Peace and Joy

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

My Christmas Wish

"For the grace of God that brings salvation (Jesus) has appeared to all men."

Titus 2:11

"You can never truly enjoy Christmas until you can look up into the Father's face and tell Him that you have received His Christmas gift."

~ John Rice

For it is by grace that I have been saved through faith and this not of myself, it is the gift of God. I can take no credit for it. (Ephesians 2:8-9). My Christmas wish is for you to receive God's gift of faith so that you can receive His gift of salvation through Jesus this Christmas.

And the Word Became Flesh

Here's a thought...

the God of the universe actually took on human form and came to earth...

... because He loves us

...and He wants us to know Him...

...and we can't "know" Him in our sinfulness, except on His terms...through believing that Jesus is God and that He took on our sin and paid the penalty for us, making a way for us to have access to the Father

"The Word became a human being and lived here with us.
We saw his true glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father.
From him all the kindness and all the truth of God
have come down to us." John 1:14

Light looked down and beheld Darkness.

"Thither will I go," said the Light.

Peace looked down and beheld War.

"Thither will I go," said Peace.

Love looked down and saw Hatred.

"Thither will I go," said Love.

So came Light and shone.

So came Peace and gave rest.

So came Love and brought Life.

~Laurence Housman

"God showed his love for us when he sent his only Son into the world to give us life. Real love isn't our love for God, but his love for us. God sent his Son to be the sacrifice by which our sins are forgiven. " I John 4:10

The First Noel

Did you know that "Noel" is the French word for Christmas? Probably so. Well, anyway, the word is spelled "Nowells" in old English and it means tidings. In French we use the word "nouvelles" which means "news". This little word history reminded me that Jesus' birth was and is the good news that we all need and the good tidings that the angels proclaimed on that night to the shepherds in Bethlehem.

I have been doing some reading on the origins of Christmas traditions. One source stated that because of its pagan origins, Christians really shouldn't participate in traditions such as wreaths, Christmas trees, and gift giving. I don't know which came first, the pagan traditions or the Christian ones, but I do know that it is the spirit in which we celebrate that brings meaning to the holiday for us today. We are celebrating Christmas as the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He is the One through whom we can have a restored relationship with God in this life and after this life. He is the way that we can live in peace and joy in the midst of trials and difficulty. He is the One that enables us to love and to enjoy life. He truly is the reason for this season. Let us not forget the true story of Christmas and the reason that we celebrate.

"If you have a troubled heart,

listen to the angel's song:

"I bring you good tidings of great joy!"

Jesus did not come to condemn you.

If you want to define Christ rightly,

then pay heed to how the angel defines Him:

"A Great Joy!"

~ Martin Luther

Perilous Pestilence

Sometimes I am ready to just throw in the towel and move back to the good ole US of A. It has been one of those mornings. The battle with the fleas continues. SA has had mysterious bites that I wasn't sure about and I have had a few as well. Just when I had repented from freaking out and not trusting in the Lord to protect us from the "perilous pestilence" (Ps. 91), the fleas are back! I saw one this morning! I thought they were gone, but I guess some eggs have hatched. UGGGH! I am totally disgusted. I have for the third time doused the living room and all the carpet in the house with spray and am about to vacuum again for the gazillionth time. I am reeling from the fumes even though the windows are open in this lovely 36 degree December day. It's hard to believe that anthing could have survived these chemicals but I just found a flea on SA! I think I may have to resort to "the bomb". Where is Terminix when I need them? Apparently the French think that it is healthier to buy their own sprays for the pests in their homes instead of seeking professional help. I do not agree! I would rather me and my children not inhale dangerous fumes! In addition to the fleas, I discovered two HUGE, nasty spiders in the attic just now which, by the way is right next door to the baby's room! I was looking for my wreath hanger which has gone missing. I inhaled more lethal fumes up there after spraying the heck out the attic. No one puts up wreaths over here, so I may be out of luck in the wreath department this year. The picture above is of a spider that we found dead in SA's bed last year next to her head, but it isn't as big as the two I just sprayed! It's not that surprising that we have "pests" when you consider the fact that I have to open and close the windows every day twice a day to open and close the shutters and there is a crack under our door that any number of small creatures could fit under. Help!

Our Family Christmas Picture

Most of you should've gotten your Christmas cards by now. Look closely. Aren't you glad that I didn't send you this one? This family photo shoot was a quite eventful one! CG had a typical breastfed baby's explosion. Would you believe that this was one of the first pictures that we took? We just changed the diaper and removed the slip and kept shooting more pictures.

It Is Well With My Soul

As I was unloading the dishwasher this afternoon, I felt like singing this hymn. Here is the incredible story behind this hymn and the words in case you're interested. http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/t/i/itiswell.htm

And here's the story and a video clip of the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYP--c2LTfg

My girls are both asleep, and there is a tremendous amount of peace in my heart today. Yesterday, I was assaulted. It was an assault in my mind, but a real assault nevertheless. It took a phone call home and my mom to point out to me that I was being taken captive by fear and that I needed to stand against it as a spiritual assault. She was right. I hate how Satan likes to play mind games with us and gets us to think that there are real logical reasons for us think and behave as we are behaving. In my case there were a few fleas, and I got on the internet and totally freaked out about having a huge flea infestation. This on the end of a sad week- losing Bailey, my mom leaving- I am missing being around family, and my emotions are pretty raw right now. A friend reminded me that we are "shells of ourselves" after giving birth for the first 6 months. Anyway, I am back on track and trusting in my Source of help and strength, so I can say honestly, "It is well with my soul."

Though Satan should buffet,
though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul!

In Loving Memory of Bailey

Bailey didn't make it through the night at the vet's. D brought her home and we buried her in the garden that she loved to adventure out and explore in. My mom even carved a marker for the grave and we took flowers and put them there and thanked God for giving her to us. I know that all sounds melodramatic, but it has helped me deal with my sadness and feelings of guilt. It is still hard though. I cried through the verse of "Old MacDonald" with SA today when she wanted to sing "Old MacDonald had a kitty cat". I keep anticipating that I am going to see Bailey at the door or the kitchen window meowing to come in or out and then remembering that she is gone. I don't know what to do with the cat food that I just bought and it was hard to pass the pet aisle at the grocery store today.

College days, first job frustrations, and my parent's divorce, seminary days, dating D, marrying D, first pregnancy, first baby, moving to a foreign country, living in a foreign country while my husband travels, second pregnancy, second baby... These are all things Bailey was with me through. She was always there with me cuddling up close- in the good times and the hard times. I miss her. I don't know if kitty cats go to heaven, but I hope so. If they do, I know that Bailey is there.

A Sad Day

I can't sleep. Today (now yesterday) was a sad day. I feel guilty. My sweet kitty- friend for over 10 years now has had fleas. She would not stay out of the baby's bed. I put her out after catching her for the third time in the baby's bed. She cried to come in. I was trying to wait to let her in after I gave her a bath with flea shampoo. For the first time ever, two dogs came into our yard. They attacked her and I recovered her broken body from under the bushes and rushed her to the vet. The vet said that it looked like it was past an emergency. After an initial 5 minute diagnosis, she said thatBailey has a brain injury and a broken jaw. She wouldn't believe that it was dogs. She said it looked like Bailey had been hit by a car. I know that is was 2 dogs because I chased them out of the yard. She was lying on the steps outside the kitchen while I was making dinner and then 10 minutes later my mom saw the dogs in the yard. I never heard a bark or a meow. Bailey is at the vet's tonight and I am supposed to call in the morning. When I called las t night, the vet said that she had come out of "shock"(I think- it's all in French and I don't understand everything). The vet is not that nice and she doesn't speak English. She says that if she has brain damage that I need to "stop the pain" by having her euthanized. I can't write anymore. Would y'all please pray for Bailey and for me too?

Turkey Tales 2007

Sweet Sisters

Preparing to cook our fresh pumkin!

Making cranberry sauce!

Well, this year the turkey drama continues. Last year's turkey dude was just too much for me to deal with this year, so I decided to ask my local butcher if he could get a Thanksgiving turkey for me. He assured me that he could get a turkey for me without any problem and told me that I would just need to order it about a week in advance. When I went to place my turkey order, he told me that he could only get me a turkey "ordinaire" as the turkeys for Christmas are not ready yet. It is times like this when I really miss living in the US where Butterballs are in abundance around Thanksgiving! I mean if we are going to celebrate Thanksgiving, I want to have a nice turkey. I brought cornmeal from the States so that I could make cornbread dressing this year. We also bought a pumpkin so that we could make pumkin pie. But what kind of Thanksgiving would it be without a turkey?

I had just about decided that I would have to roast a chicken and deal with my disappointment, when I thought of one more store to try. It was the store that has fresh cranberries at this time of year! They said that they could order me a turkey "fermier" (aka farm raised and really good quality) without a problem. Elated, I asked for the price and made an appointment to pick up my turkey on Friday. When I picked up my turkey, the price was about twice as much as I had been quoted, but I took it anyway. It seems that Thanksgiving turkeys are hard to come by around here. Nevertheless, we had a real American Thanksgiving with turkey, dressing, roasted pumkin and butternut squash, cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole, and pumkin pie!

Ma Petite Francaise

She's here and she's already 8 weeks old! Time flies when you have a newborn and a revved up toddler like SA. Anyway, the multiethnic coffee went very well. I had a wonderful time visiting with all of my friends here. Then CG came 2 weeks early on Tuesday, September 25th! She weighede in at 3.550 kilos (7 lbs. 13 oz.) and 49 cm (19 in.). We had a long 6 day stretch in the hospital full of challenging experiences, but we made it. She is safe, healthy, and happy, and so am I. D did a great job of taking care of us for a couple of weeks, then I had a week and a half of the 2 girls on my own. Then Nini arrived! The travelling grandma- what would all of us do without her? She is wonderful- playing with SA, rocking CG, doing laundry despite the cross-cultural challenges, and babysitting while I run errands or have an unusual night out with D (and CG). I am blessed and so thankful this Thanksgiving. Yes, I know it was yesterday for most of you, but it will be tomorrow for us. :) Stay tuned for Turkey Tales 2007!

Our Town

I found a site with a little photo slideshow of our town. Click on the link below to view the images, then click on the yellow button below the picture to view a short slideshow of our town of Billom.

http://www.destination-photos.com/index.php?choix=Billom&way=

Ethnic Bazaar

It's 3:55 AM and I am up blogging. I woke up at 2:47 AM and haven't been able to go back to sleep. What's on my mind? A bilingual, multi-ethnic baby "coffee"! Ever heard of that? Me either, but I am all about new challenges and I am supposed to know about cross-cultural communication by now, right? Uh, yeah...I am just not sure how proficient I am at it currently.

I have three close American friends who would like to host a baby "shower" for me. I am so excited, because I love parties like that! How much fun to get to see all my friends in one place at one time! But here's the catch, all of my friends here don't speak the same language or even come from one or even two different cultures and the "baby shower" tradition doesn't exist in the French culture in which we all live. I read a blog about it that said that the main problems with this concept in the French mentality are that celebrating the birth of the baby before it is born is bizarre to them as they are more superstitious than American parents and the traditional "just girls" type of shower is strange as well since they prefer more mixed gatherings.

No problem, you say, just explain to your friends that this is an American tradition, and that they will love it. That is the easy answer if one is fluent in French already and there aren't cross-cultural communication issues. I decided that I would like to have a "coffee" in lieu of a "shower" as I have already been showered with so much from my friends that have older children and I still have lots of baby girl things from SA. I just want to have a get-together where everyone can have a chance to meet each other and I can see all my friends at one time before CG arrives when I will need to turn my focus to her rather than focusing on building friendships-(one of my main focuses since moving here).

This afternoon, I called a French friend to verify her address for the invitation and explained that some friends would be having a "coffee" for me and that I wanted to invite her. I could tell that she was a little clueless. I am hoping that I will see her at church again on Sunday (along with 6 other French ladies) so I can explain better in person, and that the French version of the invitation that I worked on with the help of my beloved bilingual and most helpful friend, F, will communicate better than I can explain it. Later, I talked with my friend from Singapore who, although fluent in English and familiar with the American "baby shower", thought that it was an event for the entire family. I am hoping that the names on the invitations take care of this misunderstanding so that my poor hostesses won't be overrun by husbands and children along with my lady guests. We picked a Saturday afternoon in the hopes that we could have an event with "just the girls". This is an infrequent occurrence for us young moms, but I feel that it is often much needed. When I am not chasing around my toddler I feel better able to connect with friends- guess that's because it's actually possible to maintain eye contact, carry on a conversation, etc- and everyone enjoys a break from "mommy duty" now and then, don't you think?

I am hoping that the non-American Anglophones (English, Australian, and Nigerian) will "get" the whole "before the birth baby celebration" concept without too much explanation or confusion. Mostly, I just want everyone to be comfortable and to feel that they are an important part of my and CG's life. It would be great if everyone were able to understand and communicate with each other, but knowing that won't be entirely possible, I am hoping for the best!

Mommy 201

I should be stripping wallpaper. I have been putting it off and resting - and shopping for SA as she has grown out of everything quite suddenly. However, with just 6 weeks to go until Catherine Grace arrives, I am trying to focus on taking care of everything that we need for her too. We went stroller shopping today. It will take 6-8 weeks for a stroller to come in if we don't want to just take the lovely orange color that is available in the store. Bummer. D and I were laughing over a cup of tea earlier that one can't just walk into the store and just buy something. Even when we bought a used car off the lot, it took a couple of weeks to get it ready. I have no idea why. Apparently it is at least a month if you buy a new one.

Ok, so I have been in Mommy 101 for 2 years, and now I am graduating to Mommy 201. Help!? I have been wondering how I am going to have enough hands for 2 children. I suppose that this is a common concern whenever the second child arrives, but I would love to get some advice from those of you seasoned mothers before my day comes. My toddler does not like to be confined to her stroller, but this is the only way to ensure that she is not out of control in stores. Obviously this is a matter for prayer and discipline (and believe you me, I am working on it) but for now, that is the reality. Hand holding only works for about 5 minutes. Falling on the floor is another trick for having us carry her which I physically cannot do for much longer. We tried a harness/ leash contraption once that was ok for the airport as I felt like a cruel parent not to allow her out of the stroller or carseat during 19 hours of travel and I physically couldn't carry her with all of our hand lugggages and the cat, but it is not an everyday solution. I have received mixed reviews about the toddler steps that are available for trailing a stroller. What do y'all think of those? The saleslady today basically talked me out of buying one, because she pointed out that SA would probably not stay on the step/ seat. This was not encouraging.


What do I do at the grocery store when I have to get a buggy and take a newbornand a toddler and buy groceries? I know that the baby carriers are great, but what if the baby is asleep and the poor thing needs to rest in her carseat? One store has those really cute little carts for little kids to push, but I can just imagine mine crashing into the wineracks with it!

Then there is the diaper bag dilemma. I am not a light packer and I have not been able to part with my purse and exchange it for a diaper bag so far. I carry my purse and SA's diaper bag almost everywhere. It is a pain, especially since I am always chasing her and having to open and close doors (not many automatics around here). So I know adding another child as well as another bag is really a dumb idea as I am not an octopus. How does one keep up with all of the diapers, wipes, pull ups, sippy cups, antibacterial gel and wipes (for public toilets while we are potty training), snacks, and other mommy paraphernalia? I can picture myself now with my purse over my shoulder, a large diaper bag backpack, a baby strapped on my front, pushing SA in a stroller. That is crazy! How do you people do it? You mothers of more than one child? I just realized today that the pediatrician's office which is 30 minutes from my house with no public parking lot has about 5 steps before one reaches the elevator. This country is by NO MEANS handicap accessible, so you can imagine how it is for mothers with strollers! I already feel like I don't have enough hands for everything and everybody, but I want to keep walking to the market on Monday mornings in my town and buying fresh produce and bread... I don't know how to transport my purchases and my 2 children home. This American is having a hard time living the French life!


I do enjoy the differences of the French life vs the American life- sometimes. But sometimes I just miss the convenient lifestyle of America oh, so much! The restaurants that serve at whatever time you are ready to eat, take out food for those nights when I am exhausted, automatic doors, smooth surfaces for strollers, Starbucks drive-thrus, frappuccinos, people that bag your groceries, stores that are open whenever you want to shop.....Uh, oh, it's 6:15, I have to get to the grocery before it closes at 7:30!

One Enchanted Evening: Celebrating Five Years

The venue: our front porch at sunset, of course!

The table was set by D with care...

...complete with an arrangement of my French countryside favorites- sunflowers (we have fields of these in bloom throughout the summer around our house- it's gorgeous- reminds me of Monet's paintings) and a lavender flower- I'll be making a dried flower wreath with these! Watch out Williams-Sonoma!

The appetizer

D's chilled cucumber soup creation- garnished with mint leaves!

Pretty impressive, huh?

The entree

Filet de Boeuf a la ficelle et fleur de thym

(don't ask me to translate that- it was delicious steak with a side of pea puree prepared with olive oil and lemon juice, and a delicious sauce prepared with several yummy spices!)

The dessert

Strawberries, chocolate, and champagne!

Unfortunately, as the sun went down, I didn't get pictures of the rest of the courses, but I realized that my husband has discovered a new hobby- Provencal cuisine! I am so pumped, because now we can learn together to prepare all of our favorites- with Herbes de Provence, olive oil, and all of the delicious, fresh produce that we have available here.

After dinner he surprised me with a dvd version of our wedding video which we watched as is our anniversary tradition.

Check out this link from my friend's blog for a movie review of the new Disney film named after a traditional Provencal dish, "Ratatouille", and a great explanation / description of the French and their fascination with food. http://flidstickdig.blogspot.com/2007/08/ratatouille.html

I haven't seen the movie yet, but I plan to. Also, I am starting to realize how this French food fetish became a part of my husband when he lived here before. I think it is contagious, because I too am starting to get the bug!

Plum Crazy

Plum tart

(still had 31.5 pounds of plums to use at this point!)

After picking 32 pounds of plums off of our plum tree last week, I had my work cut out for me. Making confiture (fruit preserves) is one of the arts of the French woman, so I determined to try my hand at it. After discussing this art with one of the French teachers at my summer class, I set out to buy all of the recommended equipment: a real copper pot for making preserves, a wooden spoon, a scale for measuring the fruit, jars for storing, sugar, lemons (for the zest), and vanilla. After gathering all of my supplies, I had to still wash all 32 pounds of plums and cut out the pits. After washing and cutting the plums for several hours with my friend Tracy, we decided that we needed the little machine for deseeding the plums. This made the work go a little faster, but it still took hours to make the couple of dozen pots of confiture, and I ended up freezing a few pounds because I just couldn't bear to make or eat anything else with plums! You probably won't believe this, but we found 2 peach trees in our "jardin" last week, so now, I have a few pounds of peaches to use! Lately my little garden paradise is creating alot of work!

Frustratingly French et La Fete de L'ail

SA meets her first clown, gets face paint, and a duck balloon which she requested from the clown, in French, I might add!

SA rides the horsey at the park after getting her face painted.

D and SA on the carousel

It's 75 degrees farenheit and I am so thankful! Even though I look like Jabba the Hut and it took me a couple of hours to find anything that fit this morning, the weather is very bearable this summer, so I am counting my blessings. My sister in St. Louis is burning up in her air conditioned apartment with her 3 kids and no lights on. She has gotten so bored that she has taken to blogging about my life in France. :) Check out her entry called "Ma Soeur" at http://prettyfunnyforagirl.blogspot.com/ . It got D and I laughing so much the other night that I thought a response to her remarks might be appropriate.

First, she wonders why people insert French words into English conversation or why they use a French pronunciation for a French word. I guess I can only speak for myself and the insertion of French words in my conversation and my blog. It happens as I write and think that I often think things in French. I suppose that this is not too surprising since I live in France. Sometimes when D and I are talking in English, I use French words to express what I mean, because we are in a French context, and the French words seem to most adequately express the meaning that I want to convey. Then there are words for which there is not a good English equivalent. For example, "pain au chocolat". This is a French pastry that is like a croissant with really dark chocolate inside. So "bread and chocolate" or "chocolate bread" don't work for me. The correct name for this pastry is "pain au chocolat", so I refer to it as that. Then there is the question of pronunciation. Well, quite simply, words are pronounced most correctly in their language of origin. It is true that some words are adopted into other languages, like "croissant" into English for instance. However, it is a French word, so in order to pronounce it most correctly, I use the French pronunciation. I remember my French teacher in Greenville saying that she hated it that when she tried to order a croissant in an American cafe using the French pronunciation, people didn't understand her. I didn't understand her frustration at the time (before we moved to France) and I totally understood how someone in an American cafe would not understand the French pronunciation, "kwason". Now, however, I COMPLETELY understand her frustration and concur that words should be pronounced and understood in their language of origin. If you are going to use a French word in English, I think that you should know how it is pronounced in French, and if the French are going to use an English word, they should know how it is pronounced in English!

I most often run into this problem at McDonalds which really makes me mad as it is an American restaurant and the menu is still in English (for the most part). Here is me with my big pregnant belly and my very fiesty and energetic toddler trying to order a meal that I order about once a week (sad but true). I have learned the intricacies of eating at McDonalds in France which in and of themselves are very annoying. I have to specifically ask for extra napkins (or I only get 2- usually there are no napkin dispensers that are "servez- vous") and I have to ask for "cinq (5) sachets de ketchup" or I only get 2. When we first got here, I tried "beaucoup de ketchup" and they gave me 3 packets! Same story with the napkins!I suppose that they are less wasteful here in France, which is a good thig, but I do not like the fact that I have to make an extra effort in order to eat comfortably, i.e. have enough ketchup and have enough napkins to wipe our hands and mouths. So, anyway, they have happy meals here, and this is what we order for SA. Since the menu items are in English, and since English is my native language, it seems bizarre to me to have to use a French pronunciation for these menu items. Recently, I went to McDonalds and ordered her a "happy meal" using the English pronunciation for "happy meal" and the girl looked at me like I was from Mars, took a step back, then acted like she had to really concentrate on what I was saying and asked me to repeat what I wanted. She responded to me in the same way throughout my conversation with her even though I spoke French to her the entire time. This is what really burns me up- I have been here studying her language for 2 years and yes, I do have an American accent, but the least she could do is treat me with respect. And as for the English words on the menu, in my opinion, she has no excuse not to recognize them when they are pronounced in English. It is after all an American company that she is working for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND, it is my understanding that all French students are required to study English! One of D's favorite stories to tell about me is about when we first got here and how proud I was that I could order successfully at the McDonald's drive thru window. So, one day we drove up and I ordered, but I ordered my "chicken sandwich" using the English pronunciation. Of course the girl had no idea what I wanted until, prompted by my husband, I repeated, "cheeken sand-weech" which went over with no questions asked!

So I think my sister also mentioned in her blog the lethal "courant d'air" that the French are so afraid of. I really couldn't believe that my French teacher told me not to bring my fan to class as we did have a few really hot days and the classroom had kind of a greeenhouse effect (and of course, no air-conditioning). There I was with about a dozen other people of different nationalities- Brazilian, Russian, Danish, Mongolian, German, and French. I am not sure, but from sensory observation, I came to the conclusion that most of those cultures do not have a big market for deodorant. As you can imagine, that made for a challenging learning environment in the heat. :)

It is just hilarious to D and I as we are so enjoying this pleasant summer weather to see people with jackets and sweaters on even in the afternoon. Yesterday we took SA to ride the merry go round that has been here since the "fete de l'ail" (that's the garlic festival) this weekend. Yes, it is kind of hilarious that our town is known for it's delicious garlic! Anyway, they had a merry go round there, but it was very crowded this weekend. So crowded that SA was only able to ride the "bull" and the "pig". We tried to get her on one of the really cute, white rabbits, but they were always taken. Yesterday, we realized that the merry go round is still in town, so we took her for another ride. This time she got to ride the cute white rabbit with the pink saddle! While I was enjoying the pleasant breeze and watching D and SA ride, an older lady with a sweater came and sat down beside me. She could only take the wretched "courant d'air" for a few seconds before she moved her chair up right next to the cashier's booth (in order to block the breeze). We smiled at each other and she made a remark about the "courant d'air". I smiled and later D and I had a laugh about it as we enjoyed dinner in our "jardin" with a pleasant breeze. (Don't you think that "jardin" sounds so much nicer than "yard"?) Sorry, Abby, guess you'll just have to get used to my Frenglish. :)

Daddy Daughter Bonding

We went for our 3rd and last ultrasound on Wednesday and got a good report on our "beau baby". She weighs almost 2 kilos already (around 4 pounds)! After talking with the doctor and having one session with a sage femme (midwife), I am pretty confident that the labor and delivery will go well. Only 9-10 weeks left!

We found a couple of plum trees in the jardin and SA has enjoyed picking them! D is now officially "en vacance" and has been working hard at home!

We have been spending alot of time in the jardin lately. The weather has been wonderful this summer. Most French people are fed up with the "wind" (i.e. pleasant breeze to me) and the rain, but I am counting my blessings after barely having survived the heat last summer when I wasn't pregnant. I am currently taking an intensive French course. I just finished week 3, and I just have one more to go. It is 5 hours a day and lots of homework, and with the pregnancy this has been absolutley exhausting! I am thankful to have D back though. The first 2 weeks I had our French babysitter stay with me and she kept SA during the day, but now that D is home, he is keeping her. I think they are both really enjoying all of this daddy/daughter bonding time. He has been really wonderful- making dinner and serving it to me in the jardin (he loves eating outdoors in the jardin), cleaning, taking very good care of our precious pie, etc. He's also been doing the shopping. It is kind of fun having him in my shoes for a couple of weeks. Last week he bought a kilo of blueberries at the market (that's 2.2 pounds!). Then he had to figure out what to do with them. He made blueberry margaritas (non-alcoholic of course), chilled blueberry soup, blueberry salad, blueberry muffins, and we ate blueberries and vanilla ice cream on several occasions. We still weren't able to eat them all, however. At the same time, he bought a huge barquet of peaches which we have been eating with ice cream and plain. I made a peach cobbler, and tomorrow he is planning to make a chilled peach soup. Every day when I come home, he has whipped up something new. He even made a raspberry vinagrette last week for our salad!

Consider the Lillies

I have been worrying. About....lots of things- like the new baby's nursery, the grass that needs to be mowed while D is away in Algeria (again), how I am going to be able to focus on learning French in an intensive class for 4 weeks while I am losing brain cells by the minute, choosing and ordering the right Bible study materials for the fall, getting everything done before my class starts (like shopping, meal plans, cleaning, etc), having the help that I need after the baby comes and my mom leaves and D goes back to Algeria....

It strikes me that all of this worrying is getting me nowhere and I have not been living in the peace that Jesus has already made available for me to live in. So, what is the point in worrying? It accomplishes nothing- it doesn't get things done faster, it keeps me up at night, and it convinces me to eat an inordinate amount of chocolate which adds to the poundage that will need to be dropped later...Basically, it is counterproductive.

So I am reminding myself aloud and in writing tonight that I am not to worry about my life (Luke 12:22). Before he left again for Algeria, D brought me a bouquet of my favorite flowers- lillies. I love the white ones and also the stargazers! He brought me a mixed bouquet of both! When he gave them to me, they weren't all opened up, so it looked like a lovely but small bouquet. Now they are all opening up, and the bouquet is bigger and more beautiful than the one we had at our wedding reception! As I sit here and type, I can smell them scenting my house with the most beautiful fragrance! I want to be like that bouquet, "scenting" the area around me by reflecting the life of Christ- living in His joy and peace every day! Paul says, "For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing" (II Cor. 2:15), but how can I be that aroma to others when I am stuck in a funk of worry and stress? I think that the answer is, I can't. I need to stay in a place of peace by trusting in Him (Is. 26: 3) in order to accurately refelct His life, character, and love to the world.

Today the Lord reminded me that He is my source of strength, my Provider, and the one who meets all of my needs. As I was stressing out about how to get everything done and exhausted from staying up too late last night, a friend called. I then started stressing out about how to fit her into my schedule. She ended up meeting me at the grocery store and watching the kids play together at the little play area while I shopped. What a blessing! I didn't get everything on my to-do list done today, but is that really the goal of my day or life anyway? I often live like it is- beating myself up because I didn't accomplish more- feeling like a failure because I have so many things on the list that keep not getting done. What is that about? He also reminded me that He "GENTLY leads those who are with young" (Isaiah 40:11) (I take that to mean all mothers of young children). Just thought maybe some of you could use some of that same encouragement- and it was time for a new post. :)

Summertime Fun

My friend F, who comes to help me with my French every week, helped me harvest the rest of the cherries that were left on the tree. My neighbor spied her climbing the tree and me trying to reach the branches to pull the cherries off. He and his wife were very distraught at this, so they brought over their very tall ladder with a hook to hang the basket on. It is kind of hard to see in the picture. Anyway, F had a hard time getting all of the cherries off the tree, because they were so high. She resorted to shaking the tree at the end much to my neighbor's dismay. Apparently picking cherries is an art over here. One must have all the right equipment and never shake the tree as cherries are "not like apples" he kept reminding us. Well, the result was delicious, as I was able to make cherry muffins, cherry cobbler, "clafouti" (a French dessert, i.e. cherry flan), and F took home some cherrie as well!

SA and Daddy harvesting strawberries. They have been deliciously sweet and SA loves to eat them with "chantilly" (whipped cream)!

My first strawberry harvest! I was so proud!

Little Miss Sunshine, the big sister. We are thrilled to announce that we are having a girl! I am in my 27th week, so the third trimester is here already. I am so thankful for the weather we are currently having. It is 63 degrees farenheit right now- very comfortable! Thankfully our small plug in airconditioner is set up and ready to go when we need it. So far I have only needed to use it one day. I am hoping that now that I know when to open and close the shutters that I will be better at "climatizing" the house this summer.

Battle at Kruger

A friend emailed me this video and it brought me to tears (which is admittedly easy lately). Anyway, I was thinking about I Peter 5:8 which depicts the devil as a "roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" and the responsibility that we have in Christ to rally around new believers and those who are weak/ struggling. This video really brought home to me what a real life and death struggle we are in spiritually against very real enemies. Watch this video all the way to the end. We are the buffalos!

Mon Petit Paradis (My Little Paradise)

Life in France is not without its frustrations, that is for sure, and often, the combination of loneliness, cultural stress, and pregnancy hormones along with life's normal challenges and duties seem too overwhelming to bear. But then there are little "eclaircies" or glimpses of sunshine that bring encouragement, bits of relief, and reminders that I am not alone and that I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me. An email, a call, a playdate with a potential Christian, English speaking friend (y'all must have been praying!), and a successful conversation in French with a neighbor are examples from this week.

Today, after a much needed afternoon nap, SA, D, and I ventured out for an afternoon walk. The funny thing is that we didn't make it out of our "jardin" (yard) because of several delightful discoveries. We have a beautiful jardin that brings weekly blooming surprises. Today I discovered some beautiful tiger lillies and several raspberry bushes that I had never noticed before! They were hiding behind some other bushes. We also harvested a couple of baskets full of delicious cherries from our cherry tree in the back yard. Last year I didn't realize that we had a cherry tree and inadvertantly fed the birds and bats with my cherries. This year I am planning to make lots of yummy cherry cobbler, sauces, and treats!

For several weeks I have been focusing on the rose bushes which have been beautiful! We have 11 red ones, 5 pink ones, one yellow, and one coral one. I have never been a gardener before and still don't claim to be, but I have been trying to just take care of what was here already in our garden and keep our planters filled with cheery pink geraniums and daisies. I added window boxes last year and have several pots of herbs and strawberries this year as well. I was so excited when the first strawberries appeared as they are my first real gardening success, my first fruit bearing plant, and they are deliciously sweet! I love this time of year, because all of the stone, medieval walls, houses, and buildings of our town seem to burst into bloom bringing a cheering relief from the gloominess of winter. And this year my garden is bringing forth wonderful fruit that I pray our lives will match in the spiritual realm as well.

As I sit here on my kitchen steps, it is starting to rain. I can hear the church bells ringing and the birds chirping, and it seems good to just be still. The birds are never in a hurry or stressed out with communication difficulties or cross-cultural conflict. I don't think they ever get bummed out when they feel fat and unattractive at 6 months pregnant or frustrated at the daily battle with weeds outside, dirt inside, laundry, and stinky toilets. Wish I could be more like them at times. I am, however, thankful that I am not them, because then I would miss out on the joys of motherhood, friendship, marriage, family, and being a part of God's work in the world. Life is full of joys, and today I am determined to just enjoy them!

On Mission in France (and Thailand)!

France is pretty much a place of spiritual void. I can say this after having lived here for almost 2 years now. Although it is predominantly Catholic, a VERY small minority of people practice Catholicism in the way that we think of practicing religion- i.e. participating in corporate worship. My French teacher, who is around my age, thought it was very interesting and unusual that 3 from our French class (all American expats, by the way) regularly go to church. She considers herself "croyant", i.e. "believing", but doesn't think it at all necessary to to do anything to practice what she believes. I think that her thinking is probably representative of the perspective of many people of my generation in France. Another French friend of mine doesn't know what she believes about God or the Bible, but she is open to talking about it with me. She has a young child whose questions she is unable to answer because she really doesn't know what she believes.

For the most part, the French are a very private people and religion is a taboo topic of conversation. It is kept out of politics and religion and education here in a much more deliberate way than in the US. There really is a spiritual void in the hearts of the French people of this generation because spirituality has been intentionally left out of life. An older Christian couple who are very good friends of ours from church have 4 adult children whom they raised in the church and made intentional efforts to disciple, but sadly, none of the children are walking with the Lord today. It seems at times that this cultural pull toward secularism is overcoming the kingdom expansion which is so desperately needed in France. We hear about marriages and first communions taking place in churches, but often this is the only time the couple or family darkens the door of the church. And although there are very old and quaint looking churches in every single small village and town which are open all the time for visitors, they are rarely, if ever, open for mass.

It is a very different atmosphere than that of the US where, at least in the South, churches are open all over town and a large percentage of people actually attend. Here, community sporting events (runs, hikes, etc) as well as all kinds of community events are typically held on Sundays, and usually in the morning. Sunday is just not a day that most people set aside for worship. Operation World, an excellent resource for praying for the nations, calls France a country "hardened to the gospel", and I concur. Out of a population of just over 57 million (1995 stat.), 43 million French people had no real link with a Christian church. The book also states that most French people see the evangelical message as an alien ideology rather than something that originated in their own country. This is pretty ironic considering that 48% of the French poplulation was Protestant at the height of the Reformation and that John Calvin was French! Please pray that the Lord would open the hearts of the French people to their need for Him and move the Christians that are here to reach out to share their faith boldly.

Anyway, I have been feeling pretty isolated way over here in France- from the church in America, including all Christian teaching, literature, and music in English. One begins to feel like one is in a sort of desert regarding resources and sources of encouragement. I mean there is no Christian TV or radio (thank goodness for the internet!) and my circle of friends are not Christians. This is why we are here, however, to be a light and a witness, so we pray that this will change. :) Mostly it is just hard to live in a place where almost NO ONE shares our worldview. The challenge to raise our child/children in a place where there is no support system of fellowship or structure for discipleship like in the States has made me extra aware of my own responsibility to disciple SA, especially in light of the fact that there is no postive peer influence in her life and no other spiritual input except ours. Please pray for us to have wisdom as we strive to raise our family in a dramatically different way than that of all of our friends and neighbors while at the same time intertwining our lives with theirs- being salt and light in a dark place.

D has been working in Thailand for 2 weeks now, and we still have one more week to go. Please pray for him to have opportunities to share the gospel with the colleagues that he is traveling with and with whoever's heart the Lord has prepared in Thailand. Pray that he will be led by the Holy Spirit in the way that he shares and that the heart of those that he shares with would be open to receive the gospel. His traveling is not easy for us as a family, but if God can get glory from it, then it will be well worth the difficulty!

Also, please pray for a Bible study group of American ladies that meets in my home on Friday mornings. We have been meeting for a few months now, and I know that the Lord has brought us together in order to do a work in our lives. The ladies all have very BIG questions about the Bible, Jesus, and Christianity, and I am praying that the Lord would draw them into a relationship with Himself. We started out as a discussion group discussing world religions and whether or not all religions lead to God, and now we are going through a Bible study that is based on John Stott's Basic Christianity. The gospel is out there, but their hearts are not yet ready to embrace it. Please pray that they would accept Jesus as God and Savior and realize their need for Him. Please pray for me as I lead them that I would use grace and truth appropriately and that the Holy Spirit would enable me to communicate clearly the truth of God's Word.

As you can tell, I have ditched all efforts to be covert on this post. I think that most of you who are reading are friends or family who comment regularly, but, if not, and you are shocked and surprised at our intentions for being in France, well, the cat is out of the bag. Really, this post is a request for prayer. Although we are not serving here in an official missionary capacity, that is our heart. We need prayer support just like those "official" missionaries do. Please pray also that the Lord would continue to open up opportunities for us to become involved in the community where we live and for me, specifically, as I continue to learn French slowly but surely. Thank you in advance for your prayer support! I believe that prayer changes things, so I am expecting great things!

A Week in Provence in Pictures

Lunch on the terrace in Les Beaux en Provence- a really quaint, old village that has been restored. At the top of the hill, there was a chateau that belonged to the descendants of Balthazaar (the wise man). One of the flags atop the chateau was decorated with a star, the star of Bethlehem!
Sur le pont d'Avignon, on'y danse, on y'danse! There is a famous French children's song about dancing on top of this bridge in the former papal town of Avignon. We were so afraid that SA was going to jump into the river that we didn't really get to listen to our hand-held audioguides even though it was in English! :)
SA stopping to smell the flowers at our very charming hotel. You can't really tell in this picture, but there was a huge tree overlooking the terrace surrounded by lovely flowers and bushes. D and I enjoyed sitting out under the tree in the afternoons while SA napped.
Like mother, like daughter. She LOVES to read!
Lunch with Daddy at an Italian cafe in Nice, along the coast of the Mediterranean. Seeing the sea was a huge highlight for me even though I did get carsick on the "scenic" seaside winding road (thanks to my husband who loves to drive like Daryl Waltrip). :)
Mommy and SA having breakfast on the terrace outside our room. We had croissants, and french bread with an assortment of fresh, homemade fruit preserves, yogurt, fruit, and, of course, coffee!

Long Time No Blog

I realize that my last post was in Febrauary and it didn't end on an extremely positive note, so I am sure that everyone has stopped reading. My apologies for being gone for so long and for the last somewhat negative review of French food.

You will all be happy to know that I had a wonderful French culinary experience on our recent vacation to Provence. In fact, I have decided that I have found my favorite region in France so far! Provence is full of wonderful things that I love like: olive oil, delicious herbs, fields of lavender, and beautiful fabrics too! We had a wonderful relaxing family vacation just visiting little villages and towns in Provence, sampling the delicious cuisine, shopping, driving through the countryside, and visiting cities like Avignon, Aixe-En-Provence, and Nice. It was so wonderful to just be together- and to top it off, I didn't have to cook once!

I'll post some pictures soon, but tonight I am in need of some advice- in the realm of Christian parenting resources. I would like to know what some of your favorite reads are regarding parenting. I am specifically interested in toddler behavior management, discipline, and discipleship right now. Has anyone read Grace Based Parenting? There is not much of an English speaking Christian community here, so any recommendations that you have would be helpful. Also, do any of you have recommendations of Bible memory verse plans, books, CDs? Thanks in advance for your comments and/or emails on this subject.

Dining Out

I have been trying for over a year to enjoy dining out in France. It is not impossible, but I am becoming increasingly aware of my very American culinary preferences. It's disappointing not to really enjoy French cuisine as I have heard how wonderful it is my whole life. I have a friend who has tried a couple of times to get me to take a cooking class with her, but I have not gone simply because I did not want to know how to prepare crawfish or pigeon! It seems that there are many more types of foods to choose from here- especially in the meat department. I will have to blog another time about shopping for meat in the grocery store or at the butcher's- it is pretty hard to avoid the brains, hearts, tongue, and blood sausage (which doesn't even have sausage in it- that's right, just blood and "stuff"!) that is in the same case with the chicken breasts, and filets of beef and pork.

Pregnancy makes matters more complicated when dining out, because I cannot have any of the wonderful French wines or cheeses and have to be really careful with the meats. You know that "toxoplasmosis virus" that comes from cats? Well, it can also come from raw or undercooked meats and unpasteurised milk. Almost all of the cheeses are made with unpasteurised milk here. Yesterday I asked the man at the cheese counter for some cheese that was made with pasteurised milk, and he asked me if I was sure that such cheese existed! I laughed out loud and responded emphatically, "Oui!" Anyway, most Americans have to watch out for this virus during pregnancy, but 90% of French people already have an immunity to it. That's because they have already had the virus from eating meat and cheese here. Apparently it is like a cold and not dangerous unless one gets it while pregnant. Needles to say, I have not ever had toxoplasmosis and don't have the immunity to it, so, I have to have a blood test every month to make sure that I haven't contracted it. D is taking care of Bailey for the next 8 months, and I have to be really careful about what I eat in the way of meat and cheese and carefully wash all fruits and vegetables that I eat.

Ok, so Saturday we went to lunch to celebrate our new upcoming "addition". This was our first date since Christmas, so I was very excited. D made a reservation in Pont Du Chateau, a nearby town, at a restaurant with a good rating in Michelin's restaurant guide. I really enjoyed the ambiance of the restaurant which had a "shabby chic" feel with its white painted ceiling beams. I also appreciated the fresh flowers on the tables, the silver candleabra, and the tasteful decor. The server brought us a delicious fruit juice aperitif, and was very helpful. However, with the menu, I was disappointed. In most French restaurants there is always between 1 and 3 "set" menus of an entree(appetizer), plat (entree in English), and dessert, and this restaurant was no exception. However, I wasn't able to settle on one of these as they involved either frog legs or foie gras or truffe sauce (truffes are really dark mushrooms that are very expensive for some reason). So, I ordered "a la carte". For an entree I ordered a "salade paysanne with lardons" (lardons are like bits of country ham- yum!). For my plat, I ordered grilled steak, well done, of course, and for dessert, chocolate cake.

First, we were served an amuse bouche that looked like a couple of hushpuppies and a small circle of cheese. Then the server explained that the fried things were "pieds de cochon avec Forme d'Ambert" (pigs feet with bleu cheese) and "escargot". I am not sure what she said the circle of cheese was, but upon further speculation, it appeared to be cheese encircled by some kind of skin with a smushed snail in the middle! Thoroughly disgusted, I passed my plate to D, who enjoyed all but the mysterious circle of cheese. Uggh!

Next came our entrees, but to my dismay, my nice salad was servd with a half-cooked egg on top. When I tried to move it to the side all of the yellow yolk came pouring out onto my plate! Haven't these people heard of Salmonella?

When our plats finally came,amazingly, my steak really was well done! Usually when I ask for well done it comes medium or sometimes medium rare, but this time it was burnt! My steak was served with another salad, and a "frites"(French fries) but the restaurant was completely out of ketchup! It seems that I am always asking for ketchup- even at McDonalds you have to ask, and then they will only give you one or two packets. I have learned now to ask for 5 (for me and SA- more if D is with us). So, I was getting increasingly irritated with our dining experience and had eaten all of the salad I could possibly eat and not much steak after I cut off all of the fat and burnt parts. (yes, I know that burnt isn't technically correct, but that is what it was- BURNT). The quality of the cuts of meat here is also not what I am used to and most always disappointing. D teases me that I am a filet mignon girl only, but I couldn't even ask for that here as it refers to pork and not steak in French.

Finally, our dessert arrived. The dessert that I had been anticipating. I LOVE French chocolate. It is always good and 100% better than almost all American chocolate. My plate was beautifully garnished with red currants, a raspberry, and chocolate drippings, and the chocolate cake was delicious! Only, it was served in a ramekin the size of my pinky finger! I am not kidding! There were maybe 3 bites of chocolate cake with fruit on the bottom! This topped off my disappointment and I refused to allow D to order a coffee. We paid and left, and I have since cancelled my girls' night out reservation for the same restaurant this Thursday night.

The News is Out!

Well, sometimes I have no blog worthy things to post, so I don't post anything at all. But today I have big news! The B. family is expecting an addition! We are thrilled to announce that little B. #2 is on the way. He or she is still very tiny, so we would appreciate everyone's prayers for healthy development and a safe arrival at the end of September or early October. I am sure that over the next 8 months I will have lots of stories to tell about my pregnancy experiences in France (especially in the dead of summer which I could barely handle last year without a/c). Currently, I am trying to locate a doctor that speaks English, however, I am not sure that a fluent English speaking obstetrician is available in our area. SO, I am planning to do my best in French and trusting the Lord to lead and guide us through the next months and the hospital experience. That's of course what we all have to do anyway no matter where we are. This is not as scary as it would have been if it were my first pregnancy or if I had not already been here for over a year. I feel confident enough in my ability to understand and communicate that I am not freaking out yet. However, I am the type of person who wants to be able to ask questions and have a good understanding of what is going on, so I am going to be very prayerful about choosing a doctor. My theme verse will be Prov. 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding (leaning to my own understanding is always my tendency). In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths." I am hoping for lots of comments on this post! And, I will need those of you who read regularly to remind me of my theme verse. Thanks in advance!

Just the Girls

SA and I are hanging out at home as we have had steady snow for the last couple of days. D is in England, so we are missing him. It is just perfect weather to curl up with some hot chocolate and one's honey, but I have been cuddling up with my precious pie instead. She loves to be read to, so we have been reading books. Also, we have had company the last couple of days. My friend F comes on Tuesdays and she is wonderful at playing with SA. We speak in French and she usually comes in the morning and stays for lunch into the afternoon. Today playgroup was at our house, so we got to see and play with some friends here. We had fruit salad in honor of SA's favorite song from the Wiggles ("Fruit Salad, Yummy, Yummy"). Tonight after dinner we were sharing some mousse au chocolat (my favorite French dessert). SA was feeding herself and me, and we both were a sight to see after that- our faces covered in chocolate as well as her pajamas and my turtleneck. I am enjoying my time with her all to myself. I have been brushing her teeth, which is something that D usually does at night, and reading the bedtime story. We also still rock for a little while before she goes to sleep and she gives me various song requests. Tonight we sang the usual "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star", "Away in a Manger", and "Jesus Loves the Little Children", but she also wanted me to sing some songs from the Wiggles. She LOVES the Wiggles. She sings and dances with them and always wants us to dance with her. It is really cute when she sings "Hot Potato, Hot Potato -Cold Spaghetti, Cold Spaghetti- Mashed Banana, Mashed Banana" all with an Australian accent! Maybe tomorrow we will actually go out and play in the snow. I am hoping that the snow will stick around until Daddy gets back, because I know he will want to play too! Hopefully we will get to build a snowmman, so stay tuned for pictures of SA's first snowman and our first snowman in France!

911 in France

Well, we have had our first real emergency situation that called for the fire department. Last year in Paris I had to go to the emergency room because SA managed to get the top off the Children's Tylenol and I didn't know how much she had ingested. That was a scary experience in a foreign city by one's self (D was working). Well, this time we were at home. Our home is pictured to the left. I went out to open the gate for the mailman. I was expecting a package and wanted him to be able to come to the door. Thank the Lord that I had opened the shutters to the french doors in the dining room. Ok, I realize that those of you who are American have no idea what I am talking about- shutters that open. So, here is a picture of one of our windows.

The shutters open and shut from the outside to cover the windows, so every night we close them for security- not to mention to keep the cold out. In the summer it is to keep the sun out during the day. Anyway, one has to open the windows (which open into the house) in order to open and close the shutters. Needless to say, this chore of closing the shutters is D's at night (when he is here) and I always open up the shutters in the morning. Well, Wednesday morning, after seating SA with her breakfast in her high chair, I opened the shutters, to the dining room. Then I remembered that the gate was shut (D usually opens it in the morning when he drives to work or to the train station) and needed to be opened. So, having left the dining room door locked, I went out the front door (leaving it unlocked) to shut the gate. I heard a strange click, but thought nothing of it. Having returned from the gate, (in my pink pajamas and robe with my hair a mess, I might add), I discovered that the front door was locked. I did not have my key as it was in the dining room door on the inside (each door has its own key and lock). Panicking, I went all around the house to try to find a way into the house, but all the shutters were shut and there was no way in (which is actually a good thing, but not in this situation). So, with no phone or phone numbers (basically, completely helpless) I ran to the next door neighbor's house for help. This is at 8:00 in the morning, and all of his shutters were still closed too. I rang the bell and he kindly came out to help. An elderly couple lives next door, and the husband has been so helpful and nice to us, but his wife is not in good health and stays in the house all of the time. We determined that the hook on the inside of the door had unhooked itself causing the door to lock on its own. Again, I know that is hard to picture, so here is a picture of our "ancient" front door and locks. The picture shows our front door with dead bolt at the top. At the bottom right of the picture is the hook which remains hooked all the time (except not this time). On the left in the middle of the door is the doorknob on the outside. If the hook is unhooked, there is no way to turn the doorknob, unless one has a key. So basically, I was locked out of the house in my pajamas at 8 in the morning and SA was inside in her highchair. Fortunately, I could see her, and talk to her, and she was in a safe place. My neighbor and I tried unsuccessfully to force the front door open using our bodies and a crowbar. Finally, we decided that we must call the fire dept. for help. I am so thankful to have this neighbor, as he insisted that I stay with SA and he went to get his cell phone to call. In addition, he was able to communicate in French and I would not have been able to explain the situation in French. The huge fire engine and 3 very nice firepeople (one was female) arrived in about 15-20 minutes. They had to break a window to get into the house to open the door from the inside. SA was fine thankfully, and I had to then call the " vitrerie" to repair the broken window as well as our insurance company. Turns out we will have to pay.

It seems that the Lord constantly places me in situations of need in which I am dependent on others. This is not enjoyable for the independent, wannabe self-sufficient side of me, but it is great for humilty (especially when you can barely communicate in the language of everyone else). Ironically, there is usually an outreach opportunity in all of it. When I asked my neighbor what I could do for him and his wife, he told me that I could just come and visit, so SA and I went today and had a nice visit with them. They really enjoyed playing with her, and we took them a flower to show our appreciatiion for their constant help (for which I got in trouble with Monsieur). He said it was his pleasure to "rend me service." I pray that we can be a blessing to these neighbors as they have been to us. The Lord had been working on my heart about going to visit this couple, but I didn't really know how to approach it as I am pretty bad at communicating on the telephone, and I didn't want to just show up unannounced. Today, Monsieur came by with some oil to help my lock and I asked if I could come and visit this afternoon. And voila, the conncetion was made! Such drama should not be necessary for me to hear and obey the Lord, but unfortunately, sometimes, I guess I require it.

More Pictures from the Alps

Anyone want a ride? SA liked pulling her sled better than riding. It is a 2 seater, so I got to ride too! Poor Danny had a sore back the next day!




D posing with the Michelin man, Bibendum, at a toll station that had air for our tires (courtesy of Michelin, of course!). So glad my husband attends to those details!

A Day in The Alps

"The heavens tell the glory of God. The skies display His marvelous craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known. They speak without a sound or a word; their voice is silent in the skies; yet their message has gone out into all the earth, and their words to all the world." Ps.19:1-4

Simply breathtaking is all I can say! Please pray that we would be faithful to tell the glory of God here in France along with God's glorious creation!