Project 52: Peonies | Pivoines

So much can be said (and has been said) about the irrefutable beauty and sublime allure of the bashful yet majestic peony... so I'll leave it there.

Have a wonderful week!

Conversing with Paris...

I had my doubts about posting a pair of dirty Converse,... though they may not be very pretty or characteristically chic, they are a staple in many Parisian/European wardrobes (sitting comfortably beside dainty Repettos and Tropeziennes). This particular pair belongs to my friend, Florence, who visited the States last week from Paris (she's the one puzzled by large sneakers worn by cutely outfitted NYC women. Obviously Converse don't fall into that category).

What I love about this pair of shoes is that their life consists of climbing Paris' crowded metro stairwells and roaming her grand boulevards and lush sprawling gardens; lingering around buskers playing along the Seine and tapping to their swooning melodies. As they sat in my living room last week, Flo's worn and beloved Converse, I couldn't help but realize the dirt trapped in their soles were remnants of Paris herself...


p.s. This is not a personal or paid endorsement for Converse.

Observations from a Parisienne...

Last week my family had the enormous pleasure of being host to three Français (my husband's best friend, his wife and their daughter) for the greater part of their vacation in the United States. It's always fascinating hearing the observations and first impressions of a first-time visitor to the States (which Florence was, she being a Parisienne). The family's first stop was New York City, and these were Flo's initial observations (with eyes and heart wide open):

- senior citizen discounts for things like movie tickets and food items (which she found practical and convenient for the elderly - and not so common in France)
- many people walking around with something to eat/drink
- the lack of obese people (that she was surprised not to see)
- walking ads/billboards for nearby shops (which she found very amusing)
- big athletic shoes on women (which utterly confused her as she wondered why/how they could dress in such cute outfits then sport big hulking sneakers)

She made many great comments and provided an opportunity to get a fresh vantage point on French-American cultural peculiarities...

Words & Le Bon Mot

ailleurs [a yeur]: elsewhere, somewhere else

Tranquille et la tête ailleurs, c'était un petit rêveur...

[Tranquil and his mind elsewhere, he was a little dreamer]

- Eddy Mitchell, L'Esprit Grande Prairie

***

Printable Calendar: May | Mai 2013

May is like the cream inside Oreo cookies, the best part of the Spring season (at least in Washington, DC).  It's when more sunlight drapes our mood and everything becomes abloom - flowers and foliage and our own natures alike... I hope your May is a splendid one!

Here's a calendar to enjoy and/or share. Simply download (below), print and cut on the dotted line. I like to use plain card stock but any paper will work :)

Download from my file cabinet: May | Mai 2013 (pdf: 485K)

Project 52: Brothers | Frères

It is beautiful to see that after five years of being an only child and two years longing for his new housemate to become... useful, my older son is settling into his role as grand frère. I can tell by his furrowed brow and heavy sighs that the transition is still at times ill-fitting and uncomfortable, but I know (from his honest ramblings) he wouldn't trade back to being alone for the world. In his little brother he has found a certain security, affection and the early spring of leadership. He has found a part of himself.

"...brothers don't let each other wander in the dark alone" 

- Jolene Perry, My Heart for Yours

From the Bibliothèque: Crotte de Nez

As part of every birthday and holiday gift for my older son, his grandmother - a teacher of many years now retired - always includes a book. Always always.

Today I thought I'd share one she sent a few years back entitled (tastefully enough) Crotte de Nez or "Boogers," by Alan Mets. It's a family favorite and always leaves the boys squirming in giggly delight...

In short, Jules the pig secretly loves Julie the sheep (who is repulsed by him, finding the amorous little pig smelly and rather disgusting). One day the Grand Méchant Loup (Big Bad Wolf) jumps out of the woods and snatches the two, carries them to his house in a sack and prepares to eat them. Jules volunteers to be eaten first, cleverly making the argument that his little coquettish friend would certainly taste better than "a poor stinky pig" and so the wolf should save the best for last. The wolf accepts his case, brings the ever observant Jules to his pristine kitchen, pulls a newly cleaned knife out of the dishwasher and advances toward Jules; Jules looks the wolf straight in the eyes, then... puts his finger up his nose, pulls out a sticky crotte de nez and with the "air of a connoisseur" sticks it in his mouth!!... fast forward past another enormous crotte de nez and Jules' explosion of foul gas, and you find the wolf running for his life...

In the end, Julie becomes enamored by the heroic smelly Jules. So love is rewarded, affection reciprocated. And to my 7 year-old son I add: be kind and don't judge others. You never know, they may end up saving your life one day :)