Waiting for spring

Even though this year’s “winter” has been almost non-existent, this image exactly sums up my current state of mind ~

Longer days translate to witnessing a glimpse of sunshine on the way to work (starting school at 7:17 should be against the law) in the morning and even enjoying a couple hours when I leave late afternoon. Bliss!

The impending arrival of our moodiest of seasons has me daydreaming during my planning periods of this ~

, which will quickly blossom into this ~ 

But for right now, I’m enjoying this ~ 

, which has popped up all over my front yard over the past week. Did you know those sweet little lavender crocus close up to get some beauty rest each night? Lovely! What are you looking forward to this spring season?

{Images via here}

Francophile nick-nacks

Looking to gift the Francophile in your life something? Here are a some things I’ve been given or given myself over the past couple months.

Perfect coffee table book for any Francophile or art-history buff

The perfect spring time scent, I picked my bottle up from Anthropologie

This Eiffel tower necklace from Etsy is similar to one given to me this Christmas. Simple and sweet!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Laduree candles burn for ages and the rainbow of colors are reminiscent of the sweet-treat-store’s macarons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Relaxing provençal style

Several years ago, I did not have a taste, un goût, for Anthony Bourdain of the Travel Channel. I found him too crude, too intense, in short, too much. However, I’ve gotten over it over the past year or so as Tony has softened. His newer No Reservations episodes are artistic, and most importantly, respectful of the cultures he’s exploring, from Saudi Arabia to Buffalo, NY to, you guessed it, France. Whilst browsing through our DVR this evening, I was ecstatic to see we held his Provence episode. Of course I turned it on, because how can you  turn down sweeping panoramas of views like these?

I am far less familiar with the rolling hills and countryside of France’s southern regions than I am with Paris up north; however, a weekend jaunt during college to the country’s south including, Arles (inspiration to Van Gogh), Avignon (scene of the infamous pope drama so many centuries ago) and Marseilles (home to many passionate fishermen and football aficionadoss), convinced me that France’s southern culture had just as much to offer as my beloved Paree. As a 19-year-old I craved big cities and fast pace, but were I to expatriate now, I think I’d pick the slower pace of the sud. Temperate weather, fish and veggie based cuisine and fields of lavender sound just right. Find out more and watch Tony’s Provence preview here:

Inspiration parisienne

There are times when I miss Paris more than others. I came home to be closer to a growing family and to pursue my real passion (le Francais, bien sur !) as a professeur. But some days, my heart pulls for my second home, my deuxieme chez moi. These pictures I found on we heart it evoke just how I felt at different times in Paris ~

Awe at the romantic and poetic dusk-time profile of the city

Ravenous for more … patisseries, cafe, film francais, culture
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Worn out and tired from a long day at the office

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paris sites, universally known (à la Tour Eiffel) and more intimate (empty cafes at night), come together to form one fabulous, breathing and emotional city.  Whenever you go, however you long stay, be sure to really appreciate your surroundings. You may not stay forever!

Hip baby store

Check out this great new (to me) baby store, Hip Baby, I found yesterday thanks, of course, to Pinterest. The website is easy to navigate and includes tons of fun and practical products for tikes from birth to six. I especially loved that they have an entire Eco Choice section to browse. I was on the hunt for the perfect gift for my niece’s 1st birthday next weekend. And while I wasn’t able to go with Hip Baby because my chosen item (shh it’s a surprise!) would have to have shipped from Vancouver, I will be certain to return when I have more lead time.

The customer service was impeccable and pleasant, and the selection was overwhelming in the best way possible. Here are a couple of the things I especially loved during my browsing session ~

Janod tambourine

Discoveroo patisserie set

Blabla kids giselle mini ballerina doll

Boon lawn drying rack

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stop by the next time you need something fun, economical and cute for the kiddos in your life!

 

Les chansons de carla

Well, it happened, les amis. I was definitively not able to get away scot-free without suffering a bout of D’s mean virus. Thankfully, I wasn’t nearly as bad as he was, but I was still pretty icky. This morning is the first one I’ve woken up feeling, to use a French III vocabulary expression, bien portante. Looking forward to a quiet day, the first of THREE. Thank you, Presidents!

I don’t know if I’ve shared with you all my absolute LOVE for the première dame de France ~ Carla Bruni Sarkozy. Ever since I discovered some of her ballads as a French major in college, I’ve been pretty addicted. She’s penned several albums, the first one entitled and named for the track Quelqu’un m’a dit (2002) (someone told me) :

, which you probably recognize from movies like Le divorce with Kate Hudson and 500 Days of summer with Zooey Deschanel. She followed up that album with No promises in January 2007. No promises includes lots of poetry (Butler, Yeats, Dicksinson) set to music. I especially loved (love) Lady weeping at the crossroads :

Marrying my oddly enough former political crush (Nicolas Sarkozy) in February 2008 did not stop Carla’s ethereal music-making. In July of 2008, she released Comme si de rien n’etait (As if nothing was). I cannot listen to La possibilité d’une île (The possibility of an island) too many times

Carla’s artistry and whimsy are what really draw me to her. There’s also something too fun about one of the oldest democracies in the world’s first lady being a former Mick-Jagger-dating-supermodel. And as someone who attempts to speak a couple languages other than my own, I have huge amounts of respect for her ability to write lyrics in her native Italian as well as adopted French and English.

Carla’s music is decidedly feminine (D listens grudgingly whenever we’re in my car), but I highly recommend it if you haven’t yet discovered her many songs! Amusez-vous bien and Happy President’s day weekend !

{Images via wikipedia and tumblr)

Un jour de plus au paradis

The good news is D is recuperating quickly and surely. Another day at home plus Valentine’s chicken noodle seems to have done the trick. Success!

On another note, being the French junkie that I am, we subscribe to TV5 Monde (France’s international NBC CBS ABC, comme tu veux) at home. I relish the couple of hours between my arrival home from work and D’s since I can watch my French TV in peace.

I wanted to share this great video from the French group “Les enfoirés”, a group of French comedians and singers that perform a charity concert once a year to raise money for Les restos de coeur, an organization that works to distribute hot meals to France’s homeless. (Disclaimer, the word Enfoirés is not used in the politest of company, it’s basically calling someone a far less polite version of jerk.)

I loved the lyrics, basically a rally to helping our communities’ weakest. The fact that my advanced French students just finished a unit on individuals’ and organizations’ contributions to society and are just starting a unit on food and food issues was just an added bonus. We watched the video in class and the élèves filled in missing words I took out of the lyrics. I hope you enjoy as much as I did!

Coping through winter bugs

Our little household is decidedly under the weather. My self not really, just nervous about catching this mean noro virus D picked up somewhere on our Syracuse weekend. If you don’t already know about it, steer clear. If you need some tips, here’s what I learned today:

-wipe down all surfaces with a disinfectant cleaner
-wash all laundry
-drink small amounts of clear liquids and ice chips frequently

Also, it’s really common to have to visit the ER to re-hydrate and get some serious anti-nausea medication. Once you’re feeling somewhat better, you should follow the BRAT diet :

{via weheartit}

(bananas, rice, apple sauce, toast) and rest. rest. rest. Not exactly the beginning-of-the-week I had envisioned but who anticipates getting sick with a random virus? And in the meantime,

a chicken-noodle-soup and ginger-ale Valentines Day will be just what the doctor ordered.

Somehow, this post I wrote last Thursday didn’t publish. Hmm! So, here you are, four days later! ~

We are going to Syracuse this weekend, which will be a new city-let to tick off my visited list. The sports fan I am not; however, D, my brothers and my sister in law most definitely are, and so this month I’ll be attending two college basketball games in about three weeks. I don’t think I’ll be able to wear  this cute Jason Wu for Target dress I picked up last night (only $35!)  in either Syracuse or Ann Arbor (second bball match of the month), but it looked super cute with my Frye’s, a braided belt and a navy blue cardigan (my classroom is approximately 50 degrees at all times. Layers are a must.) I think it’ll transition well into spring/summer too with some flats and jewelry. What do you all have planned this weekend?

Easy mashed turnips recipe

Quickie post to start off the week, les amis. I don’t know how many of you participate in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), but I cannot recommend it enough, that is if you find a good one in your area. I suppose that means a bit of risk taking since you invest for an entire season, but after chatting with farmers at the Baltimore Farmer’s Market all summer, we felt most comfortable going with Zahradka Farm, located just south of Baltimore in Essex. I wanted to take eating fresh and local into the winter and so far it has been a smashing success! Here are the pros of CSA membership:

-less grocery-store attendance
-fresh produce delivered to your door
-forced innovation to your cooking
-warm fuzzies knowing you’re supporting a local business

Here are the cons

-well…quite frankly I haven’t found any yet!

It’s a bit late to join for the winter, but give it a think for the spring and summer, when the produce options will really abound. If you’re not sure whom to go with in your area, ask around at the markets when they open back up early spring and talk to other customers if possible.

Tonight’s a quiet night and I enjoyed mashed turnips with grated parmesan as well as sauteed field onions with sweet winter cabbage. Yum!

I confess this picture is not mine (I gobbled mine up before I thought about photographing)

but it gives you a good idea of what those purply bulbs will look like once mashed. Here’s all I did for a healthy vegetarian dinner:

I brought about 4 cups of water to a boil and added my washed, peeled and diced turnips. I allowed them to cook in the water until they were soft when poked with a knife.

Then I strained the turnips and had fun mashing them up with a fork, adding a bit of butter, kosher salt, ground pepper and sauteed onions. The recipe that inspired me in Real  Simple is in the February issue on stands now. It’s not online but the site remains a great resource for quick and easy dinner. They called for bacon as well but since D was out this evening, I decided to forego the meat.

I highly recommend this healthy dish as a satisfying alternative to mashed potatoes. You may want to be a bit liberal with the salt (taste depending) since turnips have a sweeter taste than you might expect. Bon appetit !