La Vie est Belle

Renovation update

2012-01-25T14:47:00.000+01:00

Despite my terrible head cold I spent the morning painting baseboards. After 9 months we are finally getting around to fixing a lot of things that didn't go so great the first time around. Our friend spent the last two days pulling up the hardwood flooring in the upstairs hallway, where there was an annoying lump in the subfloor that made the wood pop up. He had to scrape down the cement, then put the flooring back. He numbered the planks to make it easier-great idea!

Today he is readjusting all the door frames that were poorly installed, and then he will put in the baseboards.

High on the priority list right now:

A new kitchen sink
New countertop
New faucet

When we bought our kitchen cupboards from ebay, it came with everything - but we were really only interested in the cabinets. The other things we have been using to tide us over until we could get around to it. A tile countertop is charming, but really hard to keep clean and the tile looks super gross. The white sink is waaaay too small for how many pots and pans we have to wash by hand, and the faucet doesn't have a sprayer head.

Because it is a temporary kitchen, I will be getting a simple formica (what is the generic word for that?!) countertop in a plain color that will go with the cabinets. I think we can get that for around 200 euros. I would get a nice faucet because I can always use that later when we build the new kitchen. In the new kitchen I will most likely get a big, stone sink, so for now I'll get a nice simple stainless steel one from IKEA or the local diy store.

It feels good to get projects done!

Renovation: The Entry & Stairs

2012-01-23T15:06:00.003+01:00

After posting that photo yesterday of Sophie on the stairs, it reminded me of how they have changed over the last year and a half.

This was the view when you came in the front door when we looked at the house the first time.

A close-up of the stairs. Notice the yellow paint and the weird tiled portion behind the railing.

That portion was there to give this door frame something to attach itself to. Through the door to the left is our cloakroom and powder room.

We ripped out the doorframe, and also knocked the plaster off the back of the stairs. There were a few rotted boards under there that we had to replace.

Starting to look better!

After all the major work was done.

And, today! About five minutes ago, actually. View from the front door, just like the first photo. I love my map! Every time I look at it, it makes me so happy. And the gold mirror leaning in the nook is the perfect place to check your outfit in the morning.

And, a close-up of the stairs. I finally got around to painting them white during Christmas break. So much better than the weird cream color!

et voila! Maybe someday we'll change the tile on the stairs, because about 2/3 of the way up it is older more worn-in tomettes (ie: better looking) and the ones you can see here are newer. About 1/2 way up a bunch of the tiles got broken on one step but we still haven't fixed those yet, either. I'm sure we'll get around to everything eventually!

Treasures in the Attic: A Sailor Girl

2012-01-21T12:39:00.000+01:00

I didn't find the cute sailor girl in the attic, but her outfit was hiding up there in an old trunk. It's a little big for her, but we imagined a young french girl in the 1930's or 40's heading down to the beach in Cannes wearing this hot little number.

The collar in the back-and I love the little belt.

I think she would have fit in just fine back then.

My little sailor girl.

London Through Her Lens

2012-01-19T10:00:00.001+01:00

Abby just returned from a five day class trip to London. After security finally let her through (!), she had a great time with her class touring all day and staying up late in their dumpy hotel at night. Here is London through Abby's lens:

Exchange

2012-01-17T17:46:00.001+01:00

Yesterday I took Dave to the airport, then stopped at the "mall" here called CAP3000. It's not very good compared to Fashion Square in Scottsdale, but other than shopping in Cannes, it's the closest thing I have access to, so I can't complain much. And it's right near the airport, where I go at least once a week, so it's handy.

I thought I would just run in and exchange the perfume the "kids" got me for Christmas then run back out again. Unfortunately I forgot that "Les Soldes" are happening right now and so the parking lot was already jam-packed when I arrived. I drove around for a good 10 minutes before I finally found a spot.

The mall is right by the seashore, and the wind was howling and whipping the water into little white peaks and blowing people across the parking lot. I was happy to get inside to Sephora and look for a new scent. The kids chose Prada's new scent "Candy", probably because it was pink and there was a cute girl on the box. But I had smelled it a few weeks before and knew it was way a very sweet smelling perfume and too similar to my favorite perfume of the moment, FlowerBomb by Viktor & Rolf.

I went in and started looking at the wall of choices laid out before me, and sprayed a few scents onto the little paper tester strips they have at the customer's disposal. I tried Cartier's "Baiser Vole" (Stolen Kiss) and Van Cleef & Arpel's "First" among a few others. Pretty soon everything started to smell the same, so in the end I went with a perfume that I had tried in a sample a few months earlier: Dolce & Gabbana's "the One". With the exchange taken care of, I could have gone straight home, but I wasn't in too big of a hurry to leave since it had taken so long to find a parking spot. Instead, I wandered around some of the stores they have: Zara, H&M, Galeries Lafayette, Comptoirs des Cotonniers and a couple of shoe stores. I was searching for some closed shoes that I can wear here when it's cold (like now!) that weren't boots. Some kind of flats or loafers that I could wear socks with and not look dowdy. I was unsuccessful, either because the selection wasn't very good or I didn't really know what I was looking for.

In the end I gave up and decided it was time to get home and do some chores before it was time to pick up the kids from school. I went out to the parking lot and looked around for our chocolate brown Renault Scenic. I quickly spotted it and climbed inside with my purse and little black and white Sephora bag, which I set down on the passenger's seat. The seat looked cleaner than it had earlier, and come to think of it, the car smelled very nice, too. So unlike a car that usually has smelly soccer cleats and dirty socks hanging out somewhere in the back. I turned around to look in the backseat and none of the usual garbage or crumbs were there. Had someone cleaned my car while I was shopping?

I turned forward and noticed a colorful map attached to the sun visor and it finally registered that I was not in my car!

I hastily got out of the car and looked around to see if anyone was looking at me strangely. I felt like I had done something wrong by getting into someone else's car--but I hadn't done it on purpose! It opened automatically, just like my car does when I approach it. Renault has a feature where you can leave your key (which looks like a fat credit card) in your bag or pocket and your car will open without having to push a button. Did my key work on other Renaults? Or by chance did someone with my exact same car (but much cleaner!) just happen to leave their car unlocked?

When I got into my own car, it was indeed extremely messy--just as I had left it. Bits of after-school snack wrappers, Sam's soccer ball, empty water bottles, and an umbrella littered the floor. Crumbs from the wafer cookies I bought in Nice last Thursday were scattered all over the seats. The car of a family with four children and a busy mother. I hadn't thought to see if I could start the other car, but if it happens again, I'm doing it. I'm sure the owner of the clean car won't mind when she has to drive home in mine instead.

Missing

2012-01-13T18:17:00.000+01:00

Sophie's scarf that she got for Christmas went missing from school yesterday. :( Yeah, the cute pink and white one in this picture.

She left it hanging on the hook when she took her coat for recess, and it wasn't there when she got back. She is sad because she loved it and I'm sad because I loved it, too! We checked the big pile at the lost and found and today I put up a paper on the front door of the school with a picture.

I hope it finds its' way back to her soon.

French Visa - visite medicale

2012-01-12T19:27:00.001+01:00

Today I went to Nice to have my official Doctor's visit to complete the visa process. After getting turned around and stuck on the same one way street not once, but twice, I finally figured out where to go. I was really stressed out because I was 16 minutes late, and I really hate being late.

As it turns out, it didn't matter that I was late, because there was a line at the reception desk, and I had to wait my turn to give them my paper saying I had an appointment. The lady checked me in and asked me to wait.

Not long after, maybe within 5 minutes, I was called. A nurse took my blood pressure, asked me a few questions, weighed me, measured my height and then sent me back to wait for the doctor. I waited in the hall again, playing with my phone. Again, after a very short wait, I was called to see the doctor. She asked me about my health, any operations I've had, if I smoke or take any medication, and if I was pregnant. Then I had to read the eye chart. Everything was fine, and I was off to wait for my x-ray.

I waited again until it was my turn for a lung x-ray. This is why they wanted to know if I was pregnant. The x-ray was interesting because I put on a paper robe, then went inside this enclosed machine and shut the door. They snapped the picture and then developed it right there.

After waiting slightly longer than the other times, I was called in to actually get the visa. The lady asked me . . . hmmmm, I can't even remember now if she asked me anything. She said my french was really good and that "most Americans don't speak that well", so I took that as a very nice compliment. She printed off this fancy visa, stuck it in my passport and sent my on my way with my complimentary x-ray. I guess I can't really call it complimentary because I had to pay 340 euros for my little visit to the Office of Immigration! That was probably the most painful (on the wallet!) doctor's appointment I've ever gone to! :)

An Italian Surprise

2012-01-06T15:45:00.004+01:00

During Christmas break we decided to drive over to Italy to see this town that our friends French for a While like so much.

By the church there was a fire burning, though I'm not sure why. But there were two little old ladies enjoying the fire, and a little boy (bottom left corner of this photo) that seemed happy to keep the burning by brining palettes of wood over from a big pile that was sitting just off the square.

The boy dragged this palette over to throw on the fire, when Abby, who was facing him, screamed! It scared him (and us, too) and he dropped the palette just before it fell on the flames. . .

It turned out she saw a lizard on the palette! She didn't want him to drop the little guy in the fire, which is when she screamed. Sam screamed and jumped backwards because 1) It scared him at first because he didn't know what was going on and 2) He didn't want to squash the lizard!

Everyone was curious . . .

And Dave picked him up so we could get a better look.

But then things just got downright weird when I caught Dave kissing the lizard. It's all fun and games until a lizard bites your lip!

Sam was trying to convince us to bring the lizard home, so we carried him from by the church, across the bridge and were headed to the car when we saw this group of boys.

Dave took the lizard over to them and said, "Come here, look at this lizard!" in French. The came over and were oo'ing and aah-ing as the lizard tried to escape. They asked us in Italian where we found it (we actually understood!) and we pointed back and told him by the church. Then he said something like " blah blitty blah blah magico" and Dave said, "No, I don't think it's magic."

And we all laughed as we walked back to the car, because Dave is funny and I was really glad that lizard wasn't coming back to France!

(more about dolceaqua later!)

A place for you

2012-01-01T23:11:00.000+01:00

Hey, Dad! There's a spot for you here.

Right next to me.

New Years Eve in France

2011-12-31T19:09:00.000+01:00

It's New Year's Eve here in Mougins. I know because I spent all day making cookies for a party tonight and Sophie put on her sparkly dress just after breakfast. And a couple of hours ago I watched the sun go down in a spectacular burst of color so beautiful that I ran inside to get my camera. I took picture after picture of the same sky because I wanted you to see the same thing I did so I could say, "Did you SEE that!?"

Even though it's not as good as when you see it with your own eyes, it's better than not seeing it at all.

Another year is nearly gone, a tough one for a lot of people in the world. For people I know, for people you know, for me, for strangers. Different struggles in different places, that interrupt the beautiful moments we experience, alone or together, that make life good. That make life feel important and rich.

I think it's important to share with each other, because it's impossible to go everywhere, to see everything, to experience it all with our own eyes. So I thank all of you out there that share your lives with me with your pictures, ideas and words. And I thank all of you out there that come here to see what I have to share.

Which is why I keep on writing this silly blog about our life . . . so I can share those things that make me want to turn to my husband or my kids, my neighbor or friend or YOU and say

"DID YOU SEE THAT?!"

Here's to a great 2012.

Bisous,

Stasha

Christmas Eve Traditions in France

2011-12-26T19:35:00.000+01:00

Our first Christmas Eve in France we found out that a lot of people here in France open their gifts on Christmas Eve, not Christmas morning. We had gone out to midnight mass in the vieux village of Mougins and then afterward stopped in to say hello to Pascaline & Nicolas, who insisted they would still be awake.

Not only were they awake, but their kids were awake in a sea of wrapping paper, playing with their freshly opened gifts!

Dave and I went home that night and stayed up for hours finishing wrapping the gifts. In the morning we were tired and cranky while the kids opened their gifts for 15 minutes at the crack of dawn, and then wanted breakfast. While we were regretting our late night, Pascaline & Nicolas and their entire family slept in after having fun ALL together on Christmas Eve.

After that, we were hooked. Christmas Eve was officially our new Christmas morning. This year we were happily settled into our warm house thanks to the new heating we installed last year.

We had a nice dinner all together around the kitchen table that Dave just sanded and varnished a couple of weeks ago. After dinner, we gathered on the big sofa in front of my computer and watched "A Christmas Story" and laughed while Flick got his tongue stuck to the pole, and when Ralphie beats the crap out of the fox-hat wearing bully. And who doesn't love Randy snorting his food like a disgusting little piggie?

Finally at 9 pm, the movie was over and the kids were dying to get to the gifts! But first, we decided to call Dave's family on Skype . . .

We all howled with laughter as the kids opened their gifts in front of the computer screen and Dave's brothers hooted and screamed with excitement with each gift reveal, shouting "I've always wanted one of those!" and "OH MY GOSH, You are SO lucky!"

Sam was very good at handing out gifts to be opened

And all our mouths dropped at least once that night!

Uncle Titi was especially jealous of Sophie's new sparkly "uggs"

But the biggest shock of all, which left my mouth gaping so wide I could swallow an elephant came when . . .

Sam opened the living room door and I turned around and saw this:

Dave, standing there with the giant map of Paris we found in the attic: framed! He had secretly gotten it framed, then hid it behind the house so I wouldn't see it. It's pretty hard to surprise me, but honestly, I had NO idea he was doing this. I was literally stunned speechless.

We have the perfect place to hang our new addition (Frankly, it's the only wall we have downstairs that is big enough (and just barely!) to hold our little treasure.

And Christmas morning, while the kids dug into their stockings that Santa left them overnight, Dave and I slept in until noon when we finally decided to roll out of bed and go downstairs and stare at the map while we ate French toast and southwest eggs. It was a very merry Christmas indeed!

Joyeux Noel!

2011-12-25T14:13:00.000+01:00

From our home to yours!

Happiness

2011-12-21T19:10:00.000+01:00

Today when I woke up at precisely 8:16 because my bladder won't let me sleep longer than 8 hours at a time, I decided I would take advantage of the fact I didn't have to taxi anyone anywhere and headed to the gym for "Body Balance". That's "Bod-dee Ba-lahnce" in French.

The teacher, Perla, is a striking beauty with a mane of long, dark hair. She always sweeps it up in high pony tail which highlights her elegant neck as she trots around the classroom. She is a dancer by nature, so she walks with perfect posture and makes lovely gestures with her hands when she talks.As people prepare their mats and towels at the start of the course, she looks around to see if anyone is new.

Today a usual attendee had brought her niece with her. "And what's your name?" Perla asked. She has a scary good memory and calls people by their name during class when they're doing something wrong.

"L'oeil" the girl replied.

"Pardon?" Perla asked, and she wasn't the only one that wanted to hear that again.

"L'oeil" she replied once again, to which Perla promptly asked "What is that! Eye? Your name is eye? Where does that come from?"

"Loye" the girl then explained "is Vietnamese. It means Bonheur . . . happiness."

"Oh, that's beautiful! I like that. I'm going to call you Bonheur. My name is Perla . . . that means Pearl." And she threw her head back and laughed, whipping her long ponytail around in her giddiness. "That's nice, too!"

Sam is friends with . . .

2011-12-20T13:48:00.000+01:00

David Beckham! Look how cute he is in his little suit. What a lucky kid, hanging out with such a big soccer star.

Oh, that's not Sam? That's David Beckham's son? Riiiight. Sorry about that. I forgot we don't know any famous people.

What Moms Want for Christmas

2011-12-20T13:35:00.003+01:00

"Mom, what do YOU want for Christmas?" Sophie asked me in the kitchen this afternoon after I brought down an armload of wrapped gifts and placed them under the tree.

"I want you guys not to fight. And keep your room clean." I answered, in total seriousness. "I used to hate it when I would ask my Mom what she wanted for Christmas and she would say the same thing. But now I understand, and I want the same thing."

Sophie is not buying it. "Come on, what do you really want?" she prods.

"No, really, that's what I really want. Deep down in the bottom of my soul, I want you to keep your room clean and not fight with your siblings as a Christmas present."

Sophie cocks her head and pops her hip, putting her green nail-polished hand there for effect.

"Well, that's never gonna happen!" She spits out with a cocky smile. "So what do you want from the TOP of your soul?!"

Maisons du Monde

2011-12-19T13:35:00.001+01:00

I'm back to an iPhone. After a year with an HTC, I got lucky and Carter dropped it and totally cracked the screen. The phone worked if I had it on speaker phone (so annoying!), and there was a little danger of getting a glass shard in your finger when you swiped the screen. ;) But then I dropped it a second time--and after that it was useless.

Given that my 2 year contract was up (wow! that went kinda fast!), I was able to take advantage of the "good" offers from the cell phone company and got myself an pretty white iPhone. I am so happy! I think I just have an "Apple" brain.

Right after I got my phone I was out and about and wandered into a home store called "Maisons du Monde" and I saw all these cute things that I wanted, but have no place for! But they were cute, so I'm sharing them with you anyway.

Hot pink! Whoa.

Can you see my phone cover? I love it!

A little entry piece to hold all that crap you don't know what to do with!

I have a lot of mirrors just like that one on the dresser, I think I need some lamps now!

I love these chairs! But I don't know what color I would choose.

Dear 16 Year Old Me

2011-12-18T17:35:00.000+01:00

Take a minute to watch this important message - then share it!

Danse Classique Mougins le Haut

2011-12-16T19:14:00.000+01:00

Tonight the parents were invited to sit and watch dance class (and take pictures, of course!). Sophie started taking ballet at the Studio de Danse Mougins le Haut with Carol in September. I love it that she wanted to try something new, and I love Carol! (I take an adult class on Friday mornings and now I know why ballerinas look like they are chiseled out of stone!)

My favorite picture of the night!:

A little preview of the show they will do in January:

See the feathers on the tutus in the second row? Some of the moms sewed those on (including me).

With Carol:

Winter Fun

2011-12-14T17:40:00.001+01:00

Last Tuesday night we went up to the vieux village because we heard that St. Nicolas was going to be there. The mayor was there as everyone gathered and he gave a little speech before they turned on all the Christmas lights at once!

Then they started blowing "snow" out of these machines (you can see one behind us on the left). It added to the ambience of the winter scene as St. Nicolas wandered around. He was by far the scrawniest, shortest St. Nicolas I've ever seen.

They were handing out free hot chocolate and hot wine (ick) - until they ran out of cups! They didn't run out of beverage, so if you just happen to have a cup on you you could get some. I didn't think to stuff any paper cups in my purse before we went out, so instead we went to "Le Petit Fouet" (the little whip) restaurant for some cocoa.

The kids were totally riled up, and they were making the bird that lives on the first floor go crazy. The resto wasn't opened for dinner yet, so luckily we were the only people there.

Everyone got their own mug, with whipped cream on the side.

Things calmed down after that, thank goodness!

Carter said his was "disgusting" because it was actually real chocolate (not a mix with sugar already added), so he thought it was too bitter, even after adding sugar. Silly boy!

Two more days of school then it's winter break for two weeks - I must start a list of things to do with the kids because Dave is going to be in London a lot.

Paris Exchange?

2011-12-12T10:47:00.001+01:00

Anybody out there in the heart of Paris want to swap houses during the two week Christmas holiday? I know this is a super long-shot and way last minute . . . but you never know! email me if you're interested! stasha@gmail.com

penguins

2011-12-12T07:15:00.001+01:00

Dave spent all day Saturday burning things, hauling wood, and moving old sacks of cement that were left over from the renovations. We are both really happy to have things a bit cleaned up outside, but his back isn't too thrilled.

At dance class on Friday I think I must have tried a new move or something, because I too am suffering in the lower back region.

At one yesterday Dave was standing in the kitchen by the stove and I got up from a chair (bad idea to try and sit) and waddled over to him. He waddled toward me to give me a kiss and Sophie said,

"You guys look like penguins!"

R.I.P. Baby pigeons

2011-12-08T20:15:00.001+01:00

Your life was short.

Telethon

2011-12-07T13:03:00.001+01:00

On Sunday Sophie's dance group performed during the weekend "Telethon" that raises money for MS and other diseases.

The girls were as cute as ever, doing their little pom-pom number.

But after that, we were forced to sit through like three hours of total crap. I'm sorry if you performed during that show and you are reading this. Because we were bored to tears. And super irritable because there was no cell phone reception in the building so we couldn't even surf the internet to keep from rioting.

The rappers, the singing of songs like Tina Turner's "Simply the Best!" and girls doing weird dance numbers on chairs like some kind of strange peep show were just too much.

Totally unrelated is how adorable Sophie is in her Christmas/New Years dress that she picked out in the States.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-05T17:48:00.001+01:00

With our November birthdays, the week of Thanksgiving can be really crazy. But we did manage to celebrate with a traditional meal - twice!

We were invited to a Thanksgiving dinner at a new friend's house. She is French, but lived for 10 years in California and is married to an American. Every year she invites a motley crew of Americans, French and English people over for a beautiful turkey feast.

There were 12 couples sitting around a gigantic table decorated with candles and leaves from the garden.

We ate, we laughed, we joked and we ate some more. It was lovely.

On Sunday we had our family Thanksgiving at home. Pascaline & Nicolas came with Jeremy and Mailys and Abby invited her british gang over for their first Thanksgiving.

I was busy cooking all day so I didn't have the chance to take one single picture. It was my best Thanksgiving meal yet! I brought back oven bags from the US, so the turkey was super juicy - and I got a small one (only 4.5 kg) so we all had just the perfect amount to eat.

This year I'm thankful for so many things, including:

1. Doctors. They help us stay healthy and strong and they fix us when we're broken. I hope we don't have anymore major surgeries in our family. Ever!

2. A Home. We bought this house with big dreams to fix it up and turn it into something more. It looks better, mostly, but what I really love about it is that it is has become our home.

3. A Job. It was a bumpy year on the job front, but things are looking up.

4. New adventures. I hope to have many more in my life.

I'm thankful for our family, of course, and my friends. Sometimes it's just good to know that someone out there has your back.

I guess it's time to get ready for Christmas now! I know there's a broken tree up in the attic somewhere just waiting to get decorated . . .

Quelqu'un m'a dit - Carla Bruni

2011-12-04T18:19:00.001+01:00

Dave and I watched the film 500 Days of Summer today. It was really a sweet movie and I liked it so much! I love Zooey Deschanel.

This song was on the soundtrack and it was lovely so I thought I would share it. Carla Bruni is married to the president of France, in case you weren't up on French politics. Hope you like it!

Public Apology

2011-12-03T02:05:00.001+01:00

Dave has just kindly reported to me the rampant misuse of its and it's on my blog. I am shocked and embarrassed.

I don't want to make any excuses here, but I do kind of fire off my posts without much editing. But if you knew how much I despise spelling and grammatical errors, you would know how truly mortified I am.

I don't know that I can change - I'm so lazy at heart its quite possible that it's going to continue. ;)

Boys Birthday recap

2011-12-01T15:34:00.001+01:00

Carter woke up bright and happy on his birthday like it was, well, his birthday!

He had requested "A pancake shaped like a 6" for breakfast, which I finally got right after like 6 tries but then I put it backwards on the plate because I kinda burned the other side. Oops.
Carter was VERY excited that a Mario and Luigi showed up to be friends with his Yoshi.

This is the best gift I have ever given to one of my children. This kid LOVES these stuffed toys. He plays with them non-stop. He makes funny voices and plays out scenarios that he makes up. I love it!

Dave was happy to eat pancakes, too. In his "Ron Gabrisko" shirt. (He bought this shirt on his trip to AZ in August and it looks like something our friend Ron would wear).

I let Carter and Sam decorate his cake.

And I kept Dave's cake simple again.

Husson & Co. showed up to help wish the boys bon anniversaire.

Here's to hoping their wishes come true!

Carter also invited a few boys from his new school to come to the house for a little party. It was his first one!

I was feeling particularly uncreative and lazy, so this is his fancy cake.

But he seemed pretty happy. And there wasn't one single piece left at the end of the party. :)

Happy Birthday my darling boys!

Intouchables

2011-11-30T10:48:00.001+01:00

A couple of weeks ago I went to see this movie with some friends.

Even if you don't understand French I think you can guess what the film is about from this preview. But to give you some background, the film is based on a true story about a wealthy Parisian who is looking for a live-in aide.

A convicted criminal shows up at the interviews to basically have his paper from the unemployment office stamped so he can show that he was rejected from a job so that he can continue to receive his benefits.
When he is told to come back the next day for the paper, the paralyzed man cleverly convinces him to give the job a try by saying "I bet you wouldn't last two weeks."

Indeed he does, and the movie shows the unlikely friendship between them unfold.

I'm sure Hollywood will remake this movie, but in the meantime, I hope someone subtitles it and puts it out there for everyone to see in it's original form. It was really a beautiful portrayal of someone's real life.

Treasures? In the Attic: Surprise Guests

2011-11-29T08:59:00.001+01:00

Dave went up to the attic to put some suitcases away, and brought down this old vinegar jar.

With it's new inhabitants.

Some of you out there might be saying, "Oh, how cute!" But I am an evil pragmatist who is saying. "Oh no. NO. Not again." and "Gross." and "Baby pigeons grow up to be BIG pigeons, which are basically flying rats."

I insisted that the pigeons not return to the attic. Because the parents walk around up there and I can hear them when I'm in my bed at night. And you can see for yourself the poo on that jar - and I'm not a big fan of poo anywhere in my house except the toilet, on it's way out of my house through the pipes.

I am basically heartless, but my friend Pascaline is not, so she called our neighbor, Fabienne, who loves all animals. She has like 6 dogs, 5 cats, a ferret, some rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, and on an on. She has her own zoo, let's say.

She was happy to take the birds. She even ran right down to the only store open on Sundays, a gardening type store (which happens to have a pet section) and bought some special food. She fed those birds with a spoon in her kitchen. God bless her, because I was just going to leave them out for the neighborhood cats as a Thanksgiving meal.

Luckily for them I have nice neighbors because now they are sleeping on a hot water bottle surrounded by cotton under a nice, warm lamp. In no time they will be full grown, flying around Mougins pooping on my car in revenge.

Renovation: "Master Bedroom"

2011-11-25T14:08:00.001+01:00

Can you really call it a master bedroom if there is no ensuite bathroom and the whole room measures 3.5 meters x 3.5 meters? Well, the master of the house does sleep here, so I guess that qualifies!

When we first saw the house, this bedroom looked like this:

Then we attacked the room by first uncovering the ceiling beams, re-plastering all the walls and ceiling, adding a couple of outlets, leveling the floor, painting, re-flooring and changing the fixtures.

This was during that process. You can see the leveling agent drying on the floor.

I was really happy the day the wood flooring went in. We installed unfinished knotty pine, 20 cm wide. Then Dave painted on a sealer. Sorry about this blurry picture!

Here's our friend Walter helping us paint one day.

We originally thought we were going to build closets in the house in a certain way, so we ordered the interiors . . . but then changed our minds! We installed the interiors anyway (drawer and hanging) because we needed a place to put our clothes. Oops. Renovating error #584.

The day we moved back into the house a lot of things still weren't ready. My dreams of moving back in and spending the day putting pretty new bedding on the beds were totally ridiculous!

And now . . .

I'm not sure why I never thought of measuring the bed I found on the side of the road, but when I did I was ecstatic! Because now it has a new home in our bedroom. I scrubbed the headboard because it was looking a bit yucky. I vacuumed it and then used on of those sprays you use to clean the mats of your car.

Putting the bed in the room makes me want to

1. Install a closet or get an armoire, because looking at this:

every day drives me crazy!

2. I also want to get new lights. These fixtures were cute at the local DIY store but are so dim I feel like I live in a cave. Also, the chandelier is centered in the room, but not really to the bed, which bugs me.

At some point this room will belong to Abby, bed and all. She is THRILLED that she will have a blue bed, because that has been her favorite color since the time I can remember. Then Dave and I will probably get a 180cm bed - more like a king. But that day is a long way off!

There you have it, the place where Dave and I sleep every night, unless one of us falls asleep putting the boys to bed . . . then there's a lot more room for me. ha ha.

Apple Picking

2011-11-23T12:25:00.001+01:00

When I was on my "time out" trip alone, I didn't spend every minute alone. Being alone is good sometimes, but then it gets, well, kinda lonely.

So the first Saturday I was in San Diego, I went to Julian with my brother and his family. We had a yummy lunch at the Candied Apple Pastry Company before indulging in one of their scrumptious sour cream apple pies. Seriously, if you can't get to Julian for one of these, you need to rustle up a recipe and make one for yourself for Thanksgiving. You won't regret it!

After stuffing ourselves silly, we went for some apple picking. My brother and his family lived in Belmont, Massachusetts for like 20 years and would go on glorious apple picking adventures every fall. Our experience was not quite what you would find on the East coast, but that didn't stop us from trying.

There was a team effort to reach the apples . . .

The trees were fairly picked over, and the apples were teensy weensy

I think at this point my brother was saying something like "Okay, that's enough! My back can't take this."

We talked my niece Aly into being our guinea pig. She wasn't too happy about that.

As you can see, the apples didn't taste very good. :)

But hanging out in the orchard on a sunny fall day was worth it, even if the apples weren't.

Happy Birthday Carter!

2011-11-22T10:00:00.000+01:00

Once upon a time, there was a girl with a big belly. A very, very big belly. And when she went to the hospital one day six years ago, it turned out that inside was the perfect little addition to her family. Well, not exactly little at 9 lbs 12 oz, but little enough to cuddle and kiss and smother with love.

That little blubber ball grew and grew until he turned into a monkey that climbed on everything and had a tendency to wander off at inopportune moments.

And then learned to read. *Sigh*

6 Things I Love About Carter:

1. He gives me loves in the morning. A BIG, squeezy hug that makes me so happy.
2. His baby teeth. He hasn't lost one yet. :) This also makes me happy.
3. How he loves to wear dress pants. He prefers the khaki, but loves the navy blue ones his cousin gave him last month.
4. How he just knew how to read one day! Seriously, we never even practiced.
5. How his face lights up when I bring a really good snack after school.
6. How he suddenly "falls asleep" when he doesn't want to walk in from the car or walk upstairs when it's time for bed. I say "Oh, look who's asleep! Everybody whisper so we don't wake him up . . . " Then one of us carries him like a baby to his room.

I love you, Carter bear.

You light up my life

2011-11-22T00:10:00.001+01:00

Dear Dave,

Today is your birthday. It's one of those things I know you'd rather brush over because it's one more year gone and it's not coming back.

But maybe this birthday will mark the start of your best year ever. I have seen you change over the last 17 birthdays. There was the birthday where you were kinda fat, and the one where you made all that money. There was the birthday where you had a couple of grey hairs, and the one when you were in great shape.

I watched as you turned 25 and lamented that things would never be the same. Then at 30, you were sure that life was over. At 35 your personal crisis of faith sent us all into tailspin. And at 40 you looked better than ever.

So here you are, 41 years old. No big milestone, no giant party. Just another day where you will talk on the phone, go to the gym and eat some cake that I will bake you in our tiny kitchen.

But for me, it will be one of the best days ever. I will get to see you smiling, laughing, maybe even dancing, like I've never seen you before. I will get to hold your hand, hug you tightly and whisper "I love you" into your ear.

I will get to listen to your voice from the other room, trying to make your dreams come true via Skype and TeamViewer and your cell phone. And we will have lunch together. And do the dishes. And pick up the kids from school.

I'm the lucky one today. I feel special, because of you. Your life means everything to me, because it brings meaning to mine. So I won't brush over this day, because you mean too much to me. You truly light up my life. Happy Birthday.

Love,
Stasha

To honor your and your special day, here is the list of the top 41 songs of 1970:

1	YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE	DEBBY BOONE
2	BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER	SIMON & GARFUNKEL
3	JOY TO THE WORLD	THREE DOG NIGHT
4	THE FIRST TIME EVER I SAW YOUR FACE	ROBERTA FLACK
5	ALONE AGAIN(NATURALLY)	GILBERT O'SALLIVAN
6	TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT	ROD STEWART
7	AMERICAN PIE	DON MCLEAN
8	HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE	BEE GEES
9	STAYIN' ALIVE	BEE GEES
10	MY SHARONA	KNACK
11	ONE BAD APPLE	OSMONDS
12	SHADOW DANCING	ANDY GIBB
13	MAGGIE MAY	ROD STEWART
14	IT'S TOO LATE	CAROLE KING
15	MY SWEET LORD	GEORGE HARRISON
16	NIGHT FEVER	BEE GEES
17	SILLY LOVE SONGS	WINGS
18	LE FREAK	CHIC
19	I'LL BE THERE	JACKSON 5
20	BEST OF MY LOVE	EMOTIONS
21	HOW CAN YOU MEND A BROKEN HEART	BEE GEES
22	A HORSE WITH NO NAME	AMERICA
23	(THEY LONG TO BE)CLOSE TO YOU	CARPENTERS
24	BAD GIRLS	DONNA SUMMER
25	REUNITED	PEACHES & HERB
26	I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW	JOHNNY NASH
27	TIE A YELLOW RIBBON ROUND THE OLE OAK TREE	DAWN FEATURING TONY ORLANDO
28	MY LOVE	WINGS
29	YOU'RE SO VAIN	CARLY SIMON
30	AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH	DIANA ROSS
31	RAINDROPS KEEP FALLIN' ON MY HEAD	B.J. THOMAS
32	LOVE WILL KEEP US TOGETHER	CAPTAIN & TENNILLE
33	HOT STUFF	DONNA SUMMER
34	WITHOUT YOU	NILSSON
35	DA YA THINK I'M SEXY	ROD STEWART
36	CROCODILE ROCK	ELTON JOHN
37	I WILL SURVIVE	GLORIA GAYNOR
38	AMERICAN WOMAN	GUESS WHO
39	LET IT BE	BEATLES
40	I JUST WANT TO BE YOUR EVERYTHING	ANDY GIBB
41	I HONESTLY LOVE YOU	OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN

The time we lost Carter . . . again.

2011-11-21T15:41:00.000+01:00

I don't know if it's because he is our fourth child and sometimes we just lose track of the poor kid, or that he's incredibly stubborn and does what he wants or he just merely has a terrible sense of direction . . . but we can't seem to stop losing Carter.

There was the time we lost him in the Wal-Mart on 83rd Avenue when I was trying to buy Abby her first bra. After the instituted a CODE ADAM, he was found in the Automotive department on the other side of the store.

Then a couple of years ago we lost him in Carcassonne:

Yeah, that was fun. Although I was still shy about speaking French, I was yelling out left and right looking "For a boy in an orange jacket"! People just looked away.

After our appointment at the consulate, we drove south a bit to Hermosa Beach, to see our friend Ed Kushins.

Ed and his wife are just finishing up a major renovation on their house, which is beautiful,

and just steps from the sandy beach. That's the beach, back there after that house on the left.

We took a tour of the house, talked about the awesome little water heater in the upstairs closet and how nice carpet feels in a bedroom and the little apartment over the garage in back that still needs renovation.

And then that little nagging thing in the back of every mother's head started turning.

"Where's Carter?" I asked.

Kid one: "I dunno."

Kid two: "Maybe he's upstairs?"

Kid three: "He left."

A quick zip around the house confirmed that he was not there. His shoes, which had been sitting by the front door, were gone, along with his new "Yoshi" stuffed animal, I was pretty sure he was gone. I just hoped he wasn't long gone. There's no Code ADAM at the beach.

I knew Sam wasn't telling me the whole story when I asked him why he thought Carter might have left.

The "he was mad" answer is usually prefaced with an entire story about Sam doing something to annoy Carter on purpose. Which naturally, makes him mad. And then he gets all crazy and thinks he's 25 instead of 5 and starts walking.

Here is a map to give you an idea of what we were dealing with:

Point "A" is Ed's house. Point "B" is where we parked the car. Hermosa Avenue is a fairly large street, with parallel parking along the sidewalk. Ed's house is down a pedestrian only lane, so we had to park around the corner a few hundred feet.

I immediately went to the car, thinking that maybe I heard Carter say something like "let's leave this place" before I realized he had vanished. I was actually disappointed when I reached the rented minivan to find it locked up tight and no little boy hiding inside.

I went back toward Ed's to see if maybe Carter was at the beach, playing in the sand. No luck there. I looped back around toward the from the other side, calling Carter's name. I had just passed the van again when a guy from a balcony above me called down.

"Are you looking for a little kid, holding some kind of doll?" he asked.

"YES!" I replied. I'm not sure if it came out as a scream or not. "Did you see where he went?"

"Well, I asked him where he was going, but he wouldn't answer me. He tried to get into that car right there, then he started walking down the street. I told him to be careful of the cars."

The guy had pointed the direction away from Ed's house, so I took off running. A lady standing in the entrance of a thrift shop asked me if I needed help.

"Well, I lost my little boy. Did you see a little boy alone walking by?" I said.

"You should call 911. Here, you can use my phone."

I stood there for a second and actually wondered to myself if I was allowed to call 911 for a lost boy. I really need to stop worrying about "the rules" so much. Geez.

I dialed 911. I explained that we were visiting from out of town and I couldn't find my son. She asked me my name, my location, and his name, age, and a basic description. Then she asked me to hold.

A few seconds went by and another lady picked up and asked me the same information. I was barely finished answering her questions when she said,

"We have your son."

Whoa! Hermosa Beach police had Carter. I immediately wondered how long he had truly been gone and how the police came to have him.

"Stay at your location and we will bring him to you."

My heart stopped pounding so hard and I took a deep breath. Carter was ok. I need to have a gps chip inserted under his skin behind his ear. After a few minutes of pacing up and down the sidewalk, I saw Dave off in the distance. I called for him and I told him what happened.

"Where did they find him?" he asked. I didn't have an answer, but I would shortly, because just then I saw the police cruiser driving toward us. He pulled up right next to "Granny Takes a Trip", where Dave and I were anxiously waiting.

Carter was cooly sitting in the front passenger seat holding his Yoshi. Obviously the officer didn't know that it's "against the law" to sit in the front seat if you're not even six years old.

When he got out of the car, I scooped him up and gave him a big hug.

"I was scared when I couldn't find you, Carkie. Were you scared too?" I tried to hold the tears back by scrunching up my face, but in the end that just makes me look ugly when they finally start to fall. Nobody tells you how much you're going to cry once you become a mother. They should give lessons in how to do it gracefully.

The officer explained that a woman was driving along and noticed Carter walking alone. She thought that it was odd that a boy so small was alone on such a big road, so she stopped.

"I asked him if he knew where his parents were, but he just turned his head away and kept walking," she told Dave when he called to thank her. She had left her number with the police.

Thankfully she decided to stop and call the police, who came and picked him up.

"So where was he found?" I asked.

"26th Street."

That's 10 blocks! Just north of "Point C" on my little map. That boy of ours is one stubborn kid. I'm pretty sure when he couldn't get into the car he tried to get back to Ed's house, but didn't recognize anything so he didn't know when to turn left. So he just kept on walking. I'm just grateful for nice people that kept him from harm's way that day. Ed says it might have been the most exciting thing the Hermosa Beach police have had to do all year.

Juliette's 7th Birthday

2011-11-18T15:27:00.001+01:00

I'm trying to write a little story over here, but it's taking longer than I thought. So, I'll take a few minutes to share cousin Juliette's birthday party with you. She waited a few extra weeks to celebrate so that we could be there. We went straight from the airport to the party!

Dave only has one sister, and she clearly got all of the entertaining talent in the family.

She made these cute little party packs for each guest

Hello, she even labeled the water bottles!

A pinata, of course. Hers probably didn't cost 25 euros.

And here's when Juliette broke the string that was holding up the pinata.

The kids played lots of fun games, including "Pass the Bubble"

Later when they were doing crafts inside, I caught my niece Scarlett writing her name on a gift bag. Hee hee. Scralet.

This cake was amazing.

With a rainbow middle, of course!

This was such a cute game. The birthday girl was blindfolded and each guest would take their turn and stand behind her with their gift. In a funny voice they would say "Happy Birthday Juliette" and see if she could guess who it was.

Then little brother woke from his nap and started disrupting the party.

But he's so cute you can't be mad at him too long.

It was a great party and we're so glad we got to be there to help celebrate!

Some crazy french dudes

2011-11-16T01:01:00.001+01:00

I just watched this video I saw on the blog A Cup of Jo:

Despite my fear of heights, I find this intriguiging. I would be willing to try it over water, like they did near the beginning of the preview. But my favorite part about this clip was that I could understand without the subtitles. :)

Jetlag

2011-11-16T00:32:00.001+01:00

It's after midnight and I can't sleep, again. This morning I jolted awake at 7:57 because I realized there was light shining through my window. Light = late!

School drop off is between 8:20 and 8:30.

You've never seen people moving so fast around here in your life! It's a good thing Sam sleeps in his clothes. Seriously, am I the best mother in the world or what?

Everybody was dressed and in the car by 8:03 when I peeled out of the gravel driveway to hit up the boulangerie before school. I dropped Sophie off in the alley with 5 euros and drove around to the street side to get her and the bag of pain au chocolats.

We actually made it to school at the exact same time we arrive every other day.

Then I went back home and fell asleep until 11:17. Ugh.

Some random thoughts as I wait to feel sleepy again . . .

- Carter really needs to stop pouring so much milk in his cereal. It is so gross when I have to clean up what he didn't eat. I'm going to start making HIM pour it down the toilet (no disposal here!)

- I love the floor heating we had installed during phase I of the renovation. I'm SUPER bummed about the part that doesn't work in the kitchen - RIGHT where you would stand to use the sink, the dishwasher, the oven . . . huge bummer. (Yeah, we yelled at people and kept part of their money due. We'll try to fix it when we do phase II).

- I'm really sad that our internet service provider finally gave us the "Official Warning" that we have been illegally downloading stuff. Not to worry, though, the backup plan is already in place so I can continue watching my beloved American TV. (Thanks, GWB).

- I should have brought more fake cherry pop-tarts back with me from the US. Dangit, those are yummy. I would totally eat one right now if I had any left.

Wish me luck falling asleep.

How to get a VISA de Long Sejour for France

2011-11-14T13:02:00.001+01:00

If you are a US Citizen and live (meaning your American driver's license or student i.d. is from one of these states) in Southern California, Arizona, Colorado, Southern Nevada or New Mexico and want to apply for a Long Stay Visitor Visa for France at the French Consulate in Santa Monica, California (Los Angeles), this post is for you.

If you have enough money to support yourself in France, then France will probably let you in. Unless you're a criminal, then you might want to just stay where you are.

LONG STAY VISITOR VISA is for someone who wants to stay in France longer than the basic 3 month period given to pretty much any US Citizen. Do you absolutely, 100% need this visa? Probably not, but if you want to get one because you like to follow the rules and don't want to get rejected trying to enter the UK from France on a consistent basis or be hassled by Delta Airlines, you might want one.

Here is the list according to the French Consulate Website:

Original passport (+ ONE COPY of the identity pages)

Must be valid for at least six months after your return to the US
Has least two blank pages left to affix the visa (amendment pages are not suitable for visas).
Has been delivered less than 10 years ago (date of first issuance)
Be in good condition (i.e. not torn or damaged)

Refugee travel documents and US Re-entry permits are not accepted.
Diplomatic and special passports are not accepted

Processing fee (Visa or Mastercard only)

One long stay visa APPLICATION FORM filled out completely and signed by the applicant.
Please remember to indicate a date of departure from the US to France on question number 26.

TWO (2) PASSPORT PHOTOS. Do not glu or staple. All photographs must be recent, in color on a plain white background, of full front view, taken facing the camera. No side or angled view are acceptable. Passport size. No hat, no veil.

One OFII RESIDENCE FORM duly filled out (upper part only). Minors under 18 years old are not required to complete this form.
For further information, please check the residence permit page.

The French immigration (OFII) form should be filled out by applicants who will be staying in France for more than six months (180 days and above)

Signed letter promising not to engage in any paid activity in France Recent Police Clearance to be obtained from local police station
PROOF OF FINANCIAL MEANS :

Your last 3 monthly personal bank statements and/or savings showing monthly balance and your name

PROOF OF MEDICAL COVERAGE ABROAD :

A letter from your insurance company stating that you are covered abroad or a travel insurance to be purchased from a travel agency (minimum amount of 50,000 US$).
The letter must stipulate that the coverage is valid outside the U.S, worldwide or overseas ("out of area" is not acceptable).

PROOF OF ACCOMMODATION IN FRANCE (title deeds, lease or rental agreement signed).

For accompanying spouse: Marriage license

For all accompanying children: Birth certificate

for all minors: proof of registration / enrollment in a school in France

A self-addressed FedEx Express "US Airbill" and FedEx enveloppe. Please fill out your own address twice (you are the sender AND the recipient).
We will NOT accept other methods of delivery: (NO USPS, NO UPS, NO FedEx "Ground" service)

Here are the steps to obtaining the Long Stay Visitor Visa:

Follow the instructions here to make an appointment. If you have a Mac, too bad. Go find a PC. You can make and cancel appointments, but you have to make an appointment for each person in your family.

Fight your way through horrible traffic to arrive at your appointment on time. Or, leave super early and hang out at the McDonald's down the street and use their free internet while you wait. You can also park there and walk, it's just across the road and down a bit. The parking all around the consulate building is marked "permit only" for the residents and the garage under the building is a TOTAL RIP-OFF!

The visa office is a really small room at the back of the building.

-You ring the bell and the guard sitting just inside will tell you if you can come in or if you have to wait.

-When he buzzes you in, you go through the x-ray machine.

-He checks to make sure you have an appointment and looks at your passport to make sure you're you. -You go in and wait your turn.

-A lady is sitting behind a glass window and she will speak to you in English. She will not ask if you speak French. She doesn't care.

-She will ask for each paper in a certain order, and you slip it through a little slot like at the movie theater.

-She will staple one of your passport photos to your application. She will not use the required second one.

-You will pay her some money with your credit card.

-She will take your picture. (So don't look bad!)

You will repeat this process for each person in your party. That is why they want you to make individual appointments for each person, even though you may be going in as a family.

If you forget to bring a copy of your passport or children's birth certificates, she will tell you to go to the Kinko's down the road and make a copy. You will park free for one hour in the Beverly Hills shopping parking garage and exit right by the Kinko's. But then you will walk across the street to the place that is advertising copies that are cheaper than Kinko's. Because you are thrifty like that.

You will bring the copies back before noon, because that's when they all clear out for lunch.

**Here is My List, which is the same, with some notes:**

The application

2 passport photos (you can take them yourself if you have a white wall)

OFII residence form (the lady stamps this paper and you take it with you to France)

Your passport

A copy of your passport

Police clearance letter (Arizona provides only a letter stating that they will not provide this)

3 months bank statements (we printed our online statements and that was accepted)

Proof of medical coverage abroad (You can buy a policy if you don't have one)

A signed letter stating you will not work in France

Proof of accommodation (lease, gas bill, letter from a friend who is loding you)

FedEx envelope (Can definitely be used for up to five passports, but after that, I'm not sure)

For your children:

Application

2 passport photos

Their passport

A copy of their passport

Birth certificate (they want to see the real thing, then keep a copy for the file)

A copy of their birth certificate

A letter from the school they will attend in France if you have a school already

The process doesn't take very long, and the people are polite, but serious. I went to our original appointment and turned in my paperwork, then we made a new appointment for three days later for the kids, as they hadn't yet arrived in LA. I forgot copies of my passport and Dave had our proof of accommodation, so she added those papers to my file when I came back with the kids.

The next Tuesday our passports with their fancy new visas glued inside arrived at Dave's parent's house in Arizona. et Voila! That's how you do it.

The obvious follow-up question might be, "well, how do you WORK in France?" I'll get back to you when I figure that one out.

Psychic Reading

2011-11-14T12:10:00.001+01:00

A very good friend of mine often talks to psychics. She also talk to healers, and once she spoke with a witch. I'm not sure what the difference is between all of these "clairvoyant" type people, but I have been intrigued since my friend was told that she would be re-married by the time she was 42. The jury is still out on that prediction, but during my vacation I had to have my own psychic reading.

I was dying to know what exactly that entailed, so maybe you would like to know as well?

Well first of all, you have to pay. You don't get something for nothing, right? So once I had sent my $50 via paypal to Katrina, we were all set for our 30 minute phone call.

My friend thrust a pad of paper and pen toward me as I waited for the phone to ring.

"You're going to want to take notes," she instructed.

The phone rang, and I excitedly answered.

(I've never spoken with Katrina before. Katrina doesn't know anything about me.)

Katrina asked my name and date of birth, and then she started talking:

"Things have been really, really stressful for a while. You need a small break. You should take a weekend off if you can."

(Well, right there I thought she was doing pretty well. After all, I had just left my husband with our four kids for TEN days so I could be alone after a very stressful spring and an even more stressful summer.)

"I see a vacation. I see your Mother. I can't tell if she's with you on vacation or she's watching your kids. I'm not sure".

(The weekend prior, just a couple of days after arriving in San Diego, I decided to get in the rental car and drive to my sister's house in Arizona where my Mother would be for a few days helping her with her newborn baby.)

Then she asked me if I had a boyfriend, and I told her I had a husband.

"Your relationship will get better in November" she said. (Things hadn't been so great since April, and I have to say, they've been pretty great since November. ;))

"Is there an anniversary in November? I see some kind of celebration." (I answered that Dave's birthday is in November)

She went on to say, "He has been afraid of getting older, but that will change. He will appreciate you more and things will get better over the year." (If anyone knows Dave, he has been afraid of his age since he turned 25!)

"Think more positively of him and appreciate him more" she added.

"Your husband will become more active and involved. That's good. I see him on the floor, playing with the kids. He is taking care of them. He will see your side and why you've been wanting things to be a certain way. He will see it your way." (After caring for the kids for ten days straight, that just might be true! :)

Then she asked me if there was someone who was five years old in my house. (Carter is five)

"When there is nobody 5 or under in the house the atmosphere will change - a huge shift". (Remember how we call Carter "the Human Wrecking Ball?")

Then she re-iterated that I really need a vacation and that I "need to be ALONE once a month so I'm not so bitchy."

(I was laughing to myself because that is soooo true about me).

***She asked me if I had any questions, so I asked her if we should stay in France**

"It's the right place to be. They money comes from France. It will work." (This was her direct response after the question, I said nothing more).

"Your husband is a dynamic man not mean to work for other people"

"He will team up with somebody. He's worried, it's a grounded person but sometimes elusive but doesn't follow through. But it will work with that person."

(I was really intrigued by what she was saying here, because all I asked was if we should stay in France. She didn't know that Dave has been developing a software product for the private car industry since last year and that he has always been dissatisfied working for someone else, which is why we are struggling as he tries to get this thing off the ground with just our limited funds and one programmer in Pakistan).

"In February there will be a huge change. When it comes, embrace it. You will know it's good, so just embrace it." (hmmm, weird. can't wait until february!)

**She asked me if I was doing a project. Something with writing.***

I told her I have been writing a blog for a few years and I wanted to write a book. She said:

"You NEED to do that. You MUST do the book. You need to do it now while the passion is still in you. Before the holidays. Three chapters will come out fast, but then you will be blocked. Don't worry, it will come in waves.

Somebody is looking for this. Somebody else needs to look at it. Edit. This person is sincere and they will be helpful. They will know how to slice it apart.

This will open a career. It's meant to be."

(That's so great! I'm so excited I could dance around my laundry room!)

But then she said . . .

"There is another child that wants to come to your family. A girl. It is mean to be."

I guess you can't believe everything a psychic says, right?

Look what I found . . .

2011-11-14T11:05:00.001+01:00

. . . on the side of the road this morning!

I was driving the kids to school and this bed was sitting there, just waiting for me to come back and pick it up on my way home. So I did!

Just for giggles I went on ebay to look for beds like this and I found this one.

Now I just need to find a room for this one . . . looks like it's time to find some money to build that extension we got permission to build!

Happy Monday.

2011-11-12T21:32:00.001+01:00

Hermosa Beach, CA

I drove from San Diego to Manhattan Beach to see one of my oldest friends (not in age, but in time) and hang out with her until Dave was to arrive on Sunday evening with the kids.

I had been on my own for well over a week and was excited to see them and get our appointment at the French Consulate in Santa Monica over with. Dave had an appointment there in August and had his passport with visa in hand three days later. So now, after four years, it was our turn to get legal.

Unfortunately, that appointment would be missed by all but me! Dave called from Heathrow to tell me they had missed the flight.

"I lost Carter's passport" he explained.

"Then they found it at security five minutes after the flight had taken off."

I felt pretty bad for him, actually. I had flown with all four kids by myself on several occasions and it requires organizational skills that most normal humans don't possess and a level of patience I don't actually have, so I'm not sure how I managed all those times alone, frankly.

So missing the flight forced them to stay the night in London and take the first flight to LA the following morning.

One little problem: to leave the airport, you have to go through customs. And the customs people at Heathrow don't exactly love Dave.

"Have you ever been refused entry on British soil?" they ask.

Let's just say that when you have to answer "yes" to this questions, the time you will spend wasting away in a room with no access to your cell phone or the outside world immediately jumps from zero to a minimum of three hours.

Three hours with four children who have already been waiting in the airport for hours for a flight they missed.

They finally let them out, confiscating everyone's passport, so they could go find a hotel in which to spend the night.

Perhaps they were afraid that Dave was going to take to the children to our secret home in England where we had been secretly living for the last seven years where I would be waiting for them to secretly laugh at them behind their backs while watching episodes of "AMERICA's got talent" and eating secret jars of peanut butter.

At least that's why they originally started refusing Dave entry into the United Kingdom.

But in the end they finally made it to LA a day late, which messed up our entire week. We had to reschedule at the consulate and waste a full day driving to and from LA later in the week. We managed to make the best of it, not even knowing that that wouldn't be the worst thing that would happen to us that week!

Home

2011-11-10T15:41:00.001+01:00

After 26 days in the States: I'm home! We are all home, safe and sound.

We came home to our little stone house with an empty fridge that need a good scrubbing and bleaching after the power outage rotted all the food (thanks to Maureen for getting rid of it!).

The bags of leftover Halloween candy have been helping us through the jetlag and cleaning up all the dust from when the window people installed the screens while I was gone. (Too bad we didn't get that done during the summer mosquito-fest!)

I uploaded the 703 pictures I took while I was gone and can't wait to post some of them.

A letter was waiting for us saying that the driver of our Renault Scenic was filmed pumping gas at the AVIA station off the A8 freeway but never paid for it. Unfortunately, that was Dave, on the way home from our trip to Marseille last month. He got distracted by something and well, forgot to pay!

The weather changed while we were gone and our wisteria is no longer lush and green, but rather thin and reddish-brown. It rained hard for five days and there was flooding in the Var (the next department over) and a little bit near us in another town. Thank goodness I missed that!

A few highlights from my trip:

My sister had a baby and I got to meet her:

I got to catch up with good friends:

Sam played baseball for the first time:

Two hours before we got on the plane, we snapped some pictures. (Carter must have been looking at a different camera!)

It was great to get away, but it feels so good to be home! More stories to come . . .

Update from America

2011-11-01T05:39:00.002+01:00

My little vacation alone is over . . . but last Monday when I picked up my little family at LAX I literally cried! It was so great to be alone, then so wonderful to see my family stumble out of customs.

Stories I need to tell later:

- Dave getting stuck at Heathrow (again!) but with all the kids this time
- Being "read" by a psychic for the first time in my life
- Carter and the police (again!)
- Trick or Treating
- Calorie content posted on menus in California

We are having so much fun! I'll be back to regularly posting soon!

Radio Silence

2011-10-13T09:39:00.000+02:00

Going offline . . . and on vacation all by myself! Not sure when I'll be connected again . . . quiet time, here I come!

Treasures in the Attic: Trunks

2011-10-12T13:07:00.000+02:00

Sunny days with not much on the schedule means a little trip to the attic, of course! One day I'm going to be really sad when we've found all the treasures up there . . .

Dave pulled out a few trunks that looked like they could be saved and he got to work with the sander.

This little one was full of leather straps. Not sure what they were for, but I doubt the lady who owned the house before us did, either. That's why they were still sitting in this box.

There was a teeny piece of paper glued inside, written in what appears to be German. The date is July 2, 1940.

This box was filthy, just absolutely covered with dirt and dust. It was empty and didn't have any markings on it.

The third trunk I forgot to take a before picture. It is the biggest trunk we pulled out of the attic, and also the flimsiest. The wood was really thin and the inside was covered with paper that had a very tiny print on it. It almost looked like wallpaper, but was too thin. So I'll start the after pictures with that trunk:

I put it in the family room to hold all the random toys that end up down there. The kids aren't allowed to sit on it, because I'm quite certain it would break immediately.

The two little trunks are just hanging around until I figure out what to do with them. I personally love the way the really dirty one turned bluish purple when we sanded it. For now it is sitting in our bedroom. We varnished all of them to make them nice and smooth. Now I think I have to go back and varnish the piece we sanded for the living room with all the cubbies in it. We didn't do it initially because I thought I wouldn't like the aspect of the wood like that, but I actually do. Voila! Some more little treasures from the attic for you.

Birthday Do-over

2011-10-10T22:27:00.002+02:00

When Sam turned 9 in July, nobody could come to his party! So we threw a little do-over party this weekend . . .

It was total insanity. In the end, there were seventeen boys running around our yard and house for a few hours. Why oh why did I vacuum BEFORE the party?!

Because boys do a lot of this:

Nice tire.

And then we pulled out these:

Which was absolutely hilarious. It took like 40 minutes to get the boys divided into teams and explain the rules. It is very difficult to get boys to NOT touch water balloons. Each team had a bunch of small water balloons, and one giant one. The teams had to try and break each other's giant balloon. If you got hit, you had to go out of the game for 30 seconds.

Look at the joy:

Just absolute, pure joy.
(Too bad I didn't use the right shutter speed! oops)

After that, the pinata came out:

After one hit, we were quite certain it was going to break. And since I had spent 25 euros on it (after trying to make one--total disaster) I wanted it to last through at least one hit for each kid! So we duct taped it together:

But then . . . .you guessed it! It wouldn't break!

It didn't even break when Dave hit it. So I had to undo the duct tape and then finally the candy came out. You would have thought there was gold in there. We had INJURIES. Scraped knees, scraped elbows. All for some mini twix and bubble gum! Everybody had a snack before we sang to Sam . . .

Not sure if you can tell from this photo . . . but do you see Dave's arms? He is covering his ears. Because 17 boys SCREAMING the "Happy Birthday" song is pretty loud. But totally worth it.

French Farmhouse Post Update

2011-10-07T15:54:00.001+02:00

So Rick says to me, "You don't know the difference between lavendar and rosemary!?"

And then he reminded me that the "lime" tree is actually a Meyer lemon.

And then he said, "The cat won't leave, so basically it's ours."

Hmmm, there may be a crime taking place in Mougins very, very, soon.

In the meantime, you should check out the site he made for his house here.

A Painting of Mougins

2011-10-04T19:31:00.001+02:00

One day this summer I was bored, so I painted this:

It's a scene from the old village of Mougins. I really like painting, even though I don't really know what I'm doing. I watched some videos on YouTube about painting trees and just kind of guessed on everything else.

I really want to go back to the art class I went to a couple of years ago in Mouans Sartoux, I just need to make some time.

What should I paint next?

Another Beautiful French Farmhouse

2011-10-03T19:47:00.002+02:00

Our newly found American neighbors (for 1/2 the year) live a kilometer down the road in a house even older than ours.

One evening we went over for dinner and I was delighted with all the beautiful plants they have in their lush yard.

Our yard is currently a big pile of dirt and gravel, some leftover stuff from renovations, a pile of wood from the tree Dave and Rick cut down one day and a heap load of mosquitoes that continually invade our home and drive me absolutely insane.

But someday my yard might look this pretty . . .

They have an amazing swimming pool - the exact kind I picture when I think "South of France"

They have an old basin in their yard, just like us!

It's a beautiful fountain, with these cute little plants floating in it. I want a fountain in my basin!

Some pretty orange hibiscus

Lavender, bien sur

A giant, overflowing glycine (Wisteria), just like us!

An awesome fountain, filled with goldfish!

Planters filled with colorful flowers

A guest house! It's called the bergerie, because that's what it used to be. . . a sheep house.

I love the planter boxes filled with color and the beam.

They have cool shutters . . . look familiar? 2 points if you know what I'm talking about.

Lime tree - why not?

More beautiful flowers, and I love their iron windows.

Another shot of their amazing pool. Pam wishes it were bigger, but it seems just right.

A giant basin - used to gather water that used to be used to water the farmer's crops.

And a white cat. Snow white with clear blue eyes. If I didn't despise animal hair, I would have stolen it from their house. It's not even theirs, actually, it belongs to a neighbor.

Another day I'll give you a tour of the inside of their house . . . it's lovely. I just need to ask them if I can come over and take pictures!

Musings on our French Life

2011-09-29T18:09:00.000+02:00

I was thinking the other day how my blog must be kind of boring now that things in France aren't that mysterious anymore. Occasionally interesting things still happen, but we've kind of gotten over the general "awe" I think we used to feel just stepping outside the house.

I know I could learn a lot more French and improve my accent (although my friends always tell me "don't lose your accent -- it's so cute!" . . . as if I can control that, anyway).

I like to listen to French radio when I'm in the car so I can hear the words roll off native speaker's tongues and learn new expressions. I can pretty much understand everything now, even if I could never express myself in the same way in my second language.

I know I've changed since we arrived here four years ago, on many different levels.

I have found that this part of France has a wonderful variety of places to go and things to see.
I still love hearing French being spoken, especially between our children.
I like an occasional coupe de champagne at parties, watching the old people gather for lunch at the foyer next door to our house and the many breaks from school.
I have learned to tolerate red wine, salmon and crazy drivers.
I still hate foie gras, and mushrooms, stinky cheese and cigarettes.

Sometimes I wish that I could pick up our entire town and plant it smack dab in the middle of Phoenix, or somehow force everyone I love to move to France. I know neither of these things will ever happen, so I just enjoy my time here when I'm here, and look forward to the times when I get to see the people I love, whether in the US or on the very rare occasion that someone comes to see us here. (hint, hint).

Three years ago my sister-in-law asked me if I could live here forever, and I told her I didn't know. I still don't know the answer to that question, but I think about it a lot less as time goes by. Life is long and I'm not even halfway through it yet, so it's better to just live day to day and enjoy the little things than worrying about this or that.

I know that I would be sad if my kids didn't get to experience a high school football game, or prom and some of those other typically American things. So I'm sure one day the winds will change and blow us back across the ocean . . . but not yet. I don't think our French story is quite finished.

Renewing Passports in Marseille

2011-09-28T16:37:00.001+02:00

The kids needed their passports renewed in anticipation of our upcoming trip to the U.S. But since they are under the age of 16, were required to take them to our closest passport agency, which is in Marseille.

So last Wednesday we all got in the car at 9 am and hit the road for the nearly two hour drive. The kids were busy playing with electronic items and Dave and I were chatting and complaining about how much the tolls were going to cost us. We're whiny like that.

The GPS managed to get us right next to the Consulate and we found a teeny tiny parking spot in the underground garage right next door. Literally, everyone had to get out of the car so I could back it in to the spot!

When we walked outside from the garage, we couldn't actually see the Consulate anywhere. There was a French prefecture with a guard standing in front, and when Dave asked him, he pointed behind us. The Consulate was tucked into this little corner behind some barriers littering the sidewalk. I guess the only clue might have been the dried up bouquet of flowers someone had left there on 9/11.

A guard appeared at the huge iron gate and asked us why we were there. He was obviously American, but had lived in France for 30 years! He was very stern and asked for identification, which I passed through the bars.

He took me and the girls through the gate, where we had to place all electronic items in a plastic bag. I was given a plastic number so I could retrieve our things when we were through. Then we had to go through the x-ray machine like at the airport.

Apparently there were some questionable items in my purse, including a McDonald's toy, my car key and a USB key that I didn't even know was in there to begin with. Abby had to remove her headphones and her house key from her purse.

Dave and the boys went through the same process and we all ended up in a waiting room where they were showing some kind of program on TV in English and had stacks of American magazines, mostly from 2009. They also had a wonderful little room filled with toys where the three younger kids immediately disappeared to for the next 40 minutes.

There was an office behind a row of glass windows, something like an old bank. I had to pass my files through a little slot. The woman on the other side went through each application and verified the kids birth certificates. Apparently Sam's birth certificate said "Scottsdale" and on the application I had written "Phoenix", so I had to change it before she would accept it.

When I gave her the photos, she said, "Did you take these yourself?"

I told her I did, and she replied

"I can tell."

But she accepted them anyway. :)

A very nice man appeared out of nowhere that obviously worked there and we talked with him while the lady shuffled through the papers. He was American, originally from Guyana. He moved to the States when he was 17 and had worked in the foreign service for a very long time. He told us his oldest son was just starting University in Arizona and his younger son, 17, was at boarding school in Switzerland.

He called all the kids up to verify that they matched up with their birth certificates and photos, then had Dave and I sign each application.

Then Dave paid $105 for each passport and it was time to go. We forgot to bring in our pre-paid envelope, so when we left we had to run down the street to la Poste and get one. 23 euros! ouch. Dave somehow lost his little plastic number to retrieve his bag of electronics, and the guard was a little befuddled. I mean, how can you lose the number?

Dave had put it in the plastic bag with the stuff.

We dropped it off at the security gate and then headed to lunch. We grabbed sandwiches at a little place on the street and let the kids get a "granita" or slushie. Abby chose the best flavor - strawberry banana. Sam's "bleu tropical" was ok, and Carter's cola was like bad couch medicine.

We didn't have much time because we needed to get back to Mougins, but we did pop into the Nike store to drool over the France Rugby team shirts. If Dave is a good boy maybe he will get one for his birthday!

All in all it was a smooth, pleasant experience. It has been one week, so I'm curious to see how much time it will take total to get the passports back. Oh, they did punch the old passports right there and give them back to me, so until the new ones come, the kids aren't going anywhere!

Treasures in the Attic: I LOVE THIS!

2011-09-27T20:49:00.001+02:00

Dave was once again poking around in the attic and he found my ABSOLUTE, #1, ALL-TIME FAVORITE treasure so far!!!!!

Just rolled up, hiding in the corner, minding its own business . . . .

A 7 foot long map of PARIS from 1903! How wonderful! You probably didn't know that in our house in Arizona, we had maps of all the places we've lived or loved.

But this is a HUGE map of Paris!

I mean, REALLY huge! And it's mounted on canvas, so we will be able to frame it!

Can you tell by the number of exclamation points in this post that I REALLY LOVE THIS MAP?! I know exactly where I want to hang it once we get it framed. Of course, I have no idea how to get a map framed here, but I am going to find out!

Hooray for the attic! Hooray for maps!

Good News!

2011-09-27T20:41:00.004+02:00

Abby was accepted into the Theater program at school!

Bathtime bubbles

2011-09-23T15:19:00.002+02:00

I walked in the bathroom the other night and saw Sam creating these:

All you need is a bar of soap!

Goodbye Summer

2011-09-22T15:02:00.000+02:00

The mornings are crisp and Sam begged me last night to find his long sleeved shirts that I've stowed away somewhere in the attic. But the days are still nice and warm, so I convinced him it would be okay to wear short sleeves and just throw on a jacket in the morning.

But summer is officially over, so we're saying "so long" to a few things . . . until next year, that is!

So long, popcorn for breakfast . . .

So long, falling asleep on the floor while Mom works on her computer late at night. . .

So long, sleeping in until 11 am . . .

So long, chocolate on bread for lunch . . .

So long, hanging out in pj's and swimsuits all day . . .

So long, house parties until 2 am . . .

So long, dinner under the wisteria . . .

So long, summer . . .

We will miss you! xoxo

Decorating Dilemma

2011-09-21T18:23:00.000+02:00

So, I inherited this Dr.'s table/cart thing because I thought it would be a shame to just throw it in the trash. Surely it can be used for something!

One problem is that it has this weird smokey glass

Another problem is that at Castorama, the Home Depot of France, they didn't have many spray paint color choices!

So I grabbed this color, but I really don't like it. It would, of course, help if I knew what I was going to DO with this thing. My house is small, so I don't have a ton of places it can go, so maybe in the living room? Is there anything I can do with the glass? Should I even try, or just leave it alone? I'm not a paint expert (unless we're talking walls), but I'm pretty sure I need to spray it to get an even coat.

Any suggestions? Color inspirations? HELP! Let's save this cart!

Nirvana

2011-09-20T15:31:00.000+02:00

"When I was a missionary in Hong Kong, we weren't allowed to listen to music" Dave tells the kids, trapped in the back of the car on our way home from a day at the beach. He has been playing DJ with his iPod to his imprisoned audience.

"What?!" Sophie cries in horror. "I am never going to be a missionary". Sophie is 10.

"Then one day my partner came into our apartment and said, 'you have to listen to this'! And he played a song for me".

"Ugh. You're going to play old people music, aren't you?" sneers Abby.

Dave has a remarkable ability to block out all voices that aren't his own, and continues without even a pause.

"I hadn't heard music for like a year and I couldn't believe it. It was so good I was scared. I said, 'we have to turn this off'. BUT WE DIDN'T. That was 20 years ago!"

"SO HERE'S THE MYSTERY SONG!" he announces, grinning like the band was about to give us a live concert right there in our car.

While he's spinning the wheel on the iPod looking for his song, I whisper "It's Nirvana". Dave looks back at me, shocked. "How did you know that?" he whispers back. Apparently Dave also has the remarkable ability to tell the same story over and over without remembering.

The choppy opening riff fills the car . . .

"That's not so bad" Abby remarks in a truly surprised tone.

. . . and the drums crash into our 6 person club on wheels.

36 seconds in and the gov starts singing.

"Shhh," I say and squeeze his arm. "Let them listen for themselves."

Abby asks if she can download the song from iTunes.

When Cobain starts screaming about the lights, I turn down the volume. My ears have grown fragile in my old age.

Sophie does not like that one bit. "Hey, turn it back up!" she barks from the back seat.

Dave can't hold it in anymore at this point and starts belting out lyrics. His hands start playing air drums at lightning speed, alternately pounding the steering wheel and the air. He even manages to hit the beat of the cymbals by slamming his thumb and index finger together in perfect time.

Soon we're all banging our heads up and down, taken away by Smells Like Teen Spirit. I'm not a mother of four having a pre-mid-life crisis. Dave isn't an unemployed software developer. We forget that we have a mortgage to pay and that we had our kids too young. We're just a group hitting the road, the wind blowing our hair through the windows of our practical family car.

Because inside, we're all rock stars.

Last week was the 20th anniversary of the release of Nirvana's "Nevermind". A lot of people consider it to be the most important album of "our" generation.

Festival Internationale de la Gastronomie - Les Etoiles de Mougins

2011-09-19T11:33:00.001+02:00

On Saturday morning I took the kids and Sophie's friend Mailys to the 6th Annual Festival de la Gastronomie in Mougins.

They advertised an "Atelier Cuisine pour Enfants" and I signed up back in August. When I told the lady I had four kids, she said . . .

"No problem", they can all come.

"Great!" I thought "a fun family activity where the kids can all learn something cool!" We arrived just before ten a.m. like I was told to do. We had to drag Abby out of bed, so she was a little groggy.

Sam was intent on throwing Carter into the trash can while we waited for the mini class to start.

They told us it would start at 10:30.

They finally let us in the tent and we explored the little kitchens they set up for the classes. Very exciting!

Carter was ready to go!

Then they told me I had to choose ONE child. One parent, one child.

I felt like Meryl Streep.

When I realized what was on the menu, it made the decision a lot easier.

I'm pretty sure Carter wouldn't have been able to de-bone the quail.

But Abby did. She even cut off the head, then decided to stick her knife in it's eye socket. Did I tell you how much I hate touching raw meat?

But Abby didn't seem to mind. She followed the instructions, including taking off the skin.

They gave us a round of pastry, onto which she placed the quail breast, then a slice of foie gras, which I find repulsive. How can I live in this country where I can't even appreciate all of their delicacies?

Then another breast and the two legs. They were sprinkled with salt and pepper.

Then a few slices of truffles. I hate truffles even more than I don't like touching raw meat. It's a good thing Abby wasn't grossed out!

After she got everything wrapped up in the pastry, she turned it over to form a cute little "slipper" as the chef said.

Then a glaze of egg yellow . . .

Meanwhile, all the leftover quail bits, some olive oil, garlic, half an onion, some flour and water had been simmering on the stove.

The chef took out the onion and ground up everything else in a food processor. Then he strained it to get the lumps out.

When we pulled out the dish, he showed us how to check if it was done by inserting a knife through the side until it reached the middle. Then you pull it out and touch it with your tongue. If it's hot, it's done, if not, it's not!

As instructed, Abby cut her "chausson" (slipper) in half (at which point all the stuff inside slipped out and we had to scoop it back in!) and some sauce was spooned in the middle.

Then you have to taste your creation, of course!

I believe this was the moment Abby tasted truffle for the first time in her life.

As we were driving home for lunch, she kept gagging and saying "I can't get that taste out of my mouth!" I don't blame her.

But when the chef said we could take home the extra truffle, I didn't hesitate to scoop up every bit you saw on that plate above to take to our friends who love it! It may not be my taste, but I do recognize it's value!

I think Abby had a lot of fun, and the little kids eventually left to go play on the playground. I made it up to them later by making banana bread. All's well that end's well, right?

Attitude

2011-09-16T20:29:00.000+02:00

I've been meeting a lot of new people since the kids go to a new school this year. Honestly, I love it! It has really given me the confidence to branch out and has reminded me why we first wanted to come to France in the first place: to experience new things and meet new people!

One thing people naturally talk about with someone new is how many children you have. And because I've been talking with new people lately, the question has been asked several times in the last couple of weeks.

And it has become clear to me over the last four years here that French people react differently than Americans do when I tell them we have four kids. . . . .
At home, and I know I'm not the only one (most of my siblings as well as Dave's siblings have at least four children) who has encountered people in various situations (Costco, school, etc) who would say things like:

"Well, you certainly have your hands full!"

"Wow, you started young!"

"Oh, two was more than I could handle."

"Are you Catholic/Mormon/religious?"

But in France, people say things like:

"Oh, congratulations!"

"You're so lucky."

"What a beautiful family!"

Seriously, every time. People my age, old people, and today, a teenager! It is really, really nice. I can get pretty overwhelmed sometimes with my four kids, and start grumbling and wondering how we're going to afford to pay for college.

And then some stranger or soon to be friend comes along and reminds me that I AM lucky and I do have a beautiful family and then I just feel grateful to have these 4 little people in my life. xoxo

Homemade Tortillas

2011-09-15T21:40:00.000+02:00

After we met Rick & Pam, they invited us over to their cool house. It has a lot of similarities to ours, little details that made us wonder if the houses were built around the same time. They were smart enough to buy a house that had already been renovated. ;)

We compared house details and swapped stories about "life in France" and things about the area (since we basically live on the same street about 1 kilometer apart).

(The tiles behind their stove are called "tomettes" and we had them in almost every room of our house --on the floor. We covered them up, except on the stairs. We left those.)

Rick is vegetarian, so Pam invited us over for homemade tortillas. I chopped up a bunch of tomatoes from the garden and made a big bowl of salsa and we took it over one Saturday afternoon....

Pam had already made up the dough, but we got to take turns pressing it in their little blue tortilla press (also homemade - a gift from a friend of theirs).

See that KitchenAid back there? You wouldn't believe how much they cost here.

It was hard to get the tortillas uniform - but they were still yummy!

Ta-da!

Add some cheese

A little homemade salsa

And some creme fraiche, of course! And that was one mighty fine vegetarian lunch.

Theatre

2011-09-14T20:02:00.000+02:00

Abby has decided she wants to try out for the theatre group at school.

"Activities include: Improvisation, which sharpens the senses and encourages the students to think quickly and creatively.

Physical and vocal exercises, allowing students to release tension and train towards effective use of mind, body and voice.

Script work, which promotes confidence in speaking aloud and hones memorization skills.

Directing peers in short dramatic scenes, thus encouraging students to take on responsibility and further voice their creative ideas.

The theatre course provides an ideal creative and emotional balance to academic study."

(Can parents sign up?!)

**Anybody have any ideas for a monologue? **

A Nice Surprise

2011-09-13T19:05:00.001+02:00

Not long after our House Hunter's episode aired, Dave and I were sitting in front of the house at our little plastic table. We were deep in conversation about how we have no money and how life is really stressful and renovating this house costs a lot more than we thought it would and how "something's gotta give".

Then a man started walking up our driveway. We don't have a gate like pretty much everyone else in this town, so you can just stroll right up to our house.

"It's probably la mairie (the town hall) coming to yell at us for something" I thought.

"Oh great, who's THIS?" I said to Dave.

It was not the mairie. It was a very nice American man who lives down the street 6 months out of the year!

He and his wife live in Berkeley, California (not far from where we lived - Alameda - when we were first married). They saw our episode and recognized the "neighborhood" and the house! So he stopped by to say hello.

He and his wife bought a second home here in 2005 about a kilometer up the road from us. He is retired from the telecom industry, and she still works at a place called "The Cheese Board" in Berkeley, which is apparently just across the street from Chez Panisse.

Since we moved here we have made a real effort to associate with mostly only French people until just this last year. We kind of allowed ourselves to branch out more in an effort to find a better balance for ourselves and the kids and kind of "reward" ourselves for sticking it out so long in a pretty much all-French world.

So after our initial reaction of "oh no, who is this!?" we have gotten to know our American neighbors and I have been really surprised how much I enjoy having someone to compare notes with and talk about our French discoveries with.

Hooray for House Hunter's bringing us new friends!

Cannes Boat Show

2011-09-12T10:00:00.002+02:00

So the real name of this event was something like "If you have a lot of money and leisure time come down here and spend it on a boat."

We have a friend who was working at the event and invited us to sneak in a take a peak at all the extravagance! It was so nice of him - he is awesome.

I have to say, even though I know I will never own a yacht or any kind of boat, it was fun to see all those shiny boats lined up. I'm happy for whoever is living it up out there on a fancy yacht!

I loved these little model boats. So shiny and kind of retro, like I'm sure JFK cruised around in one just like this.

I can't even afford a model boat, let alone a real one - 990 euros! Love that turquoise detailing.

This this is so cool. When Dave and I went to Corsica with our friends in June, we played with one of these. You just hold onto it and it motors you around underwater.

This boat was soooo fancy. It was someone's private yacht, so nobody was allowed on. I wished I could have seen the decorating, because the pillows in the seating area on the upper deck looked amazing.

Did you know you can't wear shoes on a yacht?

This was the cutest one. I loved the more "fun" attitude.

It was really muggy today, so we were all a little uncomfortable. Abby asked me to straighten her hair yesterday. I love it curly, too!

It seems like every time there's an event in Cannes, these pointy white tents go up. They remind me of meringue.

I couldn't get a very good shot of this boat because it was wedged in between several other boats. It was like the Bat Boat. All black, very sleek and kinda pointy.

The models of different yachts were really cool. They are the perfect size for Barbies!

Not sure why they had Star Wars cutouts - but hey, why not?

They also had cupcakes. With hazelnuts on top.

And, "Real New York Hot Dogs!" We were all pretty hungry, actually, but Dave forgot his wallet. The kids did manage to nab some free mini pain au chocolat and sugar cookies from one yacht stand. I was too embarrassed, so I didn't get any. Too bad for me!

As we were leaving, we noticed a circle of American flags flying at half mast. France didn't forget, either.

xoxo

9/11

2011-09-11T10:43:00.002+02:00

(October, 2001 the girls with Dave's Mom)

Today the sky is blue and the air has just the perfect hint of crisp to it. A beautiful September morning. After breakfast we explained to our children what happened on this day in New York City ten years ago.

Abby was three and her new little sister 7 months old. We had lived in our house at 4316 E. Coolbrook Ave in Phoenix for 15 months. Dave's father had been in town and Dave was driving him back to the airport when he called me from the car.

"Turn on the TV" he said. "Something happened and they are talking about shutting down the airport."

I was wearing my coral colored knit bathrobe. It was morning and my little girls were too little to go to school. It was still hot in Phoenix. Very, very hot.

I turned on the TV. Maybe you did, too. Maybe you watched and cried and worried about someone you knew in New York. Maybe you just worried.

We showed the kids some videos on YouTube and explained to them why we felt like that day in America was important. Dave told them:

"Sometimes in this world there are people that don't care about other people's lives and they do cruel things. They have their own reasons for doing what they do, but those reasons can't justify hurting other people. The people did it because they wanted to frighten Americans."

That day changed us all a little or a lot, and made us scared for a moment, then strong in the end.

We are proud to be Americans.

After we watched the videos, I climbed the crumbly stairs into the attic, and found the American Flag that Dave got for his 40th birthday.

It is hanging out the attic window now. Maybe someone in our little town will notice it, and maybe they will remember what this day means for Americans.

Our hanging flag is a reminder to those whose lives were lost, to those whose lives were shattered, for those who fought to the end and those who fought for justice in the end.

We will never forget.

Ile St. Honorat et L'Abbaye de Lerins

2011-09-09T14:07:00.002+02:00

Back in August we decided to take a little excursion to the Ile St. Honorat, one of two small islands off the shore near Cannes.

After searching for a parking place in Cannes, we decided to take a risk and park illegally in an empty lot near the port in Cannes. We made it just in time for the ferry that would take us to the mysterious island of the monks! ;)

We planned a picnic and I made a batch our favorite chocolate chip cookies. But the cookie eating began before we even got to the island!

Then a tickle fight broke out. Luckily nobody got hurt.

It only took about 20 minutes to get to the island. We were very curious to see what was there. Even our French friends, who have lived here for 10 years have never been! Let's not talk about Abby's outfit.

A map of the little island.

The monks support themselves by making wine. They also make money by the ferry to the island and a restaurant they run.

But we couldn't go inside the vineyard - that's only for monks! I thought I said we were not talking about Abby's dress!

It was a little hazy, but the views all around were lovely.

The kids were really helpful when my shoe came untied. I couldn't bend down because of all the bags I was carrying, plus my camera!

There was a cute little chapel.

And the monastery itself.

It reminded me of a place I'd been before. Recognize it?

We decided to have lunch under this awesome twisty tree. It was nice and shady and there were enough benches for us all to sit down. It was a perfect spot! The wasps thought so too. They apparently really enjoy ham sandwiches for lunch.

We saw a monk walking around, and there were lots of signs like this, reminding us how to behave.

A little further down after the monastery, there was this fortress looking building. For an extra 3 euros we decided it would be worth it to see what was inside.

It was lovely, too! I loved the arched ceiling

And the well in the middle.

Carter was quite fascinated by the well, until at one point, he started to cry. "What's wrong?" I asked him. Then Sophie started to laugh.

I knew something was up.

Sophie wouldn't tell, so I dragged it out of Mailys.

"There are bones at the bottom of the well, and they told him that they were kids' bones. Kids who said bad words. They put them in the well and left them there."

Carter has a history of getting his mouth washed out with soap, if you know what I mean. So the story of the well hit a little too close to home!

The view from the top was pretty amazing!

Even the kids thought so.

Look for yourself:

Then I climbed down because I was getting hot.

Little by little, everybody came down and started wading in the water. There was a beach made up of dried kelp which was really soft, kind of like straw. Kind of gross to walk on.

Carter didn't really enjoy that part so much.

But then he got brave, and so did I! I was the only one wearing real shoes (not flip flops) so I easy walked out from the shore until it was deep enough to swim. We had all brought our swimsuits (just in case - we didn't know if you were allowed to swim on a holy beach! lol)

Carter ended up cutting his toe on something and the salt water was stinging his foot. Can we go anywhere without someone getting hurt?

The water was a tiny bit cold at first, but after that it was really nice! We swam around for a while then laid on the weird kelp beach until the tiny little bugs that were hopping up from inside started to get too annoying.

All in all, I would say that our little trip to the Abbey on Ile St. Honorat was one of the best experiences we've had here. So, here's a big "Thanks" to the monks for letting us come visit.

And thanks to the police in Cannes for not towing our car, nor giving us a ticket!

The Wicked Witch

2011-09-08T21:16:00.000+02:00

The wicked witch comes out at night
she screams and yells with all her might
she doesn't want another fight
but doesn't see the end in sight.
She knows she's in an awful plight
because she gives you such a fright
so help her turn the wrong things right
lay in your bed, turn off the light.
And then she'll come and squeeze you tight
and turns from wicked to contrite
for now the darkness has turned bright
we all can sleep in peace tonight.

First Day of School Portraits

2011-09-07T20:40:00.000+02:00

Some quotes after the first day of school:

Abby: "My schedule is crap."

Sophie: "I LOVE my new school! We act like crazy at recess."

Sam: "Mom, can you buy me a new soccer ball to take to school?"

Carter: "I have a headache."

Royal Wedding Albert & Charlene

2011-09-06T12:02:00.000+02:00

At the oceanography museum they had an exposition on the royal wedding of Prince Albert and Charlene Wittstock.

I didn't pay much attention the royal weddings this year, but when they have ginormous blown up photos of one hanging on the wall where you happen to be walking, it's hard not to look! How would you like to have your face the size of a stop sign smiling out to everybody? Either Charlene has great skin (quite possible!) or they have an amazing photographer.

They displayed her wedding gown, and the uniform he wore for the occasion. Her dress is lovely, but his shoes are so lame! ;)

The coolest thing by far was the car they drove in. It was a hybrid Lexus with a clear section in the back so everyone could see the bride and groom! The color reminded me of the VW Passat we had when we lived in England. A left hand drive AND a stick shift! That was a lesson in coordination!

I love that white leather, which would be destroyed in a hot minute if my kids every got hold of it!

Anyway . . . I hope for the happy couple that their marriage lasts!

A Few Thoughts on the First Day of School

2011-09-05T22:16:00.002+02:00

Today these three started a new school. A bilingual school!

When my alarm went off at 6 am this morning, I felt like vomiting. Going to bed night after night at midnight or later is not good training for the first day of school. But it's inevitable, so I set the alarm and got up to make German pancakes to make going back to school seem a little easier.

I want to remember this morning because I felt so many different things in such a short period of time. We were all excited driving a different road up to a different school. There will be no more taking the "shortcut" to school where there is only enough room for one car most of the way. No more taking turns, no more trying to eek past each other so neither person has to actually stop and wait.

There were only a handful of people at the school when we arrived because we got there 15 minutes early. We watched as people slowly appeared, waiting to see if we knew anyone.

We waited for the doors to open, and everyone shuffled into the courtyard and waited for the director to give his little "back to school" speech. It was just like at the old school, except the microphone didn't work well, so everything the director said was muffled and reverberating. And the director was wearing diesel jeans and smart chemise. Our old director wore a leather suit once.

As we were waiting for him to call out who was in what class, I heard people chatting in English and people chatting in French. I was overwhelmed with a sense of panic. I suddenly wanted to be back in the comfort of the all French school we have known for the last four years. Then just as quickly I wanted us to be standing in a school in California or Arizona where I knew they would be having crazy hair day on a Friday and a lesson on Pilgrims in November.

And before I had time to let any of those feelings settle anywhere, they were calling Carter to his class. He was the first one called to the CP (1st Grade) International section because our last name starts with "A". And by the time I heard his name and grabbed his hand, he had gone from a smiley little boy to a wooden statue unable to move.

It took him three years at his old school before he would even acknowledge the existence of the people who worked there, so I wasn't surprised by his lack of enthusiasm in a new environment.

Sophie and Sam ran off with no problem, already knowing a few kids from their extra-curricular activities.

My friends all over the world have been posting about this first day of the new school year - the excitement mixed with nostalgia over summer days quickly spent. It's just one of those bittersweet byproducts of Motherhood: we want to keep these precious babies safe in our little bubbles as intensely as we want them to go out and grow and experience the world.

I was ready for today. It's been a long summer spending practically every minute together. But just like my friends in all different places, it was a little bit hard to kiss them goodbye for their first day of school. Thank goodness I have a lot more "first days" before they leave me forever. xoxo.

Awesome Hidden Beach: Theoule sur Mer

2011-09-02T20:43:00.001+02:00

School starts on Monday. Hallelujah! And sigh. It's always bittersweet, right?

I heard it was going to rain this weekend - so when I woke up I decided instantly that we were going to the beach. I didn't care that it was a bit overcast, WE WERE GOING TO HAVE FUN! I even drove to the grocery store and got everything for a perfect picnic.

Just look at them - they look ready for fun! Especially Sam. Thrilled.

He was, actually. He had a partner in crime along for the ride.

So did Sophie, just to keep things even.

The tourists seem to have gone home, because we had no trouble finding a parking spot. Which meant immediate access to these cool rocks to climb on. The further you follow this trail, the more little pockets of sandy beach you find.

And at the very end there is this beautiful red rock, and if you're lucky, two best friends that will make you laugh and smile just because they are so dang adorable.

But the best part was this floating dock. A "rado" the kids called it. Sophie, Mailys, Sam and Eliott just jumped in the cold water and swam out there. I was really impressed! Then I was sad for Carter, because he was left behind, swimming out to where he could still barely touch, desperately wanting to get out there with the big kids.

His sad little face was killing me. He didn't even complain, like he usually does. He just hung around the shoreline, watching them laughing and jumping off the dock. So you know what we did? We ran around the parking lot until I was nice and hot, then I jumped in that coldish Mediterranean Sea with my little human wrecking ball holding onto my neck and I swam him out to that rado.

I felt like a hero! Carter was in floating heaven. We jumped on and off, tried to keep our balance as the water pushed and pulled against the rado, and then sunned our tummies before it was time to swim back in. And I have to admit, the grin on his face was worth all that salt water up my nose.

Musee Oceanographiqe de Monaco

2011-09-02T02:21:00.000+02:00

Our last week before school starts started with good intentions. Monday I decided I wanted to take the kids to the Musee Oceanographique de Monaco. We finally made it . . . .on Thursday.

The human wrecking ball was in a fine mood. He was thirsty. And tired. And Carter. He decided not to participate in this photo.

I know how he feels. By the end of the day, my head felt like it was going to split wide open. It finally went away after that was after a lot of tears, a neck rub from Abby and an emergency call to the family doctor. Thank goodness for house calls and strong medicine!

I think I'll let the pictures do the talking about our day at the aquarium. xoxo

Brothers. You love 'em, you hate 'em.

Treasures in the Attic: Underwear?

2011-08-31T13:00:00.000+02:00

Ah, the attic. I love it. I hate it. It makes my eyes itch and my throat seize up and I have to run downstairs and take a Singulair. But I keep going back, despite the havoc wreaked on my respiratory system because there are things to be seen, treasures to be found!

Like, what on earth is in this giant pile?

I let Dave do the touching, for fear of being rushed to the hospital.

This ball of weirdness was labeled "drapes" with a yellow post-it.

And Dave sorted out a few piles of clothing that he thought looked interesting.

The trunk was full, too, of course!

Some highlights of our little archeological dig:

An embroidered nightshirt

A darling little blouse. I think I bought the same one from Laura Ashley in 1999!

A girls slip? Sundress? Underdress?

A GINORMOUS linen dress. I mean, for the early 1900's, this woman was truly obese.

A ladies slip. I think. It was really clean and didn't have any stains on it, so I was willing to model. There was no waistband, so I had to bunch it up in the back, but I have to say, the cotton was really and the embroidery around the waist was quite lovely!

After our little treasure hunt, of course we made our friends dress up with us:

I mean, what good are dress-ups if nobody plays with them?!

I'm Bored!

2011-08-30T15:00:00.002+02:00

I hate it when my kids say they are bored. But I know how they feel. Life is boring sometimes, right? Like, a lot. So we decided to make some cookies. But I was bored with regular shaped cookies, so we just plopped the dough right on the sheet and that seemed to make everyone smile. So I said, "Hey, who wants to take a picture with our weird blob of cookie?" And Sam jumped right up.

Then Carter wanted a turn, but he blinked.

Then he blinked again! Come on Carter, keep those eyes open!

"I'll just pull on my eyebrows and to keep them open!" He said. But then Abby had to butt in, like big sisters do.

He didn't like that very much. So he started to wiggle his way out of her annoying grasp.

And burned his leg on the hot pan.

It's all fun and games until somebody gets hurt. It's becoming our family motto.

But at least the cookie blog tasted good.

Summer Nights: An Outdoor Birthday Party

2011-08-29T10:20:00.000+02:00

When you're a kid, summer birthdays are so hard! Sam's birthday is in July and it is nearly impossible to wrangle together enough kids on or near his actual birthday to have a party. So we usually do it in June before school is out. When you're an adult it's not much easier, especially in August in France! The whole town seems to have taken off somewhere, so it was a miracle that there was a Saturday where everyone was available to celebrate our friends' birthday! And it was a GREAT party!

The neighbor kid was the DJ, and he was really good!

I even bought a new dress (from H&M) for the occasion . . .

Sophie was allowed to come to the party since it was at her best friend's house. Lucky girl!

I made 7 cakes

Oh how these girls danced! I didn't get a picture because I was dancing, too!

Happy Birthday!

Cakes from top left: Vanilla with buttercream icing, chocolate with powdered sugar, lemon with lemon glaze, chocolate with chocolate/orange ganache, chocolate chip cookie, red velvet and chocolate with buttercream frosting.

Fete de St. Barthelemy, Mougins

2011-08-25T12:25:00.000+02:00

When I was coming home Saturday from grocery shopping, these ladies were standing at the end of my street.

"Why are you dressed up so beautifully?" I asked. Especially since it was like 37 degrees outside.

"We're waiting for the navette up the hill so we can perform for the Fete de St. Barthelemy" the lady in red explained. The one on the right.

I couldn't bear to let them melt away in the noonday sun, so I sent for a handsome hero to save the day.

et voila! There he was.

He whisked away the beautiful ladies to the top of the steep hill.

Where the people were gathering under the tents.

The ladies joined their men in charming song.

And I got my very first look into the Chapelle de St. Barthelemy, which I have driven or walked past nearly every day for a year. It is very, very tiny. And very old.

The people were busy preparing their meal.

With homemade pesto.

And two little provencal performers to make everybody smile!

and then I went home and made some cakes. Which I will show you tomorrow!

Paper City Paris

2011-08-23T17:06:00.000+02:00

Ooh La La! When my friend Emily sent me the link to this adorable art project I almost fell off my chaise!

Find out more and see the fabulousness created by joel . . . .

Visit Made by Joel to print out your own paper city Paris (he has other cities, too!)

#AFUNDFORJENNIE

2011-08-23T02:55:00.000+02:00

Dave's cousin Brooke made a post today about someone neither of us know personally, which breaks my heart.

A wife of 16 years, just like me. She lost half of herself, one that she will have a very difficult time living without.

I'm so sorry for her loss.

(If you would like to held, you can donate to Jennie's family through Bloggers Without Borders.)

Renovation: From Bathroom to . . .

2011-08-22T11:10:00.003+02:00

If you saw our House Hunter's episode, you may remember Dave standing in the doorway of a filthy, rubble filled room saying, "where do I go to the bathroom?"

Well, here is the transformation of that room from the first time we saw it to how it is today!

Voila . . . the ? Room. We don't know what to call it! It's a coat room, shoe room, guest toilet. Can you think of what to call it?

This was our bathroom for 4 months until we finished the one upstairs. There was a tub, a sink, a bidet, a toilet, an old rickety washing machine and a cool washstand. There unfortunately was no hot water and one really, really dim light.

When we moved in, we added this nifty shower curtain because it was REALLY cold taking a shower with no curtain. That lasted until one day Abby slipped in the shower and grabbed the curtain to steady herself. The whole thing came tumbling down and we were once again without a curtain. We were too cheap to pay another 20 euros to put up another rod, so we would take turns holding up the curtain for each other while we showered! (only for a week).

Once the bathroom went in upstairs, we ripped this one out to make way for the new room.

We raised the ceiling, replaced the window, wired for can lighting and re-plastered the walls. We also had to level the floor because there was a 4 inch difference between the left side of the room and the right! You can see the leveling product drying in this picture below:

Then we framed off an area for the toilet and laid the stone floor.

And now:

Dave and I assembled these cabinets from IKEA:

And these shoe holders, also from IKEA. We found the mirrors . . . in the attic, of course!

And we found the perfect spot for this funny blue chair that we found in the attic! It's perfect for the kids to sit and put on their shoes.

This is one of the best parts of the house, because it's so organized! I can now tell the kids where to find their jackets, coats, sweatshirts, tennies, flip flops and sunglasses. Thank goodness for IKEA!

Giveaway Winner!

2011-08-22T10:00:00.000+02:00

That means the winner is:

coqui1024 has left a new comment on your post "Giveaway":

Love your blog, you're living the dream. We're hoping to follow in your footsteps! I, like so many others, love all things Fronch, but especially the food! I remember eating a tomato in Paris and thinking, THIS is what a tomato should taste like! We live in a small condo in Boston (exchange??) and are being smothered by our belongings but those pots are so charming. Thanks for doing the giveaway. :)

Make room in your apartment for more stuff! Send me an email on Facebook or Twitter (stashainmougins) with your address so we can send you your prize! Felicitations!

Giveaway

2011-08-19T20:02:00.001+02:00

It's my very first giveaway! I find myself overwhelmed sometimes with all the "things" we accumulate just by living.

And some things I think shouldn't be thrown out because they are so cute! Like these little ceramic yogurt pots.

I never ate yogurt before I lived in France (seriously! how insane), until Nicole bought la Fermiere during our first year in France.

I eat the yogurt and keep the adorable blue pots, but can't possible use all of them! So today is your lucky day if you have seen them and always wanted some but don't live in France. Well, it's your lucky day if you live in the US and you are chosen from the random.org integer generator!

So if you want some little French ceramic pots (set of 10, unless I can squeeze more into Dave's suitcase), leave a comment telling me about your favorite French thing - dessert, movie, perfume, anything! The giveaway will close Saturday (that's tomorrow!) night at 6 pm eastern time (New York).

Don't know what you would do with little pots? See here for a great idea.

Thanks for playing!

(Dave is leaving for the US on Monday, so I need to get them into his suitcase on Sunday. He will mail them to the winner from there).

Cost of Health Care - LA Times

2011-08-18T14:19:00.003+02:00

After reading this article in the LA Times, Dave wrote the author this letter, which I thought was worth sharing.

Mr. Lazarus: I read with great interest your article published in today's LA Times. Thank you for writing such a succinct, clear article analyzing a uniquely American problem.

My wife and I have lived in France with our children for the last several years (though we're as deeply American as any other American family!) and while there are a lot of things that we prefer about the US, the health care system isn't one of them.

About three months ago our oldest daughter, thirteen, had s pinal correction surgery. She had the operation, was in intensive care for 24 hours and then in a private room for eight days overlooking the sea at Lenval Hospital in Nice. This is the same hospital where Angelina Jolie gave birth a few years ago. I say this just to assure you that it's a good hospital by any standard.

Her 10 day stay included all preparatory work and tests, a four-hour operation by world-class surgeons to insert metal rods up and down each side of her spine, her room, meals, all her care, continued follow-up visits and all her medicine (and she needed a lot of morphine).

I've attached before and after photos of our daughter's spinal column, and the bill showing the payment our insurance company made to the hospital after it was all over: 11,900 euros. We had no out of pocket costs.

I've never seen the costs of that operation in the United States but my guess is it would be a minimum of five times that. Perhaps ten times. There is no excuse for that. In a world where I'm incredibly proud to be an American, I can't feel proud about the way the American health care system is about profits for insurance companies. I hope it changes.

All the best,
Dave

Anderson Cooper on Gerard Depardieu

2011-08-18T11:09:00.001+02:00

I started laughing out loud at 3:13.

Festival International de la Gastronomie a Mougins

2011-08-18T10:18:00.001+02:00

The 6th annual Festival de la Gastronomie will be held in the vieux village of Mougins September 16-18.

We'll be attending for the first time in 4 years . . . because I've signed up to take the kids to an atelier. I'm not sure what we will learn to make, but I'm excited! If you plan on attending and bringing your children, you can call the Mougins Office de Tourisme at 04.92.92.54.71 to sign up for a spot on Saturday the 16th. A parent must attend with their child or children.

For more information on the Festival, you can go here:

Les Etoiles de Mougins
Cuisiner en Ligne

Summer Nights: Restaurant by the port: La Cigale

2011-08-17T13:47:00.001+02:00

After playing at the beach we thought it would be fun to grab some dinner nearby. There is a new Lebanese restaurant called La Cigale de Golfe Juan. Cheaper than both Al Charq in Cannes and l'Etoile du Liban in Mougins, but not quite as good. They only have seating outside, so if you want to try it, do it before the rain comes back to the Cote!

The kids started off calmly, sitting nicely in their chairs.

Then Carter got up to see what Mailys was playing on her Mom's phone.

Then a plea of "Can we go watch the fishermen?"

Which quickly degenerated into a game of chase.

But then Sophie declared "Color Tag!" and the race was on.

Turquoise

Was this red or orange?

And it was all fun and games until somebody got hurt.

Lucky for Carter Dad didn't have a camera in his hands, so he could scoop him up for some loves.

After that we made everybody sit down again, where they calmly ate their chicken skewers and rice. And then whined about getting ice cream. Do your kids like "ethnic" food?

Summer Surprise

2011-08-16T18:33:00.001+02:00

One day we wandered out to the "garden", which is really just a piece of dirt with a big pile of rubble on it, and we found a little surprise.

"Check it out!" Dave called to me. "There are tomatoes growing over here!"

And sure enough, there were!

No one had lived in this house for 15 years before we did, and in September of last year, we scraped off all the overgrown vegetation along with a sizable chunk of solid rock from the hill behind the house.

Well, two different kinds of tomato plants must have been hiding in there somewhere, because through the gravel grew some beautiful little fruits (or vegetables. It's debatable).

Poor Sam. I had an accident with the hair clippers.

It must be time to make some of my favorite salsa!

chop up tomatoes into little cubes
chop up cilantro (coriandre)
chop up yellow or red onion
add a little olive oil
squeeze in lime juice
salt to taste

Serve with chips and a big glass of icy whatever-you-like!

Treasures in the Attic: Old Photographs

2011-08-14T13:02:00.001+02:00

We were rummaging around the attic yesterday and found some old photos. This was my favorite one:

Beach Time: Golfe Juan

2011-08-12T21:40:00.000+02:00

With only three more weeks of summer left we decided we needed to hit the beach in the daytime. We have gone a few times around 9 pm, but we needed to have at least a little fun in the sun our first summer on the Cote d'Azur!

We decided to drive to Golfe Juan, just east of Cannes. We arrived after 4 pm and found a place to park as someone was just leaving. Best of all, it seems the street parking in front of the beach is free! Across the street there is a tiny parking lot where you have to pay.

As usual, we brought along something to eat so we wouldn't have to pay the exorbitant prices at the beachside snack shops. Besides the large bottle of water, the 2.26 euro bag of Chupa Chup suckers was the best idea!

When the kids attracted a few new friends, they were all able to have a sucker together and I didn't have to pay .50 a treat!

Dave, deciding it's too cold to actually go in the water:

It's too bright for Sam!

Carter, showing me his Chupa Chup

She just makes me smile.

The beach was still jam-packed with people even at the later hour, but nobody was in danger while we were there. So I didn't get to see this guy in action:

Grottes de St. Cezaire

2011-08-11T14:15:00.000+02:00

Four kids can be a handful most of the time, so when Sam got invited to go fishing in the mountains while Sophie was still in Paris I couldn't help but want to go on a little adventure with only two kids in tow.

We packed a quick picnic and headed less than 1/2 hour from Mougins to the Grottes de St. Cezaire.

We enjoyed our ham and cheese sandwiches in a lovely shady spot before heading to see the cave.
Right as we were finishing up, a girl and her brother were getting something out of their van right next to where we were sitting. The girl was leaning into the van, looking for something, when the door fell closed and totally smashed her hand. It was not pretty.

There is a little restaurant where you can eat if you don't want to bother bringing your own picnic. Carter talked us into getting him an ice cream for 2.60 while we waited for the next tour.

They said it would be 15 degrees inside and to bring a light jacket. We brought our jackets, but didn't really need them.

The tour took about 40 minutes and was in French and English. The Grottes de St. Cezaire are nothing compared to the Grotte de Rouffinac that we saw when we visited the Dordogne, but a nice diversion on a summer day.

Time to plan something else - the natives are restless!

House Hunters International - Airs Tonight?!

2011-08-07T23:52:00.001+02:00

I hear rumors that our HHI episode is airing tonight in the US. Friends have said they have seen commercials promoting the episode, so it might be true! (They moved the episode twice already, so I can't be sure).

I'm sure you're all dying to know the whole story, so here it is!

In early February, I noticed a post on a blog, The Provence Post, that highlights news and events in France but also specifically Provence. It was a casting call for HHI.

On February 10, I emailed the contact given in the post, a woman in New York. She asked for pictures of our house, of our family, and then a short "about us" video clip (to see how we looked on camera, I'm sure).

ONE WEEK later, a camera crew from the UK was at our doorstep. For three days we traipsed around Mougins and Cannes filming scenes for the episode. It was so fun! The crew was a total blast to work with. Dave would not stop cracking jokes and we would have to film shots over and over again because of it.

The director told us where to walk and "kind of" what to say.
The sound guy made sure our mic's were hooked up and working properly (like, if it's windy, they put these little mufflers on them).
And the cameraman, of course, films everything!

This is TV, as you know, and so everything is planned out. I'm quite certain there is no such thing as "pure" reality TV (thank goodness!).

Some interesting details:
-We had a call sheet each day, giving the location and which outfit to wear. (We shot out of order - sneaky!).
-We usually had to film each shot three times to get it right.
-We had never met the real estate agent before. (As you all know, that's not how we found our house!)
-Our house did not cost 1.3 million dollars. :)
-We wore our own clothes and did not have hair and makeup people (obviously - look at my hair!)
-We were given a travel allowance to fly back to Phoenix to shoot some scenes there, but nothing else.

Why did we do it?
-We thought it would be a great way to capture some fun memories of our life here in France.
-One of the reasons we got interested in coming to France in the first place was this show we used to watch called "A Place in the Sun", which was a similar show we watched when we lived in England.
-I always wanted to be on TV!

It was a really fun experience and I can't wait to see the episode myself! They are sending us a DVD after it airs in the US.

Waiting for Paris

2011-08-03T10:20:00.001+02:00

Sophie couldn't wait for Mailys to arrive so they could leave. They were originally leaving at 6 am, then the night before changed to a more reasonable hour. Sophie was devastated, but reluctantly set her alarm for 8:20 instead of 5:20. ;)

Her one suitcase multiplied so the Barbies and books could come along, too.

When it was really time to go, it was a little harder for Soph than she thought - lots of kisses, lots of second and third hugs and "I'll miss you's".

What to Pack for Paris

2011-08-02T10:25:00.001+02:00

Sophie is going to Paris. Without us. :(
She was very excited to pack her bag, and made a list with her friend Mailys of what to bring. So I thought I would share what a 10 year old is packing for a summer visit to Paris.

From top to bottom, left to right:

-2 pair of shorts, one dark, one white
-4 bottoms: 1 white jean, 1 black slim, 1 white capri, 1 jogging
-1 skirt, 1 dress
-8 tops, ranging from 1 long sleeved to 1 tank top and everything in between
-1 light sweater
-1 medium weight jacket, 1 FLEECE! (seriously, you never know in Paris!)
-undies
-3 pj's, including 1 gown, 1 short set and 1 pant set
-socks & belt
-slippers, Heely's and sandals

She did such a great job packing that I only added her hairbrush, toothbrush and swimsuit to the list. I think the list would be great even for adults!