My mom took me on a very special, once in a life time cooking adventure in Tuscany in April. I was seven months pregnant and enjoyed every minute of time with my mom, learning to cook all sorts of delicious food and eating it!! This is Tuscan sea salt recipe is from our cooking class. Continue reading →

Last night I decided the cream puff tree and post-Christmas pageant dessert buffet at church need to be worked off with a walk come morning. However, Dave’s text this morning announced the elevator being out of service. This is one of the charms of city living- living on the sixth floor and having a non-functioning elevator, while doing life with three little ones four and under.

I must have been slightly delusional when I thought I could get down the steps carrying a baby carseat (sans bébé) and Jack’s scooter while helping the little helmet-clad kiddo down the steps, all with lil’ Chloe strapped on. What mother thinks that’s a good idea? All was going well until somewhere between the 3rd and 4th floor.

It happened too quickly and out of my range of visibility (when I’m “wearing my baby” it is impossible to see from my hips down in a three foot radius). But there he was, little helmet-clad buddy sprawled out across four steps, face down. That helmet saved him. He was crying but more because he was shook up. I managed to balance the scooter on a couple of steps and plop the car seat on the landing of the 3rd floor. Jack and I caught our breath and then I heard a voice, “Heidi, is it you? Do you need help getting down the steps?” It was our neighbor. The same one who drove me the hospital when I couldn’t get a hold of Dave and the husband of my friend who made it possible for me to get home to my family during the terrorist attacks four weeks ago. God seriously sends this family to us in our weakest, most needy moments. It is crazy. “Ah yes, that’d be great,” I responded with an awkward laugh… I didn’t want to look so desperate but I was.

I thanked him and then shuffled off to only find that our car wasn’t parked in the lot of our building. See there are only so many spots available and it is on a first come, first serve basis. I call Dave to find out how far away the car is parked. Um, too far to keep this circus up all the way to it’s spot. Fortunately our gardien (the building caretaker) had pity on me and offered to keep the carseat until the elevator is repaired. Did I mention I looked desperate? Ok, focus Heidi, you have to get your daughter from preschool.

The trip back up the steps was much smoother. Lexie offered to carry Jack’s helmet… and the scooter. Sweet girl; she forgets she’s hardly four. I let her take the helmet.

We did the steps one more time to go play at the park but this time without the extra “props” and with a friend by my side. My super hero husband met us when we came home. He scooped up our two year old and carried him up the steps.

I think I worked off at least part of the cream puff tree and tomorrow, as the elevator still isn’t repaired, I should get around to working off the rest.

Once in a great while Paris’ garbage collectors will go on strike. This fall was one of those times. It made for excellent street finds. Just around the corner from our house an elderly woman seemed to be downsizing (that’s a happier thought than someone emptying out her place. Right?) This lady had a lot of fabric she was getting rid of and so I kindly took some off her hands and out of her garbage bag. ; )

Each day as I passed this large assortment of fabric I thought, “What could I do with all this fabric?” My answer came, “Make it into throw pillows and open an store on-line!” Once my enthusiasm died down, I remembered that I didn’t know how to sew a zipper into a pillowcase and I didn’t really want to open an on-line shop. Instead, I decided I could make a couple of throw pillows for Christmas for two friends who have recently repainted rooms in their homes. (Spoiler alert- if you know who you are- “Happy early Christmas!!”)

I had to call on my seamstress friend Karen to teach me a thing or two about pillow making. She managed to walk me through a zipper-less pillow making tutorial and Voilà!, two lovely pillows ready to ship for Christmas.

We are hosting two Chrsitmas parties today and tomorrow and I wanted a little glitz for our table. I mixed a tablespoon of Elmer’s glue with 1/4 c water (I shook it in a small Tupperware) and then poured it in a small ramekin. I then sprinkled glitter in an another ramekin. Dip the rose tips in the glue mixture, and roll the the tips, as to get all the petals. Then do the same in the glitter. Voilà, happy glittering!

UPDATE: As I continued to “glitz” my roses the glitter ramekin got a bit soupy. So, I just dipped the roses in the glue mixture and then held the roses over the sink and sprinkled the glitter over them. The effect was the same. : ) They are still holding up well a day later.

Welcome to the “Street Find Friday” début! Our home is filled with these gems and often guests will ask, “Did you find that on the street, too?”Well, Tuesday was an outrageous day for street finds– I hit four just walking to pick Lexie up from school.

My first stop was a spot I had already visited twice. It was a pile of old drawers and cabinets that had lovely hardware. The first two passes I took what I could without a screwdriver and the third pass was with a screwdriver. Total score: 12 draw pulls. My little dude helped point out which cabinets still had hardware on them and once we were home, he helped me replace the knobs on the kids’ dresser.

The second stop was a lone light fixture, or chandelier as I like to say. I’ve had a hunch that our current chandelier is on the fritz because we replaced five bulbs in a week- and there are only four bulbs. So, this little gem will hopefully find its new home above our dining room table.

For the third stop, I felt a bit silly “joining” a lady that was already digging through four large bags that had been discarded by a public trash can… but I just couldn’t help myself. I crossed the street and tried to obey the unspoken code of street find politesse. “Excuse me, are these things yours?” “Non? Oh, may I…?” She was kind and pointed out contents of different bags, including some children’s items. (Are you weirded out yet? If you’re a bit of a germaphobe, I understand. I do carry hand sanitizer in my pocket and disinfect after each stop. But street finds are not for the faint of heart.) This ended up being a very posh stop and I quickly realized the moving van parked across the street was probably to explain the presence of these fantastic finds. Here’s what I made out with: a new coloring book, a new Hello Kitty lunch box, a never been used handheld breast pump, a Beaba formula tower, a Beaba frozen food storage container and a canvas and leather Bensimon handbag (which washed up beautifully!). I plan on bringing the formula tower and the breast pump to a consignment shop.

By this point my stroller was looking quite peculiar but it didn’t really phase me as I parked it out front Lexie’s school. After we picked Lexie up and were headed home we ran into the final street find: a decent trash can. (Now I’ve lost all germaphobes.) Someone was clearly doing a bathroom remodel and were getting rid of collection of fine items. Do I need a trashcan? No, but surely someone I know does. Allez hop! What’s one last addition to the stroller? Our colleagues and new neighbors ended up being grateful recipients of this last score.

other items from the bathroom remodel

our loaded down stroller

Lexie, my four-year old, has a growing love for street finds too. Over a year ago was when I realized that she had been keenly observing me. I picked something up off the street and she said, “Mama, take home and wash?” Yes, that’s right, darling. Another time she saw something I had found on the street and she asked where I had gotten it, to which I responded, “God provided it for us.” “Mama find on street?” Yes, that’s right, darling.

Paris is a fantastic city for street finds. What’s the best thing you’ve ever found on the street? What have you found on the street with me?

What a moving sight– French flags hanging out windows and in front of shops all across the city. It has already been two weeks since the shootings in Paris and today we are honoring those who died. In the 12 years I’ve lived in France I’ve never seen such a beautiful patriotic act. While the French are very proud of their culture, history, food and country in general, they are by no means “flag flying” types. As an American, I relish the thought of our family wearing matching forth of July flag t-shirts from Old Navy. But the French aren’t usually like that. But today, many French people flew flags as a way to show their solidarity.

I got a lump in my throat as I ran my different errands. At the library I saw the front page of one of the French newspapers: it was black with white text listing out the names of the men and women who were gunned down. Simple and moving. I don’t know any of those men and women personally but I really wish we had a flag to fly out our window tonight. Paris does feel like home.

A verse that Dave and I have been reading and thinking on lately comes from Jeremiah 29. When people think of this chapter they usually think of verse 11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” But just before that it is written:

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon:  Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce.  Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease.  But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

Like the Israelites, Dave and I have been called to live in a foreign land (we’re not exiles, so let’s not get carried away with the parallels) but these verses really speak to us. Paris is our home, our three babies have been born here, we want to seek the good of this city. That’s why seeing those flags fly in our neighborhood today resonated in such a deep way; Paris is home. And in this city, I believe God has good plans for our lives and desires good for those who live here.

One year ago today I was about 11 weeks pregnant and I thought I was loosing my baby. In a flash I had lost a ton a blood and was lying on our bed trying to distract my one year old and three year by putting on an episode of Daniel Tiger. Dave was biking to campus and I couldn’t get ahold of him. “Pick up. Please, pick up,” I begged as his phone kept ringing. I made a tear-filled call to my upstairs neighbor and friend (the same friend who came over at 1 A.M. last week after the shootings). “Are you home? Can you please come down; I think I’m loosing my baby and I need to go to the hospital. I can’t get ahold of David.” Not only did she come down but she had called her husband who was driving to a physical therapy appointment and asked him to come home and take me to the hospital. How strange to get in the car with a guy I didn’t know very well at such a tumultous  moment in my life. But God provided so graciously through him and his wife.

After much silly waiting at the hospital (um, I had to go to the receptionist and give her my insurance information… after she was done helping the woman in front of me…), I was admitted to the emergency room. Tears kept streaming down my face… so this is how it feels to loose a baby… Oh my baby. Dave walked in the emergency room as the ultrasound started. My face was turned away from the screen; I didn’t want to look out. I squeezed Dave’s hand. The nurse urged me… “Look; look, it’s your baby. She’s moving. She’s O.K.” My tears of grief turned to tears of relief but I was still hesitant. What had happened? The nurse couldn’t find any abnormalities as she carefully scanned our baby. I was told to go home and rest for the day and come back in a few weeks to get a check up.

That afternoon my dear friend Karen came over and made me chicken noodle soup and  introduced me to the BBC production of Emma. I slipped in and out of sleep as I thought about the precious and fragile little life inside me. My heart ached for other mamas whose visits to the emergency room ended differently. Thanksgiving the next day was a bit of a blur… I was so relieved and yet still afraid that I’d never meet the little life that I was carrying and growing.

Today as I rocked that same little baby girl in my arms my eyes filled again with tears. Oh God, thank You for allowing me to hold her today. To see her tiny fingers curled around her stuffed giraffe and see her little pacifier bob up and down as she drifts off to sleep. Thank you for our little Chloe.

Thank you, too, for our neighbors who continually extend their friendship and help to us. They have been there for us during two of the hardest days of our time living in Paris (and so many other “normal” days). I can imagine a bit more the gratitude the pilgrims felt toward the Native Americans way back when on that first Thanksgiving… The pilgrims needed their help and wisdom to survive in a foreign land. And, we need our dear friends here. God, thank you for Your sweet provision.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Thanks for all your concern and prayers for us in Paris. Yesterday we went out to the Caffe Cosy as a family to join other locals who were out enjoying an afternoon coffee. Our server told us that both brunch services had been full. It seems a lot of people are getting out and not letting fear keep them indoors or away from restaurants and cafés.

It felt particularly good to get outside yesterday because all three kids have been sick this week. Our baby is the last one to get better. Have you ever heard a hoarse baby cry? It’s soooo sad. Anyway, as a mom of three little ones and with extended family living 4,000+ miles away there are a couple of things that make my life easier in this season. One is having a new mom’s helper come to our apartment once a week. The French government extends this service to families with three or more kids for the first 6 months of the baby’s life. Nice; right? (We still pay an hourly fee but it is reduced.) Olesea is a huge help and blessing. I mean, she can’t replace my mom but she is great.

The other thing that makes my life easier is the meal planning service I signed up for a year ago. You can upload your own recipes or recipes you find online, then lay out your meal plan for the week and it generates a shopping list for you. I use it every week. Last week I planned our family’s meals for the week, got my grocery list and even translated some of the items into French (Olesea went to the grocery store for me)– all in 18 minutes. Bam! Done.

This Friday they are running their Black Friday special – which means their yearly subscription will be 50% off, bringing the cost to $19.50. Check out the Plan to Eat website- it’s so worth it. (Click here to use my referral link; I’ll get a little kickback. *Thanks*) Plus, you can sign up for their free 30 day trial and your subscription will start after the trail period. These people are legit. I have to say that it does take time to input your recipes, and you’ll need to take some time to get the most out of all the different features but look at it as an investment. You can also find different menus already on their website – even gluten free ones. Ok, if you have questions, you can ask me or ask the Plan to Eat staff. They are very helpful.

What’s something that has made your life easier this past year?