesn't speak English with about 10 people in line behind me(they were actually nice and helpful), and make it to my car all without spilling my coffee. Then it only took me about 20 minutes to figure out how to get out of the labrynth garage. Wow, I bet Starbucks would make a fortune if they opened up here. These people are deprived and I am being deprived with them. Coffee, after all, is a mom's best friend.

Today is April 27th. This is my first post in this blog. I think it will a good way to process my days here. My perspective is often too egocentric, I admit. It doesn't help that there are only a few English speakers to talk to around here. I thought I could start a blog so that the friends and family that are interested can keep up with me when you want to. Please offer feedback, I miss communicating with ya'll and I need to keep a healthy perspective on things.

Sometimes I think - "Is this really happening? No, seriously? You're kidding?" But of course, I keep all of these thoughts to myself in an attempt to integrate into this new culture. Why didn't someone tell me that I would still be facing culture shock after 6 months of living here? I think I mistakenly thought that I would be pretty good at crossing cultures- to France after all doesn't seem like that big of a jump- compared to some places I've been. Well, I have found that Proverb that says, "Pride comes before a fall" to be true lately. I feel like I have fallen and I can't get up. :) Remember that commercial?

Well, before you all get tired of reading, let me tell you about my latest cultural challenges- So, I go to French class today- only to find out that we don't have class today. In fact, we don't have class for the next week and a half. Of course the next 2 Mondays are holidays , so of course we don't have class, my teacher explained to me (in French, I might add. She will only talk to me on French.). Why are May 1st and 8th holidays here? I have no idea. "Aren't they holidays in the US?" my teacher asked me. "No," is all I could say in French and then mumbled something about having a holiday on May 30th. Here there are 4 holidays in May- sounds great but not when you need to learn French NOW. It is so frustrating not to be able to communicate.

After having driven for an hour to get there- including dropping SA and all her necessities at the babysitter's, I arrived early (almost a first for me) only to find out that I was there for nothing. What a bummer. In fact this is the 3rd time that this same thing has happened to me. I have no idea why I show up and there is no class. All that to say that I left a little frustrated today and had no way of communicating to figure out why I keep having this problem. That is after all why I am going to the class- to learn French- so I can communicate here!

So, trying to salvage the day and take advantage of having a babysitter and some time to myself, I decided to go where? Of course, shopping! Sounds great - if it were possible to find a parking spot near the store I wanted to go to. I tried unsuccessfully to maneuver into a parallel parking spot that was too small and then decided to give it up. I would shop elsewhere and brave the underground parking lot- wonderful to look at these underground lots- lots prettier than the above ground kind in the States- but they are mazelike labrynths on the inside. The parking spaces are tiny as if they are trying to pack the cars like sardines, and it is scary coming in and out because of the very narrow and steep entrance and exit ramps. And then the parking spaces aren't slanted so it is difficult to get your car in without backing up and back alot. Well, I made it into a speace finally and got to go shopping- a less than enjoyable experience after all the disappointments of the day. Can't wait to tell you about my cofffee to go experience- but I'll save it for another day. Au revoir!