Christmas countdowns everywhere!

Oh we are all ready for Christmas so early!!!! 

Viola!

Look at all those ornaments on the tree already!

Bet you are impressed with how well I'm juggling school and family and the holidays huh?

If I happen to mention that these are pictures from last year will you lose all respect for me?

okay, I can live with that.

I thought about just printing these out and hanging them around the house instead of actually getting everything out while I'm trying to write a paper in french and study for two exams.

okay, the paper only has to be 150 words, but we all know me! 

even the cats think I am ridiculous.

okay, fine.  I'll drag out the 81 Christmas boxes and try to get something festive going on around here.

what if I just bake instead?  cookies fix everything right?

right?

I hate it when he looks at me like that.

Now he's pretending he got ran over by an invisible bus.



Fine. We'll have Christmas. 

sheesh, the things you do for the fur babies.

laughing at your kids.

Do you remember laughing at the silly things your kids did when they were little?  I just realized that laughing at the silly things they do now that they are grown ups is just as much fun!
Here are Becky and Ben..............
sorry, not one of my better pictures, hang on!

............... yes, much better

And here is there puppy Boo....  with little Miss V

dang, another lousy shot.....

hang on again..........

yes, much better, now you can see her cute face. 

So, on to the laughing at your kids part.

Becky is the "momma" of Boo of course and a few weeks ago Boo had some uh, puppy tummy issues.......

if you have ever had a puppy (or a small child) you understand what this means.  Lots of washing of bed clothes and racing to get the puppy outside etc. etc.

So, fast forward a couple days to when miss V and the lovely DD#2 where spending the weekend with Becky.....  Off to the dog park to let little Boo play with all her new doggy friends.  This also means taking along all the puppy accompaniments.   At one point Boo did her "thing"  and Becky ran over to clean it up, she did the poo bag thing and then happily turned around and yelled across the dog park........... ready for it?

"YAY!!!! WE HAVE SOLID POOP!!!"

Little Miss V and DD#2 promptly turned around and pretended not to know her.

une mois! Mais oui!

I can't believe it's been a month since I blogged!!!  I've really been working at my french class, and believe you me, it's work for someone who hasn't been to school in ahem, 30 years, and who did not learn any foreign languages as a child.  Sesame street didn't exist in the stone age so I didn't even get a bit of Spanish!  Lest you think I have been toiling away solely on conjugation of french verbs, I have taken to sneaking ahead in the book and finding useful phrases for my future visit to La Belle Paris!
Ahem:
Je suis perdu
- I am lost
Peux-tu m'aider?
- can you help me?
Combien cela coŭte?
- how much is this?
Je voudrais une bouteille de vin rouge s'il vous plait.
-I would like a bottle of red wine please.
Je voudrias un autre, s'il vous plait.
-I would like another please.
J'ai besoin de grandes quantités de vin.
-I require vast quantities of wine.

All useful phrases right?
I found another online...
Aimez vous acheter de moi quelque cheveux voles?
-would you like to buy some stolen horses from me?
uh, oh... perhaps not so useful?

I can call everyone Ma petite chou.  My little cabbage.
yeah, I'll stick with that one.   That and the wine I think.
and since I don't like to blog without pictures here is a picture of me and my dad in honor of veterans day.
My dad served during the Korean "police conflict"   I'm very proud of him!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

Little Miss V decorated the house for Halloween at the beginning of October, I am pretty sure this is her all time favorite holiday.  These little guys are lounging in the bathroom window.  Upon closer inspection I was amazed at the lifelike spider behind the laying down one.  Goodness that girl is great at decorating............... seems as though all through the house there are very festive cobwebs and spiders and...... uh, anyone have time to vacuum lately? 

And here we have the lovely Miss V modeling her vintage style pajamas that I made MUCH earlier and finally finished sewing the snaps on.  

And finally some yummy yummy pumpkin bread!!!  Oh this stuff is sooooo  good, it's a wee bit dangerous.   Of course it has a load of sugar and spices in it so it should be! 

PS  to give credit where credit is due, and becaue I know some of you will want to make this fabulous bread, the recipe is from the lovely Andrea over at "under a blue moon"  go visit her blog, you will not be disapointed!

http://bleulune.typepad.com/my_weblog/

OMG!

Okay, that is totally not French, but I just realized that it's been a MONTH since I blogged.  Ooo la la I am tres busy with this school stuff!!!  Homework, tests, studying.  And of course all the extra responsibilities I didn't have 30 years ago!  Gosh, did I care at 18 if the toilets in the dorm overflowed?  Heck NO!  that was someone elses problem!  (wish it still was)  120 year old plumbing is not a particular joy to live with.  sigh, poor me huh?  Anyway, I am not the head of my class, but I don't seem to be at the bottom either, and that is fine with me. (I'm pretty sure in my mean little mind that the little 18 year old girl that gets EVERYTHING right had about 4 years of French in high school... grrrr)  I have been trying to get my real life people to understand that I can't do everything I used to.............. and I have said no to a few things.  GASP!  Mare say NO to something????  well I did!  (not enough as it turns out)  I will be working on a monk costume this weekend, hopefully there will be pictures to follow.  Meantime............ check out this most AWESOME link of the Eiffel Tower webcame!!!  you can even make it go back and do the last 24 hours, or week or whatever!  SOOOOOOOOOOOOO cool!!!
http://www.parisrama.com/toureiffeltowerwebcam.html

Salut mon amis!

Viola! La Crepe! 

Il est petite Nicolas!

Seriously how much do I LOVE LOVE LOVE my class!!!!!!  no I did not make the crepe in the picture, but I did eat it!  Petite Nicolas is a French cartoon character who is similar to Charlie Brown.  He is a happy go lucky little guy, kind of from back in the 50s so very much like Charlie Brown. 

Class is going well, but way too fast!  Before I know it the hour is over and I have to race to work.  Sigh.  I hope the traditional students have some un peu idea of how LUCKY they are to do this full time!!! 

I will check in with my wonderful bloggy friends every chance I get, but you know us Non Trads (non traditional students) have to study harder than the yung uns!!!  ;-) thanks for ALL the wonderful wishes and comments!  I do think of my bloggy friends and often tell myself, get a picture of that and share it with them!! 

An advance appology for a lack of posts

There may be a decrease in posts for the near future.  I have decided to continue my education!  I dropped out of college back in 1983 to raise a family and it seemed there was never a good time while the girls were small to go back.  Then it seemed like there was not enough money when they were in high school (catholic) and college to go back.  Somehow the time has come!  I am starting slow with just one course this semester.   But I am pretty excited.  I'm (re)taking French 101.  Class has CHANGED SO MUCH IN 30 YEARS!!!  

The big guy and the girls are all very supportive and happy for me.  Which helps a lot.  Also, sit down and get out the kleenex...............  Daughters number 2 &3 who have careers in their chosen fields post graduation had secretly opened and "moms college account" for me!!! 

yes, they really did this for me!  They had enough in there for this semesters 4 credit class and one for next semester too!  I am overwhelmed and excited and every good emotion you can imagine!!!!