If you can't beat 'em, join 'em

If you've been reading my blog for a while you'll know that this time of year is not really my favorite.  It just seems to exude blahhh....  After the cozy warmth of Christmas and lights and cookies, there's January to yank you back into the harsh cold light of reality.  So this is when I try to find comfort in something.  Anything.  And I'm starting to realize that previous generations have already come up with some pretty good ways to deal with New Year Blah-ness.

For example, calendars.  Aside from the practical point of view since it's a new year and all, it's a physical symbol of the change.  And you can pick out a nice one to match your personality.  In my case, my aunt Jane is the calendar queen and got me a Jane Austen one which has real quotes and illustrations from Austen's books.  January's quote: "As soon as I saw you, I felt almost as though you was an old acquaintance."

Then there are white sales.  A nice marketing ploy but also a way to bring in some freshness and change things.  I got new pillows and pillowcases.  Remi has a way of deforming the cotton-filled ones so they needed to go anyway. 

And then there's everyone's favorite (collective groan): resolutions.  Making a fresh start, breaking old habits or starting new ones.  Except that most people have a hard time keeping them.  This psychologist on the news said you should start with baby steps.  Like instead of vowing to lose 20 pounds, start by not putting sugar in your coffee for a month. 

So I guess I'll give it a go.  Here are some resolutions, but some of them are just for fun. Which ones do you think I'll really keep?  What are yours?

1. Particpate in a flashmob.  I think these are just good silly fun.  It's always kind of been my fantasy to start dancing in public and have others join in. 

2.  Be less cynical. Sometimes I feel like I'm growing more bitter by the day.  Got to hang on to optimism in any form.

3.  Take more walks in nature.  I always feel better having done it.  And I love to connect with nature.

4.  Bake some eclairs and macarons.  Like I mentioned in my last post, I enjoy baking and want to improve my technique.  Check out my baking gear from Christmas!

5.  Speak up more without resorting to passive-agressive statements. 

6. Get a new computer.  Not only is it slow and the fan comes on quite often, but now my keyboard seems to have lost the letter "k" thanks to Juju's agressive typing.  So I have to dig my finger in the trough where it used to be or use a stick. 

Well, that just about seems like (ow!) more resolutions than a girl can keep (ow! again) so we'll leave it there. 

So, this is Christmas

You know that saying, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all?  I guess that can account for my lack of blog posts lately.  I've kind of been in one of those downer cycles and I didn't feel like just complaining on my blog.  That and sometimes I guess the time runs away from me on the weekends.  Let's just say I've had some internal and external stuff playing on me that's made for some bleak autumn (now winter) days.  But I'm trying to focus on the good things in my life and be positive. 

One bright spot in this past month has been a cooking show that really gets my creative juices flowing.  You know I enjoy dabbling in baking adventures; therefore the Best Pastry Chef show (Le meilleur patissier) was a real treat.  Amateur pastry chefs participated in bake-offs on different recipes and themes.  I learned lots of techniques I'd like to try myself. 

 

Source (The guy on the left in purple was the winner, by the way.  And his real job: lab tech!)

Coincidentally, this Christmas is going to be kind of bakery themed since I asked my mom for an apron and a spring form pan.  After watching the show, I think I NEED a pastry bag.  It's THE tool for making cool desserts like the adorable macarons (see below) you find all over the place in France and for piping out eclairs. 

 

Source

I haven't done anything too adventurous baking-wise lately but I did make some sugar cookies and mini-muffins for my coworkers last week.  I made some royal icing (confectioner's sugar and egg white mixed together) and put it in a plastic bag to pipe on the cookies.  Juju added chocolate chips and then showed me her brown hands afterwards.  She also helped with the rolling out and cutting.  I do get a thrill when I hear my friends or coworkers let out a spontaneous "mmm" as they take a bite.  Then I say, I made some people happy with my baking.  It's a nice pay-off.  And so is eating warm gooey cookies straight from the oven.

I also made the good old Tollhouse cookie recipe this weekend for some people who came over and for a friend's tea party the next day.  And for the those of you who want to try this while living in France, here's a recipe that is adapted to French measures and ingredients. 

So on this Christmas Eve, let visions of sugar plums and all things sweet dance in your head.  Here's hoping you all have a lovely, homey Christmas. 

Absence makes the heart grow fonder... for countries, too

My country 'tis of thee...

There are times I get more nostaligic for my homeland than others.  The last few months the French press has been star-spangling their news programs to let the average French viewer get to know the US in light of the presidential elections.  Nearly every night I got to see what Americans were dealing with in terms of the financial crisis, and it was eye-opening for me, even though I do get news updates from my family (and my home county has even gone bankrupt). 

Or other nights they'd interview Frenchies who'd gone over to the US to live their "American dream."  Yep, even in France, where you'd think they'd snub their noses at what the US has to offer, you'd be surprised to know how many young French people salivate over life in the states.  The US represents opportunity and making it on your own- things that are frankly not so easy in France, sometimes.   

Then there was the coverage of the superstorm Sandy which also put images of the northeast on my screen.  

With all these little news reports, I felt quite at home, even if sometimes they didn't show the whole picture.  Ten years being away from home changes you.  And your country can't help but change during that time, too.  Sometimes I feel I don't know my country as well as I used to.  But it's always my country. 

Then I also had the pleasure of meeing another American girl via my Canadian friend in my town.  And we had a girls' night out (no dancing on tables, mind you) where we mostly chatted about how we sometimes don't get France and how French people don't always get us.  Especially from a mom point of view as both ladies have small childeren, too.  And just talking with folks who knew about Panera Bread and Krispy Kreme and, yeah, Starbucks, made me feel so very at home.  And missing home.

Then, this week Thanksgiving came around and I felt an insane need to eat turkey and find sweet potatoes.  I actually didn't cook the latter but we had our little token T-day meal here at home on Thursday night and said what we were thankful for.  Juliette may not quite understand this holiday yet, but I'm glad I'm passing it on to her all the same.

(Turkey baked in French's fried onions, green beans, a cous cous-like wheat dish, and cool rolls that I wish I'd made myself but so did not.) 


I recently saw a documentary on Italian-Americans living in some small bay town in New England and how they fervently celebrated some Sicilian saint day every year.  They were already about the fourth generation there but wanted to remember their origins.  It's important to us expats to honor our traditions (at least the ones we like) and remember where we're from.  And who we are!

Falling for fall

Yes, it's that time of year again.  Time for me to blog about fall.  That contradictory season when I'm part-enchanted, part-depressed. 

The enchantment, of course, comes from the colors that never cease to wow me.  That time of year when I can't help but snap pictures of gorgeous trees.  Check. 

Or promise myself to appreciate the beauty of small things (hydrangea flowers and rose hips) and not get down about there being less light in the evening.  Check.

And focus on the fun seasonal things like Halloween to distract me.  Check. 

Here you see a sleeping Juju wearing her princess crown that we prepared for our little Halloween/tea party where she was Rapunzel. 

And enjoying the slighter calmer fall activities like puttering around the greenhouse as Remi prepares for the mum-selling period of All Saints' Day.  Check.

But it wouldn't be me without a little dose of fall blues.  I think this year has been better cause I've been very conscious of how great it is to have time to myself again after last year's studyfest.  But it's biological too.  As my coworker and friend Marine says, we're all beasties after all.  The inner animal in us can't help but be affected by the changing light and decline of the plants around us. 

Something makes us feel like we've got to shut down or at least slow down a bit.  I can't help but get downright nervous about winter and the cold and the potentially grey days ahead of us.  That's why I've got to keep myself busy and find things to warm my soul.

What are your favorite anti-blues fall activities?  What's your favorite season?  

JT dances to JT

Because her initials are JT also, just like...Justin Timberlake.  Better go now 'cause she's just cleared out the space behind the sofa so we can recreate the video!

My life in pictures

Hey everyone.  Somehow I haven't found the time to update my blog in a while.  Work has been busy (which is a good thing).  Still looking for lab jobs while teaching English. But really just happy to have a job and some stability after last year's meager earnings. 

Here are a few of the highlights of the last month...

Remi totally surprised me with an outing to celebrate my ten year anniversary in France.  I thought we were going to visit some friends for lunch but in fact he'd arranged for my good friend Caroline to watch Juliette while he and I went out to lunch (Italian- my favorite).  A very lovely way to celebrate and a touching moment.  Here you see us all together when we joined Caro and Juju in town after lunch.  She was a fabulous babysitter, too!

Another Sunday we visited a war cemetery around here (there are tons) from the First World War.  It so wasn't Juliette's thing but was a nice outing anyway.

She's also mastering writing her first name (though her alphabet kit only had one T and E).

And finally a bit of art I put up in the bedroom  made with some fabric samples and cheap Ikea frames. 

Nothing very extraordinary going on, but after my intense year of studying and stressing, I truly enjoy the down-time and being able to enjoy the little things.