Sunday, September 30, 2012

Blessed Be The Name!


30/09/2012

Bonjour mes amis!

Today is a day of Worship!  Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

Last Sunday, we concluded our Worship Service here in France with the song, "Blessed be the Name".  How wonderful it was for us to get to sing a song we know and love, and learn it in another language!

Here's the Chorus in French!

....Béni soit le nom du Seigneur
... Béni soit Ton nom
... Béni soit le nom du Seigneur
... Béni soit Ton nom glorieux


Please listen to Chris Tomlin sing this song, as part of your Worship today!

Avec tendresse,
Jan


Saturday, September 29, 2012

#1 Château Love!


29/09/2012

 Bonjour mes amis!

How could I have forgotten???  I've been blogging (or blabbing, as the case may be...) along, and I haven't yet shared my favorite Château with you...Château De Chenonceau!!!  We visited this beautiful place our first weekend after we arrived, and now you need to see why it's my favorite...

Enjoy!


Like a Fairytale, isn't it?

Isn't this an amazing ceiling?

Dr. and Mrs. J!

Guess he approves this fireplace!

This is where the servants worked, but I'd like this kitchen!
 












As we leave the Château, there is a human maze waiting for us to explore...
 

Can Jewel Jr. get back to us?
This is the center of the Maze!


Wishing you a Bon-weekend!

Votre ami!
Jan






Friday, September 28, 2012

Parc Play!


28/09/2012

Bonjour mes amis!

We're heading into another weekend, and boy, has it cooled down here!  It's definitely Fall!  Feels nice for us Texans!

If you've been with me since the start of this blog, I didn't start sharing until our 25th day after leaving our beloved Texas.  So, it dawns on me that I haven't shared a couple of beautiful places we've been that you should know about...

Let's start with Parc Floral de la Source in Orléans...

Jewel Jr. and I took an afternoon and boarded a bus for a quick 15 minute ride to the Parc Floral, a beautiful Park that boasts the source of the Loiret.  I'll just share and comment on pictures for today.  I hope you enjoy it!




I love this spot!  Very tranquil...

Another favorite spot!

What could be better?  This place has its own Chateau!

We felt right at home with the Sprinklers going!

Jewel Jr. catching some rays and relaxing!


The Loiret





You can see why this Park was called Parc Floral!  Even at the end of summer, there were many flowers!

Time to head back home!  Notice the McDonald's Ad at the bus stop!

I'm sure that we will go to this Park several more times before we leave this beautiful country.  This will be one of my favorite spots to take our visitors.  In May, they hold a beautiful Festival of Iris'.  Usually, I visit as the Festival has ended, so maybe in 2013, I will be present when all the variety of Iris' are displaying their full glory!

Now that reminds me of an important verse from Scripture that our Pastors often use, that I'd like to share as I close this today...

"The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the Word of our God stands Forever"!
Isaiah 40:8

Have a Jewel of a day!
Au Revoir!
Jan





Thursday, September 27, 2012

Chocolat!


27/09/2012

Bonjour!

I thought my TITLE might grab your attention!  You can't resist a Chocolate post, especially coming from France, right?

Well, today, I'm going to share with you one of my tried and true recipes for Chocolate Cake.  It's a recipe Grandma Jewel (aka My Mother) has always made, and we always refer to it as the "Eggless and Milkless" cake.  My family begs for this cake, especially with Buttercream Frosting...

Last Sunday, we were invited to a luncheon after Church...for Newcomers.  (Yep!  We were the Newcomers!)  Since some of the people at the Church already know that I will offer to bring something, I was told that bringing a cake would be nice...

I say, "Parfait"!  That's something I can make here...I've already worked to find all the ingredients for my Chocolate Cake, and tested out my cake on Dr. J and Jewel Jr., with all my best efforts, using our small oven in the apartment.  (The Jewel Men do love being guinea pigs for my baked goods!  Remember my post last week called, "Dutch Treat"?  Dr. J is already asking for more Almond Bars!  If you missed it, you can go HERE for a peek!)

Still.. the idea of bringing something sweet that I've made to an event where French people will be...the people who have some of the most beautiful sweets in all the world!...now this was intimidating...BUT I do trust this delicious recipe to always come out awesome, so I made one and brought it, and guess what?

It was completely gone!

Since Dr. J and Jewel Jr. only got little one inch pieces on Sunday, I decided to make another one to surprise them, and am documenting it for you today, and sharing my recipe!  I hope you will try it, and enjoy it as much as we do!

The Cake Recipe...

Chocolate Cake
(Eggless and Milkless)

1 ½ cups Flour
1 cup Sugar
1 tsp. Baking Soda
½ tsp. Salt
3 Tbsp. Cocoa
1 Tbsp. Vinegar
1 tsp. Vanilla
5 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
 
Combine 1st five ingredients. Sift together, make 2 small and 1 big hole and add last 3 ingredients
Pour 1 cup cold water over the mixture.  Mix well and beat. Pour in greased 8X8 pan
Bake 25-35 minutes in oven at 350 degrees.
(Double ingredients for a 9X13 pan, and bake about 45-60 minutes.)

Here's some step by step:

Gather your Ingredients...


Combine Dry Ingredients...


Make 3 holes and add Vinegar, Vanilla and Oil...


Pour over one cup of cold water and mix...

Mmmm!  Looking tasty!!!

Pour in greased pan, and bake!
Watch to be sure the center bakes all the way through!

My Buttercream Frosting Recipe...
     (no pictures...you can do this!)


Buttercream Frosting

1 stick Butter or Margarine, softened
½ stick of Vegetable Shortening (Crisco Sticks)
1 pound of Powdered Sugar (approx.)
Little bit of Water
Little bit of Vanilla Extract

Beat all ingredients together with a mixer. Frost Cake when cool.
(This amount will frost a 9X13 cake.)

and, Voila!


(Please excuse the aluminum pan!  It's what I have!)
***The greatest thing about this recipe is, that you usually have every ingredient already in the house!!!***

Hmmm!  Now I have some happy men!!!



Why don't you try this cake, and then set a pretty table (très important!) and enjoy it with a little café au lait!!!


À bientôt!
Jan




Wednesday, September 26, 2012

More Montargis!












26/09/2012

Bonjour mes amis!

Today I want to share some more pictures from Montargis.  I have already shared many pretty ones of the bridges and canal.  (If you missed them, you can click HERE to take a look!)

The following pictures were taken in the city...


Beautiful Praline Shop!

One of the sides of the main Cathedral!

We had some chuckles about these signs...what do they mean?
 

We joked that perhaps they were "It's okay to walk with a little girl...and...It's not okay to walk with a little girl!  HaHa!

Actually, it's probably that children need to be accompanied by an adult or hold their hands or something.  We'll have to ask some French people...

Anybody out there know?  Please comment below if you can enlighten us!!!


Can't resist all the flowers...the dahlias are very large here!

Some of the architecture is different here...notice the "brick" and mortar, rather than just concrete!




These flowers were interesting!

Jewel Jr. wants one of these!

I'm in love with this house!

 


This main street of town was loaded with shoppers!


I can't resist the flower shops!

I just love the detailed entryways, too!

Catchy name for a Bridal Shop, huh?





Mmmmmm!  Yes, please...


Well, I hope you've enjoyed viewing Montargis, France with me!

Tomorrow, we'll be talking Chocolate,
so come on back y'all!
(Oh yes...I am still a Texan!)


Au Revoir!
Jan