hot apple cider and madelines

Tonight I'm sipping Hot Apple Cider Tea

while enjoying a Madeline or two..


I kept myself busy today by spending hours at the Lourve, drinking too much (but somehow not enough) of Angelina's famous hot chocolate , and taking a ride on The Roue de Paris!

Paris really couldn't be more spectacular than at Christmas time..

My Christmas Eve plans include...

* Touring the Opera house

* Shopping at the Avenue des Champs-Elysees

* Midnight Mass at Notre Dame

Au revoir!

bon appetit!

I feel like Meryl Streep as Julia Childs in "Julie and Julia" when she's walking the streets of Paris and says to her husband, "I must be french! I feel like I am so I just must be.."

And like Julia, I have a passion for delicious foods..especially Crepes. Or anything else that goes by the description of "perfection on a plate"..or bowl or cup, blah blah blah.

Lardee Crepe in Bayeux, France

Chocolate Hazelnut Crepe in Chartes, France

Patisserie and Confection shop in Chartes, France

Waffles a la Belgium in Liege, Belgium

Dreamy desserts near Liege, Belgium

Hot Chocolate in Mont St. Michel, France

Chicken Kebab in Caen, France

Saumon (Salmon) Salad in Tours, France

Homemade French Onion Soup in Chartes, France

Bread Pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream and Salted Caramel sauce in Chartes, France

Mediterranean Salad in Chartes, France

Chocolate Sponge Lava cake in Tours, France

We arrived in Paris this evening!

Our apartment is gorgeous and five minutes from "Musee de Lourve" which is what we'll be visiting in the morning...

and then we are off to a place that has been highly anticipated this entire trip for their hot chocolate..

P.S...Paris is heavenly

bonjour!

What's this?

A wall in a hotel room?

Fine art in a french restaurant perhaps?

Nay, ladies and gents...this is what you find when you use the Paris airport bathroom.

That's right...I said BATHROOM..in an airport no less.

The door reaches the floor here.

And inside you find hot pink everywhere to compliment the lime green. Charming.

This leads me to wonder where my tax dollars are going in America..because it's definitely not for high quality airport restrooms. I saw the one in D.C. Me no likey.

Do you notice there are no cracks where you can kind of peep in on someone..

We don't even clean the bathrooms in states..much less paint the doors or the walls.

The men's restroom is fancier than my master bathroom. Wow.

When you've been traveling for nearly 24 hours..and you arrive in Paris for the very first time in your life, I highly recommend stopping by le toilettes...

It will be just the beginning of all your Paris dreams coming true.

Trust Moi.

i'm going on a trip to Paris and i'm taking...

My flight to Paris leaves early tomorrow morning.

I plan to take as many photos as my trusty sidekick can handle.

Red lipstick and boots shall be my companions to see and do everything that is called awesome.

For the plane I've packed just a few essentials..

a good book..

delicious snacks..

a chick flick or two...

also..

my little babe has a fever of 100.3 and she hasn't been sleeping too well. AND it's about 11 hours of flight time.

So we'll probably also be watching a lot of this..

 

See you in Paris!

crazy christmas traditions that i adore..

I'm a traditional kind of gal.

I love things that make me all teary eyed and nostalgic.

Don't you?

Here's me and my older bro loving the magic of Christmas. Ah..memories.

We had a few simple Christmas traditions. We always had a family party Christmas Eve and then we each opened one gift. And it was never PJ's. My mom let us open whatever present we wanted.  One year it was lip gloss. Another year it was the much anticipated Paula Abdul cassette.

Christmas morning meant Peanut Butter Captain Crunch cereal. We always had "family presents" which usually meant some sweet movies like "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" or "Batman".

I'm always curious to know what other traditions are out there that people enjoy. So I did a little research and learned that..

Canada:

Every year thousands of "Postal Elves" volunteer close to 200,000 hours to help Santa respond to all the mail he is swamped with this time of year. I love this for 2 reasons.
1.) imagine the happiness on a little boy/girl's face when they receive that letter from Santa and his elves. So cute
2.) people unselfishly give up hours and hours of their own time to serve others. Talk about giving!

Australia:

While we're freezing here in Utah, it's summertime in Australia which means forget the ski's and learn to surf! A close friend of mine (who's an Aussie herself) told me that they spend Christmas on the beach where they have a BBQ with friends and family all while getting tan and enjoying the beautiful beaches of Australia. Mental note: remember this when planning next year's Christmas vacation..

Greenland:

Christmas is the one time of year in this country where the men wait on the women. The celebration begins with coffee, cake, dancing, and lighting the tree. Then everyone is given Mattak which is whale skin with blubber to eat.  Presents include a pair of tusks and a sealskin mitt.

Sweden:

On the Eastern Coast, a town displays a giant goat made out of straw. Every year it becomes a crazy competition as half the town tries to burn it down..sounds fun. And dangerous.

Japan:

Christmas isn't a national holiday so most people still have to go to work on this day. Instead they celebrate the festivities on Christmas Eve. The Colonel works hard to keep things merry and bright by offering a Kentucky Christmas meal. When it started in the 80's it was just a roasted chicken and some wine. Now it's a full blown meal that people reserve months in advance to make sure they can enjoy a "traditional Christmas meal" in Japan.

Norway:

Christmas Eve is spent frantically hiding all the brooms in the house so they aren't stolen by demons. Doesn't this tradition just warm your heart to pieces?

Spain:

Tio de Nadal is a log that poos Christmas treats. The children take care of it by giving it a blanket and feeding it veggies. Then they beat the heck out of it while singing this song, "Christmas log, do not poop salted sardines, which are salty poop torrons which are very good, and if you don't poop well, I will hit you with a stick!"

Austria:

Perhaps those Sound of Music children's obedience wasn't just to the credit of their militant father. Krampus and Perchta (a.k.a Santa's little helpers) probably deserve some of the credit too. Kids are warned that being naughty doesn't mean coal in your stocking. Instead Santa will send Krampus who sends them to hell if they've been bad. Or if you're lucky, he'll send Perchta instead, who cuts them open, removes their guts and stuffs them with straw and pebbles. The Christmas hills are alive with...demons?

and finally..

Czech Republic:

Calling all Single ladies! On Christmas eve, it's tradition to stand outside your front door and toss a shoe over your shoulder.  If the toe is pointing at the door you'll be married within a year. Another way to know you're upcoming marital status is to shake an elder tree and if a dog barks at the same time, you're as good as gold to start planning your wedding. This would have been helpful to know a couple of years ago...

me or them?

I don't know what it is.

But whenever I go to Smith's grocery store I find myself running into crazies.

And I can't figure out if it's me or them.

A few weeks ago I was walking into the store and a man came running out and stopped right in front of me to say...

"They're not listening! Nobody's listening!!"

And then he continued on his way.

My response? 

"Oh yeah?" while smiling and pretending like I understood what the heck was going on.

And then today I was looking at a dented can of stewed tomato's when a man pointed to it and mumbled, " look it's spaghetti!"

So of course I say, "haha yeah it is now!"...cause that makes sense?

The guy looked at me like I was crazy and just shook his head at me.

Does this look like Spaghetti to you?

He started to talk about the cereal box I was holding, but I just waved goodbye and said,

"uh huh!" as I hightailed it down the aisle to get out of that store as fast as my little legs could go.


So I must ask...is it me or them? Am I the crazy because I respond to nonsensical conversation? Or was it the guy who thought of can of tomatoes looked like noodles and red sauce?

And I just need to know for my own sanity...does this happen to anyone else?

all i want for christmas

I've made a list.

Checked it twice.

Bring on Christmas!!

This year I would like...

A spoonful (or two) of World Peace. In a non-sugary form if possible.

Lots and lots of Snow.

For no child to have to go hungry..if you want to help go here.

For the Kardashian's to donate all their money to Charity and then go into hiding to spare future generations.

For everyone to have at least one good friend and not be alone on Christmas day.

 For Tom Cruise to stop making Mission Impossible movies. It's bordering ridiculous..isn't he like 60?

To have the gift of Forgiveness so I can let things go and be happier next year.

For the "Biebs" to keep bringing joy to teenage girls everywhere.

For this to be a Christmas I'll never forget.

Most importantly, to REMEMBER what Christmas is really about.

To be filled with Gratitude for what He has done for me.

And to help others feel the Love He has for them.

If you want to learn more about Christ please go here.


Much Love and Merry Christmas!