Christmas Tree Picnic, 2011

This year, our schedules didn't allow us to get up on the mountain when the roads were relatively clear, so we had to go up the back way. We drove as far as we could, sliding around, until we saw a decent place to look for Christmas trees. Luckily we didn't slide off the road OR get stuck!

Snowshoes really helped us navigate the snow, even though it wasn't too deep, it was light and fluffy and would have been hard going without the snowshoes.

The sun was shining; it was a warm and beautiful day. Perfect for Christmas tree hunting!

Snowshoes take a bit of getting used to.

And of course the boys ate plenty of snow along the way.
Sawed Off's cheeks got cold and red.
H-Bomb said it tasted like sugar if you ate enough of it.

This tree will do for this year.
It's shorter than we've had in the past, but that's okay. It's a pretty one.

Number One cut it down. We need to remember to get a new saw blade before next year.

H-Bomb and Sawed Off found their tree too. I made them pose for some pictures. It was a beautiful sunny day!

Sawed Off's crazy eyes.

And here's their tree!

The Best Brothers Ever!

It was fairly heavy, but they drug it a little way.

Look, it's a picture of Mommy!

Hot Chocolate time! We also had cheese, crackers, sausage, cookies, the works.

A toast to a quick and successful Christmas tree hunt!

Happy Christmas, Everyone!

Gingerbread House: 2010

Every year, we make a gingerbread house. Last year, we made a house AND a santa sleigh with reindeer that we bought on clearance the spring before. This year, I got a gingerbread house from Bountiful Baskets. The only drawback (I think) was that it didn't come with any candy for decorating, which negated the inexpensive cost of the house because we still had to buy a ton of candy. Anyway, it was fun. It went together fairly well, although a wall by the front door was broken when we opened the box. Once it was assembled, we had to wait 24 hours before decorating.



I was worried the house would collapse in the night (the walls are quite thick), so I put an extra layer of icing all the way around the bottom. I'll let you know after Christmas how my bamboo cutting board survives this ordeal...


So, day two, we decorated. We had m&m's, hershey's kisses, sourpatch kids, sweet tarts, mini candy canes, sprinkles and more! It was a blast. H-Bomb discovered that if you twist the sourpatch kids, they make GREAT icicles!


When we decorate a gingerbread house, there are absolutely no rules, we all just have at it. There is no stifling of creativity in this house! Candy is eaten, and some is even put on the house! Everyone sort of decorates the space in front of him/her. Even Sawed Off had a turn with the icing bag! (below)


I decorated the chimney myself! Brown, red and orange "brick" m&m's, with H-Bomb's twisted sour patch kids for smoke!

(notice H-Bomb's icicles under the eave!)

Sawed Off and I decorated the roof on this side.

Sawed Off with the sparkly green gel.

The back of the house, complete with marshmallow snowmen and m&m's wreath!

The front of the house. We had some issues with the sparkly red and green gel icings, but H-Bomb declared that they were "blood and guts" and explained "they forgot to take down their Halloween decorations!" Perfect.

the aftermath.
(and Number One's side of the house!)

Happy Christmas!!!

The Paris Chronicles: First Day + Le Tour Eiffel

Our trip to France, AKA The Paris Chronicles, starts HERE.

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We woke up the next morning around 7am, and headed out for le petit dejuener, AKA breakfast.

Now, some of you may know that I speak Spanish, I actually have a Bachelor's degree in Spanish, but let me tell you in case you didn't know: French is a whole different language. The pronunciation is very different, and to me it didn't make a whole lot of sense that first day. Or the second day for that matter. But I did my best, and we managed to order our very first breakfast all on our own! Croissants, cafe au lait, chocolat chaud, pain et confiture. (croissants, coffee, hot chocolate, bread and jam!)

We taught the boys how to say "S'il vous plaît" and "Merci" and even "Merci beaucoup." When Sawed Off said "Merci," it came out like "mer-whee" but he's young enough that people thought it was cute. We also taught the boys to say "Bonjour, Au revoir" and the basic greetings (which they still use occasionally months later!)


Grandpa met us at the restaurant, and we decided we'd take the metro to catch a bus tour of the city. The architecture in Paris is incredible, everywhere you look. This is the textile museum/factory just behind our hotel.


The metro was just a quick walk from our hotel too, basically just around the corner. I love that you can walk anywhere in Paris, then hop on the metro or a bus or both and get where you want to go. You really don't need a car unless you plan to travel outside of the city!


Here's "our" metro stop. Notice the beautiful tile work, such attention to detail. I love Paris.



I also love how open the French are to art. These posters were everywhere in the metro lines. I wanted to go to the exhibit, but we just didn't have time. (see my boys on the left, below!)


The boys had several discussions whether the naked person in the bathroom photo was a boy or a girl (she's mostly seen from behind, and small-breasted). And once they figured it out, they casually remarked, "oh, there's that naked girl again," but more often than not, they didn't remark at all. It just wasn't a big deal.

Can you just imagine if a photo like this was in PUBLIC in the U.S.? There would be protests and lawsuits galore. The thought of this prudish reaction makes me cringe. Truthfully, it also makes me want to plaster these posters across the U.S.A.!! Have a glass of wine and get over yourselves, people, it's a naked body. =)



Once we were on the metro, headed to pick up the bus tour, we got our first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower! The boys couldn't contain their excitement, "LOOK! It's the Eiffel Tower!!" It is their absolute favorite sight in Paris.


To Be Continued...

The Paris Chronicles: An Evening Stroll & Picnic

On the flight to Paris, direct from Salt Lake City, we all took No-Jet-Lag Homeopathic Tablets. I was skeptical, but anything that says it will prevent jet lag and is homeopathic is worth a shot, and Grandpa swears by them. They actually taste pretty good, even the boys like them. H-Bomb would ask me every once in a while if it was time for another "pill," which served as a good reminder for me since you're supposed to take them every few hours.

The other tip we got was to stay awake as long as you can once you arrive at your destination, especially if you arrive during the day. Try to stay awake until bedtime there. So, with an eight hour time difference, arriving in Paris at 10:30ish AM was like being in Salt Lake City at 2:30ish AM. And guess who didn't sleep a wink on the 10 hour flight? =)

After our fabulous lunch, we returned to the hotel to get our bearings, unpack a bit, relax. And I was about to drop. I couldn't keep my eyes open, and it wasn't even 5:pm so we knew we had to get up and go.


With Jean-Claude, I went down to the market on Rue Mouffetard to get supplies for our picnic. My favorite part of this was trying all the different pates at the charcuterie. (and the charcuterie guy wasn't bad, either)


Next the cheese shop for cheese, a fruit stand for some fresh fruit, a bakery for a baguette, and of course the wine shop for wine. All of this on the same little market street! I was so glad I brought my shopping bag, I used it every single day in Paris.


Jean-Claude and I joined everyone else, and we took off on foot through the streets of Paris, headed to Luxembourg Gardens for our picnic.

We passed by Ernest Hemingway's apartment, which had been a goal of both mine and Mary's--the first night! We saw it!


The architecture and the history of the streets of Paris are simply stunning. I have no idea on which streets we wandered, or of which buildings I took pictures, but here are some of the sights.


And here is our picnic at Luxembourg Gardens. Pate, cheese, berries, figs, bread, wine, (juice for the boys). Delicious doesn't even begin to describe it.


I think my absolute favorite thing about Paris is that you can drink wine wherever you happen to be. You can buy a bottle of wine, and uncork it on the street. Or in the park. Or anywhere!! And drink it! I think Americans (and Utahns in particular!!!) have got this All Wrong. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with drinking wine, as long as you're not hopping in a car afterward.


After our scrumptious picnic, we packed up and walked back. We found a gelatto shop for the boys (and us, who am I kidding) who wanted ice cream. YUM. We stopped at lots of fountains.


And by the time we got back to Rue Mouffetard, lots of shops were closed for the night.


Look, our hotel left the lights on for us! (down there on the left, past the bicycle)


Rue des Gobelins takes on a certain charm at night, as does the rest of Paris.


We fell into bed, exhausted, and fell asleep to the sounds of a wonderful city.

Au Revoir...

Just a note to let you all know that I'll be gone for a few weeks...can you guess where? The whole family, me, Number One, H-Bomb, Sawed Off, even Grandpa & Mary are heading to France to visit our dear friend Jean-Claude. We are beyond excited.

We'll be in Paris for about a week (the picture above is NOT from our hotel), then we'll travel by train into the country in the South of France, where we'll stay in Jean-Claude's country house, walk to the village, play with the neighbor's goats and eat some of the neighbor's cheese (I hope).

While I won't be blogging, I will be eating fabulous food and drinking fabulous wine and taking lots of hopefully fabulous pictures! I'll tell you all about it when we return.

R.I.P. Belle Starr

7 April 2010