Friday, December 31, 2004

Operating mutation: turning into le Chef

...and wish me luck because if you knew what I have to cook today and if you saw the size of my kitchen (2m² when empty) and if you were aware of my cooking really hidden talents... you'd say "you won't make it goil, give it up...NOWwww!"

I have the most experimental dinner to cook for tonight (but can't say more, Martin reads it here too!).. and I have to prepare the desserts for 15 people tomorrow...

Lola will certainly help, which makes me think *help* can really have a double meaning..;-)

Have the most wonderful New Year's eve, ours will be intimate and cosy (waving the *parents' flag* around)... Don't behave tonight, life's short and precious :P

2004 Candles' world

political madness, angry planet, atheist extremism, another concert of Metallica, new tatoo, new friends, missing Penny, wanting to meet Jack sometimes, and Etolane too, prayers for Tom fighting his illness, Joe feeling baaaaad, driving better (pheww), Hamburg, Marine the old (s) and Marine the young, loving to be a mama, loving to be a mama and a wife, loving to be a mama, a wife, and a woman too **~~*^* *

2004, la vie en rose -fushia-

Thank you mr or mrs *Universe* (not talking of Schwarzi here!) for my beloved family, dear friends, my 2 published books and hobbit house :-)))

and that's all, folks! **~~*^* **^^* *

Wednesday, December 29, 2004

Décalage

I haven't found an appropriate English translation for this "décalage"!
(Alinet, miss lulu, Etolane... any idea, you Franco-English supa specialists?)

I wanted to tell about the difference between one post to another here.
It just feels weird to speak of the Asian trauma in a post and in the next one of my fookin beloved earrings.

It's definatly uncomfortable.
I sit down and try to think of it. And ok, ok, that is life at the end. Life is made of zillions of details, life is chosing to add milk or not in your first coffee... life is wondering if you will have a tough day at work... life is jumping around when you get a great gift... life sometimes faces death and maybe the key is accepting it too.
Easy to say when it does not concern your own hubby or children.

Ha well, just a question of time, there's a final justice in this world, we'll all finish the same way!
(feeling my bones having a devilish laugh in here! Shut up, you nasty lil ones!)

Jeeeez, before getting depressed for the rest of the year (phewww, my luck!! 2 days to go :P), I'd better write that post about earrings ;-)

The lordette of the (ear)rings!

Not only metallica can please my ears (s)...
...my personnal, official, permanant Santa Claus can do that too!
(nodding)

I'm not a necklace or bracelet type of girl, nenene, but I LUUUuuuVE earrings and rings too, yup.
I guess I could live wearing shoes and earrings only! lol (that sounds decadent again and pretty posh, damn!!!)

And I've just been offered these 2 beauDiful pairs! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!
My giant Santa Claus definatly knows how to please his santa Clausette (ermm, dat's sounds weird! lol)

Felix

...joined us yesterday!
I was making again Xmas shopping for the other family reunions (that will happen on the next 2 weekends... Divorces make of Xmas a nightmare for organization, on the children's side, that is) when this man from that lovely gift shop offered Felix to Lola!

A couple of minutes before, Lola had decided the expensive Felix (hahum, 18 euros!) would be hers... which was not at all in my biz plan of the day!

I was to abandon the newly adopted Felix when the salesman whispered Felix would be his xmas gift to Lola...!

Waww, that was troooly kewl! Felix is so so cute!
The salesman got a kiss from the shrimpette and the three of us left, happily purring.

Felix (such an original name for a cat! lol) is now part of the family, his arrival hasn't even disturned Joe's nap ;-)

Monday, December 27, 2004

Better getting blind and deaf...

...for Xmas
Because I'm not sure I would have appreciated that much my weekend if I had heard about the Asian tragedies...

Gawd, why did it happen, why there and not there, why them and not us?
Does Nature have some revenge to take? Have we hurt Nature so much that *it* had to turn again into such an invincible and unpredictable murderer?

Fate, bad luck.. I don't know.
A more broken heart wishes death would not be so close to life.

(putting this new tragedy in the locked drawer of my mind, there's really nothing else to do, isn't there?)

Hobbit House on the rocks

Before Martin updates his blog (cough cough), here are the latest news :P

While Martin was recovering from his bad cold, I've managed to work 2 days on the hobbit house (proud smile, showing my 2 1/2 new muscles :P)
2 days only, no more than 5, 6 hours maximum everyday... it's so frustrating to not have more time!

We're still working on the walls of the guestroom... There is such a thick cob covering on the stones that it's awful work to get rid of it. It's not that the cob is hard to work, it just sticks to the stones like hell.





I think we need a full week to finish the walls of this room. A bloody week, when will we find it? I wonder!

While working on the stones, I noticed some stones were really wet, as if they were sponges! (the stones are made of granit). Eeeeck, I thought a river was running under the house or something, but no, we've learnt when you open a house that was closed for weeks, it adjusts to temperature and sometimes the stone can react.
It will be different once we start to warm it up. (well, I hope so!)
Phewww...

So much to learn ... it's exciting!


click here

Unexpected delivery

You never expect snow in Bretagne... even less snow on a 25th of December!
But we had it! Yayyyyy!!!
Big heavy flakes for the whole evening. That was wonderful! We had candles all around the house, outside too, put on the stones of the walls.
That was magic.


click here


Some German arrived in front of the house, lost in the whitish storm, looking for the hobbit house they had booked. More wood for the fireplace. More glasses for those who've been playing outside, in the snowy darkness.
Countryside and its lil adventures. Candles, generous snowflakes. City life cannot compete with the country one **~~*^* **^^* ^* *


click here

Wednesday, December 22, 2004

A crepe suzette Christmas

We leave in a couple of hours for Bretagne, yeeeepeeeeeeeeeeee!!!! :P

I think I only wish one thing for Xmas at the end...more time. I've just completly lost it lately, doing everything in a rush, forgetting half of what I had to do, etc.
I'm usually fookin well organized... shiteroo, what happened?!!

Lola's not so sick (less than Martin... jeez, not our time of the year!), but she coughs so much that it often makes her vomit..
Yesterday on our bed, on the sofa, on Martin *working chair* and finally at 3.00 IN our bed (she was coughing so much that I wanted to keep an eye on her and took her with us.)
I finally spent half of the night in her 1m40 bed (eeeck), giving her water or syrup as soon as she started coughing a lot.
Went back to bed at 4.30...
How many kids do we want again?!!!

But my voice is almost back, even though I sound more like a smoking truck driver... at least I can talk :P ...Pheww just in time! hehe
I feel a bit tired, but pretty ok. I think I'll work on the hobbit house the whole day tomorrow so that Martin can recover completly.

I just can't wait to be there now, far from the polluted Paris and its routine **~~*^* * *

I've had no time for my blog really, even less time to relax visiting other bloggies, so I send you all my *Xmas witch* to wish you a merry merry Christmas and the warmest times with your families and friends.
Huggggles, scruffffles and salacious smooooches!

Monday, December 20, 2004

2005 Blogpipole Calendar: grand cru!

Following Etolane's suggestion, I've participated to the *2005 Blogpipole Calendar*, and I do not regret it!

We were not zillions to participate (ermm 16 actually), but so many talented ones around that it feels great to be part of it at the end.
I'm even more proud, knowing that our miss lulu and Cali have also been chosen to be part of it!
(the judges have definatly some excellent taste :P)

(raising my ermm milk and honey -thank you Mel';-)- to Miss January and Miss December :P)

Have a look at it, it's fun and it really shows different kinds of *bloggatmospheres* :)


click here


(atishoooo)
(running back into my cavern, jumping under the covers)

Sunday, December 19, 2004

No milk blahblahs today

After spending the most wonderful evening with unique blogging creatures, I got sicker than I already was.
But I wouldn't have missed that evening for anything (a big big hug to the beauDiful damoiselle who organized it ;-)**~~*^*)
I have discovered really interesting and funny people there! I'm going to get addicted to their blogs (which I did not always know before).
Naturally when there are so many people around, you can't talk with everyone (sigh), but at least I know much more those who were around *our* table, which is already brilliant!

Martin absobloodilutely enjoyed it too... not sure if he will update his blog though, but I'll kick his ass so that he starts again :P
hehe

Anyway, I send warm huggs to those who made of that evening such a success (that means about everybody, no? hehe)

Today's been less fun... Well actually at 3.00 am just after taking *Cinderellalulu* back to her lil castle, I just completly lost my voice.
Learning that, the family looked a bit too happy today when we joined them for lunch! Grmmppphhhh
I can whisper, but no way to make a proper sound. Heaven for Martin and the shrimpette too I bet! ;-)

Having lost my voice is something I can stand, but that headache that is sticking me... leave me alone, you head eater!!!

Okies, I'm on my way to look where my voice is hiding, and when I find it, I can tell you it will hear me very clearly!


click here

Friday, December 17, 2004

In Dublin's Fair City,

...where the grogs are so yummy! laaaalalala Molly Maloooone...

I'm glad it's the weekend, taking care of Lola while being sick felt as if I was taking care of 10 shrimpettes!
Now Martin can help, I can have a hot grogg (1 shot rum+1 teaspoon sugar+squeeze of lime juice+boiling water) and relax.

And tomorrow I'll start with my plan #7: the ol' supa bionic woman plan.
What's the fook kind of plan is it? Well simple: using all my optimistic potential ("potential" is the key word!) to feel like in mid-summer :P

(atishooo)
(cough)
(cough cough)

It gonna be tough, but it will work. A long bath, bubbles included, will make a first huge difference!
Then letting the shrimpette to her grand-mama will make the rest.
When you've such a lil one around, devilish one I should add, your attention is always busy. You don't fully sleep, you don't lose yourself in thoughts and dreams, you do not make any break. All your attention is focused on the next trick your lil one is preparing!

Haaa, but it's the weekend, and I see in my cristal ball that it gonna be some *speschul* one!

Running for my grog in the most bionic woman style (which seems very slow but is very quick actually! Remember the way she runs!!), singing my Molly Malone song!

(yeepeeeee, it's the weekend!!! weeeeeee!!!)


*generous* Molly Malone

A very girlie shrimpette

Oh yuss very very girlie.
You know each time it's Christmas time, I can't help talking of the nightmare before Xmas; it's our lil pleasure (as for others it could be Tino Rossi, you know? ;-)

I can say now that it's also Lola's pleasure!
She luvvves it, from beggining to the end... and actually she even luuuves more than anything else the 2 last seconds of it. When Jack kisses Sally!
Kiss kiss kiss... BISOU BISOU BISOU

That's what my shrimpette screams as soon as the movie ends: BISOU BIZZZZZZZZOU BIZZZZZZZZZZOU
She asks to see the 2 seconds scene again and again and again. Gawd. And again!

Yesterday was almost scary: she started to shout an endless "maman, bizzzzou encoooooore"! And since I made her wait.. she started to cry, repeating "bizou zack", between 2 sobs... lol

Our baby shrimpette as turned into a girlie Shrimpette!
Well actually I'm kinda proud (don't tell that to Martin, huh), it's a good beginning :P ... next step: Candy Neige André (aka Candy Candy), of course!


Thursday, December 16, 2004

French translation for "Miss Lulu"...: Miss Vitamine C

Because when I woke up this morning, I felt terrible... sore throat, headache, etc.
But I wouldn't have missed my rendez-vous with miss lulu for anything!

And my sore throat and headaches disappeared almost as soon as I joined miss lulu!
(they're back now though! boooo)

At 9.00 then, miss lulu and I went for almost 3 hours in a café where we shared the most pleasant time together :-) ...And she was like I knew her from her blog, open, fun, generous and really lovely!

When the whole Paris was starting to work, we were having our teas and coffees talking about our different worlds... somehow fookin decadent, I luuuuved it!

Thank you miss lulu for this time we shared together!
**~~*^* *

Wednesday, December 15, 2004

socks and the meaning of life

Almost the end of the year, my lil blog deserves some treasures me thinks!
Sooooo....(sit down comfortably and have pop corns)

... for the first time in my life I slept with socks yesterday! Sex-appeal made its luggage quickly, some reputation to protect I bet.

Sleeping with your socks is something in a woman's life. It means you are now comfortable enough to feel free to fart under the covers and pretend to practice jogging on sundays. Maybe you'll even start to have a beer watching soccer with your hubby. No!!! Your hubby only watches soccer with its good ol' buddies!

Anyway... wearing socks... bubye feminity!

...yup yup... that, or...

Maybe yesterday it's been fookin COLD around here and wether I accepted a cruel death within a couple of minutes, or I surrendered to the socks' power... and warmth!

:P

Size does matter!!!

Specially when it comes to techie stuff! :P
Our fookin ink printer dies 6 weeks ago (I hope you'll have a beDer life up there, girl, because so far it was not brilliant brilliant!)

Thanks to some *gooood* friend, we got the unexpected, a *goooood* laser printer for the price of a small ink one!
haha!
Our luck, I tell you!

It's not red, but it's fast... and reloads more quickly than your shadow would (G)

Glass painting and my 1000 and 1 other brilliant ideas

Last year we did papier maché fairies for the whole family (they were quite nice at the end!)
I know my mom is doing mosaics stuff for everywhone (and if you don't like handcraft stuff, you'd better change of family, lol)
And this year, I thought we could try painting on glass... painting on champagne flutes...maybe joining a bottle of champ for each couple... yeahhhhhhhhhhh! brilliant idea!

I went to buy the supa glass painting kit and 3 dozens of champagne flutes.

Xmas is next week, so it was time we start with them.
And so we started. We tried, and trained again and again on our own glasses. (ps: nebber use PINK to paint a glass, no way to drink wine in that!)

We tried, and we failed!
The result is a nightmare, which brought some good laughs at least. We are definatly not glass painters!

Et voilà, if you ever come to visit us, we'll use some of our flutes stock, believe me.
We just have to get enough champ now :P

lol

I have to jump into the Xmas rush now for the presents!
I've no ideas of course... except that glass painting kit which is already packed... for my mama:P hehe

Monday, December 13, 2004

A Pirate's Christmas

I've just finished a new painting (weeeee! I thought I'd never find the time for it!). I like it when I do SF stuff, in my own way of course :P

Here I wanted to deal with Christmas again, in a more personnal way.
I actually got inspired with Captain Harlock and the Eiffel tower. Gawd I've spent much time thinking about how I wanted my space ship...!

To me the Pirate here is kinda angry to discover such a cheap treasure in the chest. Because she's a Pirate, she likes gold. Because Xmas does not mean anything to her -anymore.
But then, you can also see her as overwhelmed with sadness, spending another Christmas with herself only. Maybe wishing she had chosen another life.

Anyway, you see it as you want!


click here

Creche

It's a tradition in the family, we all make our lil creches when the time comes (ours is really tiny!). It's nice, a good way to talk about origins of Xmas to the lil ones.
Wether you *believe* or not, there are many beauDiful stories to share about the nativity. And if you take some distance with it, the center of all that is *simply* a baby, a child...and the love that surrounds him. Love and kids, definatly the roots of Xmas :)


click here


(the ground is made of Halloween cobweb :P)

Advice

There's ONE question you must NEVER EVER ask to a woman : "Are you pregnant??"

And shiterooooo... Yesterday I asked a a friend of mine if she was pregnant.
She isn't preggie at all (lol, you can't be "just a little" preggie anyway) and now feel certainly BIG (she isn't)!

Arggggg

I've already been asked that question once.... and felt like I would commit a murder!

Saturday, December 11, 2004

Tell me how you hold your guitar...

...and I'll tell you who you are!

As Etolane reminded me the other day: James Hetfield KNOWS how to hold his guitar!!!
(faint)



When the pleasure for the ears and the pleasure for eyes join this way, the Paradise is not far!

Close your eyes, open your mouff

...beware of the flies!
:P

As I've been on a supa mama mode today... I, well, Lola and I made a real delicious cake.

Another recipe you'll tell me?
Well yes, I mean, NO! it's THE recipe of the week!

I hate cooking, so if it can be simple and yummyssimo, it's like gold to me!
I found the recipe in the bible

Grab a pen and don't bite your lips too much!
If you resist trying it, you'll be the survivor...

Apple chocolate pie

you need:
2 apples
50cl of creme fraiche
4 eggs
200g of chocolate
1 short pastry (pâte sablée, hein, ils sont pas clairs dans mon dico! lol)
2 big spoons of sugar
1/2 lemon

-put the pastry in the form
-cut the apples in small pieces and put them on the pastry
-mix 30cl of creme fraiche + 4 eggs + sugar + lemon juice. Put all that on the apples
-woooosh put your pie in the oven for 30 minutes (not too hot)
-Once it's ready, take it off the oven and let it getting a bit colder
-While the pie's getting colder, melt the chocolate + the rest of the creme fraiche, and pour this divine mixture on your pie
-woooosh, put your pie in the fridge so that the chocolate gets a bit harder.

And try it as soon as you can't resist anymore.

Phewwwww recipes are nightmares to translate!

Here's the pie we made:



And you can see that it's definatly been *Lola approved*


Jessica versus Samantha

There are days like that...

I woke up feeling like

that:

+

+


...and finally, after running for food shopping, freezing playing football in the parc, feeling stoopid accepting making fishing rods for kids at Lola's Xmas party next week + painting with Lola + making a big cake with her + reading books about Xmas for the shrimpette + preparing calf kidneys to cook them later, cleaning the flat as if it was Spring... and all that while listening at the Nightmare before Christmas' soundtrack..

...I've actually felt like that... :


+

+


!!!!

Yup, been a *supa mama* day... Thank Gawd, it's not always like that (cough... and weekends are made for *supa papas* by the way! yeeeeeehooooooooo!)

Wednesday, December 08, 2004

Je t'aime, moi non-plus

What are your habits with blogs?
What kind of blog keep your attention?

I do not like to categorize, but I'm sure we all get different tastes regarding the blogging field.

For my part, I know what I do not enjoy at all in blogs:
1.agressivity (which has nothing to do with simple fits of anger)
2.lack of involvement (when there's no personal point of view)
3.playing the *yahoo news* blog (you just can't beat news sites with a blog)
4.lack of interactivity or interest (no comments field or no repply to comments)
5.text only or images only... I enjoy both together

These 5 points are natural criteria that will make me read a blog regularly or not.

So naturally all this means, that I absobloodilutely enjoy:
1.personnal blogs (I do read blogs first to get news about the writers, *touching* bits of their universe)
2.interactivity (provocative blogs, blogs that ask questions, blogs which provokes reactions)
3.creativity (which does not mean you've to be the philippe starck of the blogworld, being on top of creativity... nenene... just trying to avoid telling everyday how your coffee tastes:P)
4. being more honest with yourself than desperatly creative

Damn! I've just been blogging about blogs! (and I always criticize that!)
lol

I tell you, it's way too hard to be a good blogwriter!

Clint, it's not too late..

..to change your mind!
I've always been suprised that you stick to the Republican party overthere.
Ok, you've made many movies in which we can get the message... but as many movies and probably more where you simply defend human rights and not so republican ideals.

But why Republican, I can't get it. I have no problem imagining Tom Selleck or Bruce Willis as good ol' Rep'... but you!!! No!

Anyway, I respect your choice even if I don't share it. And I'll keep on drooling watching again and again your movies ;-)



ermm...a photo will do it too -> (droooling!!!)

"People who say they sleep like a baby...

...usually don't have one".
~Leo J. Burke

hehe so true... though I admit when Lola and Joe are having their nap, I can enjoy the silence for at least one hour! (happy sigh)

Monday, December 06, 2004

Tell me...how are you doing?

I spent a great time with my survivor Marine (survivor as in "I'm French and it's been 6 years I live in the UK")

I really wish we lived closer... even if distance does not change really a lot of things, it's frustrating to not be able to see each other more than 2, 3 times a year.

I like to spend such intimate moments.. And I *need* them... I *need* to share laughs and huggles and winks :)

But I reckon distance forces you somehow to enjoy to the maximum the precious time you can get together.

Each time Marine and I see each other, we naturally ask each other "how are you doing?"... but this has nothing to do with friendly politeness. We really *need* to know how the other is doing. You know?

Friendship and Love**~~*^* *

Isn't it too late for...

...a lil extra on my Christmas list???
I hope not!
And my Xmas list is so short that really I can add a lil something like... the whole Parisian stock of the miss Helen goodies below... (I will share it with you, goils :P)

Sunday, December 05, 2004

Nenene, I'm not 16 anymore

and when I jumped to bed at 3.30 am to wake up 5 hours later, I feel twice 30 years-old!
lol

Esox, if you read that bloggie, I gotta tell you it's not fair you could sleep all day today! grrrmpppphhhh

We had a really kewl evening, ermm, night, yesterday! Lost of fun and drinks (counting the empty bottles around, eeeeeeck!)

But there's a fookin price to pay... I'm not feeling like on top of the world today!

We've been to the Paris boat show earlier, but after one hour talking here and there, I really felt like "where's my bed!"... And finally when an ex-colleague there offered drinks, I almost ran away directly back at home!
hehe

And now I have to work... no Sunday for us *free workers* (but no Monday either :P)

Friday, December 03, 2004

Friday in a shaker

here's a zoom on lil precious moments that finally made my day. Does routine really exist? I doubt it, not if you use your inner zoom sometimes ;-)

relieved
When Lola finally made her nap, her arms around Joe's who was doing the same

almost discouraged
When I admitted I had to re-do 6 illustrations for my new tale. It takes so much time! And I have no time at all.

intuitive
When the hubby of the caretaker started to sing loudly while cleaning the stairs: I could bet 10 bucks they go back home (Portugual) for Christmas :))

worried
Realising EVERYBODY has put the extended version of the LOTR in their xmas list!!!! Will Santa Claus get enough stock???

posh
Realising I do not buy any kind of apple, I buy the "Golden Delicious", I do not buy Spain's clementines, I buy "Clémentines La Savoureuse", 3 times the price of the normal ones of course.
Thank Gawd, I find my posh fruits definatly exquisite.
(memo to self; add an appropriate adjective to anything you wanna sell)

blushing
When I pushed the record button of the video tape recorder to watch later a crucial episode of (cough cough) Lady Oscar.
No, I do not waste time watching cartoons! But Lola does! And influences me baaaaadly!
LOL
I know! It's tragic (all the more as I already know all the episodes)
hehe

smiling
Enjoying the beauDiful blue from the twilight tonight, coming back from the parc.
It felt wonderful**~~~*^** *

Success Story?

Dunno really, I have no idea if the first book I've illustrated was a success or not (I'll know it by the end of the year). But at least it's now being distributed in Holland!

And the second one of the series has just been printed and is now available!

Getting a first book published feels like a miracle, getting a second one (which deals with dyslexia this time) printed feels like you have done a good job!!!



I'm really happy and next week the third one should be done (well, it's done already, but I still have the illustrations around the text to finish).

There's even a webpage (not official yet) that has been created around the character of Herman. That's kewl!

(happy sigh)


PS: Jack, that is what we've been celebrating last weekend :P

Wednesday, December 01, 2004

B like Beaudiful Bed and Batteries

Since I feel exactly how the cat below feels (this is not Joe btw, Joe would not mind sleeping on the kboard)...



...I'm going to explore my Big Bed very quickly today to find where my new batteries are hiding! (happy sigh)
I will let myself fall into a cotton world where soft music will open a first door to some total relaxation**~~*^* *

Zzzzzzzzzzzz***~~*^*