I'm Sure it's totally normal that....

• I have a huge honey extractor sitting in the middle of my bedroom.  Where else would I put it after washing it out in the master bathroom shower?
• I plan to have a Walking Dead premier party complete with severed hand meatloaf and brain cupcakes.  My kids are the only ones invited.
• I have eaten so many jalapenos lately that I can practically breath fire.  Hey, they are ripe and I don't want them to go to waste.
• I own an epi pen and an inhaler...but I have no idea where either is.  But ask me where absolutely anything any my kids own is and I can tell you exactly where it is.
• I drive more miles than a cross country trucker.  Today's route included a trip to the dentist, kids to school, me to work, a kid to the chiropractor, pick up kids from practice and then home....approximately 165 miles for the day. 
• My dogs just got a haircut. One looks naked and the other looks like Donald Trump from behind.  It's kind of hard to look at either of them right now.
  

Raised Bed Gardening

In the past few years I have had some issues with Powder Mold.  So I have decided to try gardening in raised beds this year.  I have read that the advantage to raised beds is better drainage and airflow.

I started by finding all the scrap lumber that could .  I had some old railroad tie type lumber in odd pieces around the yard and a stack of mix matched 2 x 10's.  Plus my dad owns a lumber yard so I went there and scrounged for twisted and warped pieces of lumber that they couldn't sell.  Once I had my stack of lumber, I cut it into pieces and made the most uniformed sized boxes that I could.  I had to get a little creative on the sizes to make best use of the lumber.  Then I just screwed the boards together and painted them black with some outdoor paint.  Most of my lumber was not treated because white lumber is cheaper and easier to come by. Here's what I had when I was done:

After filling the boxes with top soil I decided I did not want to have to weed or mow between the boxes.  So I had some gravel delivered, laid down black weed guard and the topped it with the gravel.

Now all I needed was irrigation.  I read a bunch of articles on line and had lots of ideas for drip irrigation made from pvc pipe.  I ultimately decided that was too much work.  I decided to go with soaker hoses....since they were cheap and I already had a couple.  In the past,  I have never had much luck getting them to stay in place.  This time I fastened them down with some very inexpensive hose stakes I found at the hardware store.  I have 4 hoses connected and it covers all my boxes and has been working like a charm.

You may also notice in the pictures that I have built my own hot box.  This was built out of a storm window that I got from a local Habitat Restore for just $5.

After planting I also decided to use cocoa mulch this year.  I love the great chocolate aroma in the garden and it is supposed to help cut down on insects.  My garden is completely fenced so I am not worried about our dogs getting into the mulch.

I also have a large area in my garden that is just regular dirt that isn't in raised beds.  I have tilled this area and will use it for Pumpkins and other large squash.  It just didn't seem practical to put pumpkins in raised beds.

Be sure to check back in on my blog as the summer progresses.  I will keep you posted as things grow and let you know how every thing worked out.

Monet Inspired Art Lesson

Claude Monet Lily Pad lesson

 

Supplies needed –

Paper, oil pastels, water colors, large paint brush and rag for blending colors, paper towel, cup of water

 

1)      Draw a bridge on the top third of the paper using oil pastels – I used brown and black.  Then draw several lily pads below it – I used two shades of green

2)      Add in some trees (you may want to be sure at least one is a weeping willow), a bush and a line to show where the pond starts

 

    3)      Add another bush and a second color to your trees and bushes

 

 

   4)      Add in some black for shadows and depth

 

 

 



5)    Use a soft rag or paper towel to blend all your colors and give the drawings a soft look

 

 

6)      Add in some flowers and blend smooth with your cloth

 7)      Use a bit lighter of a color to add your reflections of the trees into the water

 

 

8)      Add in some blue and white for the sky and water (I used white and afterwards I wished I hadn’t).  Blend and smooth anything you feel needs a softer look.

 

 

 

9)      Using a large paint brush cover the whole paper with a wash coat of plain water, then give the entire sheet a wash coat of either blue or black watercolor.  I used black.  You will see that the paint sort of bubbles up or pools in spots.



 

 

 

10)      Give the paint a minute or two to soak into the paper, then dab the excess runny color away with a paper towel.

 

 

11)      Then mount on desired background paper or card stock.

 

Here are a few samples that actual kindergarten through fifth grader students made.  I modified the lesson a bit for the younger students, as you will see in their artwork -

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nature Box Review

I few weeks ago I got an offer from a friend to try some Nature box sample snacks.  All I had to pay was shipping and handling.  I think it was like $2.  The snacks came and I was not impressed.  The snacks were things I would have never chosen for myself.  I decided to give them another try and order the subscription box for a month.  This way I got to choose my own snacks...and boy am I glad I did.
Nature Box is a subscription box service.  They offer healthy snacks made with natural ingredients.  You choose 5 snacks each month from their website and they are sent to you for $19.95 a month - or even less if you prepay for multiple months in advance. The thing I like about Nature box is that you get to choose exactly what comes in your box each month.  (You do also have the option of letting them surprise you.)  Plus you can add additional snacks for just $3 and the shipping cost is included in the price. So here's what I ordered and received my first month -

 

 

 

 

I absolutely love each of these snacks that I chose myself.  The only really complaint I have is that the bags aren't bigger.  I wish there was more in each bag.  When you are sharing with a couple of kids the bags empty really fast.  I was a bit apprehensive with the carrot strawberry fruit chews...especially since the package clearly states carrot on the front.  This would certainly send up a red flag to my son.  However, they are delicious....actually the best fruit gummies I have ever had.  And inside the big package are 6 smaller "unmarked" foil bags... perfect for being sneaky with my 'tween son!

 

I plan to change my subscription to one of the prepaid options so that I can save a little more each month.  If you would like to try Naturebox  and save $10 on your first order you can use my referral clink and we will both save.  Just click on the handy link below and start your healthy snacking -

 

http://fbuy.me/bavJL

Also, I would like to mention that if you have special allergy or dietary concerns you can read the ingredients to ever snack before you even order it!

Clean Eating Finds

We have been doing our clean eating for a few months now.  I knew it would be hard when we started because we live in a small rural area.  There is just one grocery store in our town and it doesn't have a lot of options because the town is so small.  It is a 35 minute drive to a larger town where the shopping options are a little better and the selection of fresh clean food is greater.  So... when I come across a product that has a great shell life and is clean... I get a little excited.  Here's what I found at our little grocery store:

 

My kids were very excited to see these snacks actually in our house.  Its been a long time since they have had a packaged cookie.  The cookies went right into their lunch pails for today's lunch and a couple were even snuck outta the package as I was packing the lunches.

I also was pleasantly surprised to find some ice cream that had all natural ingredients.  I found both chocolate and vanilla all natural ice cream at Walmart.  It was the store brand too.  Be careful thought because there are a bunch of flavors but only the chocolate and vanilla are all natural.  I got super excited when I saw a caramel candy flavored one...it was a short lived excitement as I read the label and saw it was NOT all natural.  Sorry I didn't take a picture of the tub but it comes in the round containers like Ben & Jerry's but a larger size...and it was quite reasonably priced...under $4.

 

 

My Aunt brought up a bushel of tomatoes and we canned spaghetti sauce and pizza sauce.  I have been having a hard time finding any all natural pizza sauce, which seems odd since a tomato based product shouldn't need preservatives.  Anyway... I decided to make my own.  Canning is a lot of work....but it wasn't too horrible.  I am just glad I had some help and the sauce came out very good.  I used some of it the kids lunches to make a healthy version of the pizza lunchables.  We will see what the kids thought when they get home today.

What kind of convenient healthy / clean products have you found hiding on your local grocery store shelves?  Please share them with me!  I am always on the look for convenience food that is healthy and clean.

Lori's Clean Sports Trail Mix

This is the best trail mix ever and the best thing about is you don't have to do any cooking.  Just dump the desired amount of each ingredient in an airtight bowl, mix and store.  And it's a pretty clean recipe too for those of you who are eating clean like we are. I make this for my kids to toss in the sports bags for after practice.

Lori's Clean Sports Trail Mix

Cheerios Protein
your favorite Kashi cereal
honey roasted peanuts
pretzels
Ghiradelli dark Chocolate chips
clean granola (sometimes I omit this if I don't have any laying around)

I usually use equal amounts of everything but then go light with the chocolate chips.  You could add in raisins but my kids hate raisins....raisins are ewwwww!

Friday's Grumblings

• I know this is like a sacrilege to even say...But I hate the ice bucket challenge.  I just think its dumb.  Maybe cuz I would never do it....maybe cuz I am sick of seeing people's video...maybe cuz I am just plain old crabby today.
• Clean eating is hard.  And I don't understand why it so hard.  It just seems like we should have lots of fresh food available and then just grab it and eat it.  But somehow as Americans we have opted to work hard to process all of our food so we can have the convenience and ease of then just grabbing it and go.  This whole concept is making less sense to me.
• Freshman college food plans confuse me.  You must purchase a minimum of 14 meals a week...even if you don't eat in the dining commons.  Explanation from SVSU food service - its for the freshman students' own good to ensure that they eat healthy.  However, they serve fried, processed food made with very little organic ingredients.  I can however, opt out if I have a note from a doctor saying my student has special dietary needs.  Really...? is eating whole organic foods a special dietary need?  And really...? I need a doctor to tell them this is a good idea! 
• I am having a big garage sale for my mom next weekend.  After I read an article on facebook about garage sale tricks I have decided not to price many of the items.  The idea is that people like to bargain and you may actually get more than you thought for an item.  But secretly I really just don't want my mom to see I price stuff way less than she does.
• So a friend comes in today and said her husband said the library called to tell her that her Banana Bitch book is in.....ahhh close...how about Evanovich....you know?... the author Janet Evanovich!
• I need to clean my gutters.  What an absolute horrible job.  I saw a thing on facebook about life hacks. One of them was adding a long curved tube to your leaf blower so you can stand on the ground and blow out your gutters....is it just me or does this seem like a really bad idea to anyone else?

Thursday Thoughts

 

It appears I don't have thoughts on Thursday....they randomly come to me much later in the week.  So here are some thoughts on this Friday.

 

• Awhile I posted that I couldn't remember my son's age.  He is the fourth kid ya know...give me a break...I did come up with it after a little thinking.  But it appears the problem has gotten worse...and we will never tell him this story.  But apparently his school sports physical was lost because someone had checked the female box on the physical form.  OOPS!  But also shame on the doctor who didn't notice that they were actually examining a male and shame on the person who put him on the girls' list and actually typed "Gavin" on that list.  It appears that everyone around here is a bit foggy...not just me.
•  If you don't eat food with preservatives, you live in a rural area and you have issues with organization...you could starve to death...just saying! 
• I am on the look out for Crispin Natural Hard Pear Cider.  A handy internet tool told me that it was available just a mere 225 miles away on tap at a bar.  Ok ... I was kinda thinkin' I would like to drive to a store and buy a 6 pack.
• This is bad for a librarian to say....but ok kids... quit reading the book before the movie and chatting about the all the differences....shut up and watch the movie!
• I have never been to PF Changs....never ever.  I am going this weekend.  You better live up to my expectations!
• Two kids will be off to college next week and two will be left home.  My oldest at home can't drive yet.  This can't be possible... I am back to square one.  No driver in the house again. The horrors that used to plague me are returning. I should be allowed some sort of emergency dispensation waiver so she can get her license and transportation issues can proceed as usual!

Clean eating - Our Adventure

My original plan was to post what we are eating each day.  Haha... That is just not gonna happen.  So below is an overview of some of the stuff I have made. We have also made some basic changes:

• We use olive oil...and only in small amounts
• We use coconut oil and also make popcorn only on the stove top in coconut oil
• We only eat wheat, rye or whole grain bread...bakery fresh when possible
• We limit sugar, but when we do bake a treat we use organic cane sugar
• We try to use whole grain or veggie pasta whenever possible but if we use white noodles we buy organic.  and we use lots of quinoa.
• We eat lots of fresh veggies and fruit
• We eat pretzels and all natural crackers and bagel chips.
• We eat only all natural cheese, cottage cheese and sour cream.
• We use real honey and real maple syrup.
• We use white unbleached flour and substitute in as much whole wheat flour as possible.

I am still trying to figure out how to make good whole grain bread in my bread machine.  I have not had good luck.  everything comes out like a brick!

1) You gotta have a little fun...pear beer.  The only ingredient is pear juice, that has fermented  2) chocolate chip cookies made with whole wheat flour dark choc. chips and organic cane sugar. 3) Veggie sandwich with fresh mozzarella, avacado, garden veggies on marble rye

1) All natural alfredo sauce from a jar, with shrimp on brown rice and sauteed onions, mushrooms and squash  2) hamburger patty with mushrooms and onions on marble rye and fresh beans from the garden 3) a hotdog with natural casing on a whole wheat bun with cucumber salad and homemade baked olive oil and sea salt fries.

1) grilled chicked breast with romaine lettuce and parmesan cheese,  grill corn on the cob and red skin potatoes with olive oil and seasonings cooked in foil on the grill.

We live in a very rural area and finding fresh ingredients that aren't processed has been hard.  I tend to shop almost every day after work.  Not a big trip ...just a quick stop at the local grocery store to grab fresh ingredients.  Bread has been a real challenge... everything is processed, even the "fresh bread" made in the bakery at the grocery store.  It is really made from packaged dough with preservative ingredients.  We have a small restaurant that makes bakery bread but it is too soft and we don't like it. Hopefully I can figure out the bread machine and get a good healthy recipe.  If you have any whole wheat or multi-grain bread machine recipes please share them with me. I also am constantly stalking Pinterest for clean recipes.  Our other issue has been fresh juice with out added sugar or preservatives.  We have found some but for any type of selection we have to drive to the next larger city which is about 35 minutes away.  We usually make a weekly or bi-weekly trip out of town, but with fresh ingredients and no preservatives there is no stocking up unless you can freeze it. We try to eat organic, food that hasn't been genetically modified, and food without chemical preservatives added.  This is basically a complete change from the way we have been eating and the way most of america eats.  It is really sad, all the junk we used to eat.  We have learned that real food fills you up better, you can eat surprisingly more than you think and still loose weight and that we just feel much better.

Eating Clean - Our Adventure Begins

DAY ONE
I have kind of fallen off the healthy lifestyle wagon.  Actually the whole family has. Doritos and ice cream have become staple foods. So we have decided to get back to doing what is good for our bodies.  Basically we all feel lousy and lazy.  So it's time. We have done clean eating before and I typically try to always avoid packaged processed foods when shopping.  However, it is quite hard in the United States, to do this...everything everywhere is boxed and processed. One of the things our trip to France taught us was how bad we eat.  We don't take the time to enjoy all the wonderful, natural, unprocessed foods.  You can actually eat more when eat you clean. So I decided to do a day by day blog of just what we are doing and eating.  I am hoping to inspire myself and others to take the extra time to eat clean.
So here is day 1 -

• Morning coffee with unsweetened almond milk and honey from our hives
• Home made roasted chick peas with olive oil, sea salt, garlic and parmesan
• Vanilla Greek Yogurt, with blueberries and honey....darn it I forgot the granola
• Romaine salad with leftover roast chicken, parmesan and cucumber.  In the jar...that isn't actually caramel sauce... it's red wine vinegar, oil and a little garlic for dressing

I am struggling a bit on day one.  I couldn't find a bread machine to buy locally.  So I had to order one on amazon.  So no bread until it arrives on Wednesday or Thursday.  Then I hope to make whole wheat bread, croutons and pitas.  Also, this takes a lot of time and prep.  Thinking ahead and planning what to eat isn't my strong suit.  I am so not even sure what we will have for dinner tonight.  At the risk of being flogged...I am thinking something like a veggie lasagna with zucchini from my garden.  Maybe the kids won't notice we are having zucchini yet again if I hide it in a lasagna.  Wish me luck.

Dinner and snack for later -

• Green tea and zucchini  quinoa lasagna.  My kids loved it!
• Snack - I made a sort of check mix out of a box of Kashi cereal.  I added about 1/3 cup honey and some peanuts and baked in the oven at 350 until it was golden brown.  Then cooled and added pretzels, dark chocolate chips and dried cherries.  This too was a big hit with the kids.  
• I made mango / blueberry sorbet.  I put 3 mangos, a large handful of blueberries, a dash of almond extract and about 1/8 cup of honey in the Bullet.  then I dumped it in an old ice cream container and froze.  it tasted very good before it was frozen.  Let's hope it is even better when we try it froze.

Thursday Thoughts

I am linking up with Jenny at Ramblings of a Suburban Mom.

Here are my Thoughts for this Thursday...

P.S.  I could never do this every Thursday....I don't have that many thoughts... or at least that many worth repeating.

• My Dad just had heart surgery for a second time in 10 months.  He is walking around and had the surgery just two days ago.  How amazing is medical technology and God.  Both have really treated us well. (Insert a big round of applause for God here!)
• I got a spider in my pants yesterday at work.  He crawled in there when I was in the bathroom at work.  I noticed him as I was pulling up my pants.  I work in a library so I couldn't just scream.  But I did take my pants off and shake them and shake them and shake them...but I never saw him again.  I was a bit disturbed.  If I was at home I would have never put those pants pant on again.  But I was at work...I was horrified but I am pretty certain that if I would have walked out of the bathroom into the  children's area without pants I would have lost my job and ended up on a national registry.
• I have decided that becoming a minimalist is the only way to go.  Hey if you haven't used something in the last couple of months....get rid of it.  Everything you hoard save becomes your children's problem.
• I can't wait for Spring.  My Garden is going to rock this year.  I am expanding and putting up permanent fencing and would like to add an arch and an entry way through an old wooden house door.  One problem....ahhh I need an old wooden door.... and unfortunately 3 bazillion other people prolly saw that garden door pinned on Pinterest too.  If you have an old door... I would be happy to take it off your hands.
• I must admit... I dislike yarn.  I have a sweater on today and the yarn keeps touching me....ugh I can't wait to get home and change.  I am also not fond of yarn afghans...feels creepy. Yarn scarves are the worst...that yarn touching right around my neck...eew! Thank goodness for the invention of soft polar fleece.
• What's up with Kinder Eggs?  Apparently there was a ban on them in the US but now its lifted.  Although they are still extremely hard to find and very expensive on the internet.  Seriously, couldn't we just sign a waiver before we buy them?  Like... I do solemnly swear not to choke on the small toy or allow my kids to choke on it.  I mean you can buy fireworks if you sign a waiver.  It seems like fireworks are slightly more dangerous.
• I am not seeing much use for cats right now.  Long story.... but it has been a long cold winter and my heated garage has taken a hard hit.
• It seems that I had forgotten from last year how laborious the college scholarship process is.  Here's a reason you shouldn't have back to back high school seniors. ( I should have foreseen this problem about 18 years ago.)  I am not even filling out the applications...but the constant questions, stress and whining.... oh I had forgotten all about you!
• My aunt has never eaten a kiwi.  I find this quite odd.  I would have thought everyone has.  I will likely be force feeding her a kiwi in the very near future.  I will let you know how it goes.

Friday Phone Dump....ahhh on Wednesday

I decided to take a look through my iPhone pics and see if I had anything of interest.  Here's what I came up with.

 Ellen went to her first high school dance.....and with a boy!  I can remember my mother telling me to stand up straight when I was a kid.  It was really really REALLY annoying!  She used to tell me I stood like a jelly bean.  It took all of my self control not to tell Ellen to stand up straight.  But I did not.  (Well at least not when I took this picture.  It did happen later though.  Heck I can't not mention it forever...I don't have that much self control.)  Dear Ellen,  I am so sorry that you inherited the Jelly Bean stand :0(,  Love, Mom

Hailey also went to the Homecoming dance.  She was annoyed that Katelyn, Gavin and had big plans to make donuts (see below), watch Hocus Pocus (a Halloween classic), carve pumpkins and make pumpkin seeds while she and Ellen were gone.  I wasn't aware of the rule of us not being able to do fun stuff in their absence.  We did it anyway.  Not only are real party animals but we are also rebels...lol!

While Hailey and Ellen where at the dance Katelyn and Gavin and I made homemade apple cider donuts.  And they were easy and amazing!

My Grandma who is 95 years old asked K if she wanted her own Raggedy Ann doll that she had made.  Of course K said yes.  Who wouldn't want a handmade doll from their Great Grandma?  But it got me thinking that she had made the girls one when they were little and that she had also made me a set.  So I sent G on a mission to find them.  When I came home a few hours later this is what I found.  They are adorable....yet mildy creepy!  (The tiny ones on the right are over 35 years old and the tiny"ginger" one...he is the scariest!)

My cousin does amazing Bento box lunches for her son.  And I have looked for Bento lunch ideas on line and have found some great ones.  I have like a whole board on Pinterest for lunch box ideas.  Yet when I do them....this is about how creative I can get.  Some day I will get the little sandwich presses and make their sandwiches look like popular cartoon characters, I will wrap their meat and cheese to look like cute little sushi and I will put tiny silicone cups full or assorted goodies in each section.   Ahhhhh....who am I kidding!  That is never gonna happen....with our schedule it is quite amazing if I even make them lunch.  usually it's grab a hot pocket from the freezer on your way out the door.  I have some amazing talents... Bento lunches do not appear to be one of them.

We have started "Booing" in our neighborhood.  This is where you leave a sack full of Halloween goodies on someone's doorstep...ring the doorbell and run.  Then the recipient is supposed to pay it forward by continuing the fun.  Much to the kids dismay we have not been "Boo-ed" back as of yet.  This is a great lesson in giving and not expecting anything in return!  We are looking forward to the Christmas version of "Elfing" our neighbors!

I do a ton of tie dye projects at work... and its soooo messy.  So I tried this new way to tie dye with acrylic paint, water and fabric medium.  And I love it.  It is sooooo easy and not messy.  No pre-saoking, no rinsing and the colors are so vivid!

I always feel like a fat kid when I post pictures of food or our dinners on Facebook.  What is it with everyone wanting to show the world what they had for dinner? But here is my dinner from the American Legion last week.  After taking this picture, which did appear on fB, I found gravy on my keyboard at work..... I am definitely having a fat kid kinda week!

 Yes its October and raining.  If you were wondering...it is not warm outside...it is quite balmy.  But apparently a perfect day for a bounce on the trampoline.  (I am not a horrible parent...it was not lightening or thundering!  That would have been a deal breaker.  Hmmm! Maybe this is where that sore throat came from! But wait you can't catch a virus from being cold or wet.  Or so I have heard.  But that could be one of those urban legends too...who knows?)

Ahhh yup that is box a poop...leftover from "Laugh it Up at the Library".  I will just let you wonder why I have a picture of it on my phone!

Gavin fell asleep on the couch and I just had to snap a picture.....cuz it looks like he has no arms.  He really does have arms but you wouldn't know it from this.

Well that's what has been hanging around in my phone pictures from the last few weeks.  What have you been up to?

Our Trip to France

In late July I headed off to France with my 4 children.  It was quite the adventure.  Since there is so much to say and share I thought I would do it "photo dump" style.

At the airport...ready for the big trip.  We flew into Paris and then took a smaller flight to Nice in the south of France.  We knew it was warm there.  We were not expecting palm trees at the airport and to see yucca plant and cacti in the south of France. Much warmer than expected!

Our first stop was Cotignac. The buildings are so close together and the streets are so tiny.  Cotignac is a beautiful quaint rural town...we loved it!

I loved the windows....shutters and windows that open all the way...with no screens.  And we had no bug problems.

France is filled with small little street cafes.  We ate at several.  Because we are pretty much functionally illiterate in French...pizza become a favorite because I could comfortably order "Pizza au jambon et fromage seulement ...pas des olives"  (a ham and cheese pizza without olives).  Interesting thing about France... it is quite impossible to get a pizza without olives...no matter what you say... it always comes with olives.  There must be a national quota of olives they have to use.

A few interesting differences we noticed about dining...

• Tipping is optional.  However, waiters know that Americans tip and seem to be annoyed if you do not tip them.  Yet they don't expect a tip from locals.
• Order everything you want at once because wait staff is much less attentive than in the USA
• Ordering water is quite confusing.  There is sparkling water and bottled mineral water.  If you want just a glass of tap water... we learned it is called table water.  Learn this quickly...because bottled water can be pricey.  Also you have to ask for ice... and its not readily available.  And we like very cold drinks. The French... not so much...much closer to room temperature.
• Special orders and requests...like hold the tomato etc...pretty much forget it...not happening.
• We were a bit afraid to eat red meat after finding horse, donkey and lamb on menus.  We are not real red meat people... I actually fed the kids lamb once by mistake.  They really shouldn't put it so close to the pork. They survived but were not happy.  They would have never known....except for that darn Google Translate ;0)

Although we are overly cautious as to what types of animal proteins we will knowingly consume, we still really enjoyed French cuisine.  Among our favorites were their amazing ice cream, delicious desserts / patisseries, and fresh bread ...every day!  And of course the rotisserie chickens from market day!

France is full of wonderful old architecture and fountains.  There is practically a fountain at every corner or town square.  It is beautiful!

 

 

Just outside the center of Cotignac down a wooded trail path is a stream that leads to a waterfall.  It was a wonderful place to spend the very hot afternoon.  By American standards we are quite the prudes.  We were very surprised to find adults as well as pre-teens stripping down to their skibbies (and less), and swimming...some even topless. We choose to wear swimsuits and blush and hide our eyes at those who chose otherwise.

 

About a 15 minute ride outside of Cotignac we stumbled on to the most gorgeous fields of lavender.  The wind was blowing just enough to spread the glorious scent.  We stopped and took several pictures.   Hailey, my daughter, took some of her senior portrait shots here... later when they are edited I will share them.  We so enjoyed the scent in the wind that I will be planting a bed of lavender at home in hopes of recreating the wonderful aroma in my own backyard.

 Behind the small village of Cotignac is a large rock formation that has small caves in it.  We were told that in ancient times some of the early residents of Cotignac used these caves for protection and storage.  For just a couple of Euros you can climb a few staircases including this very small winding one to go to the top and get a splendid aerial view of the village.

After 9 days in Cotignac it was time to turn in our keys and head to our next destination. (Aren't these the coolest room keys ever?)

We headed to Arles to see some of the ancient ruins.  On our ride through the countryside we found this beautiful field of sunflowers.  The soil is so different from ours, that we were continually amazed at how well things grew.  Where soil in the Midwest, U.S.A is deep dark brown or black it is much different in France. The soil is more of a reddish clay color and when tilled up it almost looks like rocks.  It seems to be a much harsher growing climate. Yet grapes, lavender and sunflowers flourish!

 

 

 The square in the center of the Arles of course has a great fountain and this obelisk.  Nearby is a church from the 17th century (I think) with actual relics of a saints. The kids were amazed and a little grossed out seeing skulls and bones of Saints from hundreds of years ago.  Under ground are the Cryptiques which are ancient rooms that were even used to protect local treasures during the one of the World Wars.  Hint:  this is a great place to visit when its 95 degrees outside.  It was a great cool break from outside, even if it wasn't the most visually inspiring tour.

We also walked to the far side of the square and a few blocks more to see an art museum, because we had read that they owned a Picasso exhibit.  We were very unhappy to find out that it was only on display once a year.  We did see an exhibit that was much more contemporary.  On of the pieces of art was a peanut pinned to a canvas and another was an actual piece of lint. I nearly lost it laughing so hard at the piece of lint.  Have you ever tried not to laugh because you know it is totally inappropriate?  Yup...it is nearly impossible not to!  I am sure all the French museum goers were just thinking that we were rude uncultured American tourists.  But I had just paid the better part of $30 for my family to see a piece of lint and a peanut. Somehow that was very humorous.

 Although we didn't eat there because it was more than our budget would allow, one of our favorite spots was the café with the yellow awning that Van Gogh featured in one of his paintings.  It is very said that Van Gogh spent so much of his time in Arles and not one of his paintings can be found in the city.

We absolutely loved the shopping in Arles, even more so than in Paris. The shops were less crowded, had a better selection and were more affordable.  We found many great sales. Many many of the young boys and college age boys wore scarves.  We made Gavin try one on...he was a good sport...but he would die before he wore one in public in the USA.

After a quick couple of days in Arles we returned to the airport in Nice to fly to Paris.  We had a very early flight and had to leave Arles at 3am.  The hotel owners were not happy that we were to be up and moving about so early.  They made sure to tell us to be packed and showered in the evening so our movement and the use of the old plumbing would not wake the other guests. Once we quietly got on the road, it took about 2 hours and about 30 euros or more in road tolls to get to the airport. After boarding the plane and taking off it took around an hour to land in Paris.

 After we landed in Paris, took a cab to our apartment rental office, climbed up two flights of stairs with luggage and wandered the city for about 3 hours waiting for our apartment to be ready.  Then an amazing thing happened.... we stumbled upon a Starbucks!  OMG it was like an Oasis in the desert. We had Internet access and we knew what everything on the menu was...even though we couldn't read it.  We stopped, refueled and rested!  (We also had some amazing bottled Blueberry Arizona Ice Tea...that we just can't seem to find anywhere now that we are at home.)

We had to see Notre Dame Cathedral.  The kids saw the Disney Hunchback movie years ago and knew a bit of its "history".  Although Gavin did seem to have a bit of a problem with the concept of historical fiction.  Yes the place is real!  No Quasi Moto does not live here and has not ever really lived here.  Victor Hugo is real....Quasi Moto is not.

 

The church is amazing.  Actually awe striking.  It is such a great feeling to see the hundreds of people waiting in line to go inside a church.  When we got inside we looked around and even lit a candle for Dad / Papa who had recently had a heart attack and was recovering.  So I take partial credit for his amazing recovery.  For goodness sakes I light at a candle at Notre Dame for him.  How cool is that?  Ok we will give the Big Guy some credit too for his recovery!

 

 

We of course went to the Louvre, where we got to see the Mona Lisa.  It is so tiny! And we were almost squished to death trying to get this close for Katelyn's picture by it.  What you can't see behind us is literally a couple hundred people squeezed into a roped off waiting area, all pushing forward at every available opportunity...like if you inhale too deeply.... that spot is gone and now you can't exhale!

 

This is the Seine River.  We walked all the way from the Louvre to the Eiffel Tower.  Note to self:  it is much much farther than it looks.  It only looks close because its big! On the way we stopped at a little food stand and had something to eat.  We had a wrap style sandwich and a what they called a "Chicago Style" hot dog.  It was delicious.  But you would never find a hot dog like that in Chicago or anywhere in the use.  It was a huge fresh made sausage on a fresh made poppy seed bakery bun, with grilled peppers, unions and mustard.  You could hardly fit it in your mouth.  My experience with hot dogs in the USA...is quite different.  They are little scraggly things that are quite delicious but you suck them down in about 3-4 bites.  This was not that kind of hot dog at all.



 

After walking in the heat for a long time.  We made it to the Eiffel tour.  We did not have advance reservations to ride the elevator to the top.  So we bought tickets to walk up.  There are a ton of stairs.  We only went to the second level.  That was more than enough stairs and climbing for us.  I am very glad we had brought several bottles of water!  The view was wonderful and well worth the climb.  After the we left the Eiffel Tower we crossed back over the Seine and enjoyed some more of that delicious French ice cream.  Then we headed to the metro station to ride back to our room.  We were exhausted when we finally made it back.  I quick check of the Fitbit told us we had walked more than 10 miles that day.

 

We spent the next day shopping and just walking around downtown Paris.  We went to an amazing chocolate shop called La Mere de Famille.  I wish we would have bought more of their chocolates and amazing little hard candy suckers.  While in France also bought several bags of Gummies.  I don't even want to wager a guess on how many bags of gummy Smurfs. Cola bottles, etc that we ate while there.

 

The next day we boarded a bus and headed to the Paris airport.  All in all, our airport travels went ok.  I would describe French travelers as much more patient than American ones.  The lines in the airports in France were very very long and tolerated by the travelers much better than they would have been in the US.

 

This trip was truly a vacation of a lifetime.  I am very thankful that I got to share it with my family.  Our trip was originally to take place in June but was postponed when my Dad had a massive heart attack.  So we travelled in late July instead.  Since we have returned home many things have changed for us.  Some due to our trip and some because we are more aware of all the blessings around us.  Here's an update of the latest news since we have returned home: 

• We bring our own bags when shopping... often.  Not always...but we never did before. (Everyone in France brings their own bags and bags their own groceries.  That was a new concept to us until we stood staring at the first grocery store cashier wondering why she wasn't doing anything and all of our stuff was just laying there.)
• I went on a low carb diet.  Thank you France for the delicious carbs and extra 10 pounds.
• Katelyn started college and wrote the most beautiful paper about our visit to the lavender field.  It's amazing how the simple things leave the biggest impression on you.
• My Dad is continuing to recover.  So much so that he is almost completely back to normal...  just a few lingering effects of being in bed for so long.  He is back to shuttling the grand kids around and watching their sporting events.
•  Gavin has become a little bit more fashion conscious from all his shopping in French boutiques.  He actually likes to get dressed up! (However, he still doesn't really like shopping with 4 women.)
• Hailey, Ellen, Gavin and myself are super busy with fall sports.
• I am on a quest to figure out how to get KinderEggs in the USA
• We are much more aware of the people and gifts all around us.

 

 

Thanks for letting me share our adventure with you.