Me and my Dad on top of the World!

1/31/2014

Bonjour mes amis!

Today is a really special day...for my Jewelius!  He's 18 today!

Happy Birthday, Son!

Jewelius and Dr. J, and I all have a real special bond.

We love to reminisce about our time in France.  Whenever I have time to just talk with Jewelius...like when we're in the car after School...or during quiet dinners...we remind eachother of things we did together in France.  It's so fun...like our own little secret world, with lots of wonderful memories!

We recently watched a good French film called, "Bienvenue Chez Les Ch'tis".  The Movie was recommended to us while we were in France, but we never had a chance to see it there, so I ordered it from Amazon for Jewelius for Christmas, and last weekend, we finally watched and enjoyed it...though we did put the English Subtitles on just to be sure we caught everything.  Today, Jewelius brought the movie in to share with his French teacher, who also had lived in France just recently.  Fun!  Fun!

When I visit my Dad soon, I want to share the Movie together with him too...cause we have a pretty special bond, too!

My Dad made a second trip to visit with us in France, and we did all kinds of site-seeing together.  My Dad's one big request during his visit was to climb up the towers at Notre Dame in Paris.  (I've taken you here before on the blog...remember my Post "Have you seen Quasimodo?"?)

And here we are ON TOP OF THE WORLD!

ALONG WITH THE GARGOYLES...
Who get to see these Views every day!

It's quite a climb...

387 Steps, to be exact!

But so worthwhile!

For me, I Love the Architecture!

Though the Gargoyle below does kind of give you the "creeps"!

The Views are spectacular!

Paris is such a beautiful City!

Yes, this was some nice bonding time for Me and My Dad!

On Top of the World!

Back on the Ground...
Back in the Crowds...
But, it was so peaceful up in the Towers...

I'm so glad I got to have this time with my Dad!

Well, I'm off to make Jewelius his Birthday Cake!  Chocolate, of course!

Have a "Jewel" of a Day!

Jan

Be Silent!

1/19/2014

Bonjour mes amis!

"But the LORD is in his holy temple:

Let all the earth be silent before Him."

Habakkuk 2:20

Join me in Praising the Lord Today!

Have a Blessed Day!

Jan

It's Cold...let's have Soup!

1/18/2014

Bonjour mes amis!

For those of you fortunate people (like me) who are living in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, you can regularly enjoy a bowl of Tomato-Basil Soup on a cold day at the French-inspired Restaurant, La Madeleine.  When you step into La Madeleine, you are greeted with a "Bonjour", and you can quick master a French Lesson if you step into the Bathroom, and then the folks in the Restaurant will wish you, "Bon Appétit"!

If you are really lucky...

You will get a Table next to the Fireplace!

That's the best!

For those of you who can't run into a La Madeleine for lunch, I'm sorry.  It's a fun experience.  Thankfully, today I'm going to share a recipe with you that tastes just like their Tomato-Basil Soup!  (I found this recipe over at the site barnsandnoodles.com, and it's a Winner!)

La Madeleine’s Tomato Basil Soup

Serves: 6-8

28 oz. can of whole tomatoes

32 oz. tomato juice

20 basil whole leaves

1 stick butter

1 cup heavy cream

salt & pepper

In a large pot, bring the whole tomatoes and tomato juice to a boil.

Add basil and continue boiling for 20 minutes.

Allow to cool a bit, then puree tomato basil mixture in the blender –be sure to hold the lid!

Pour puree back into large pot.

Add butter, cream, salt, and pepper.

Serve and enjoy!

I doubled this recipe so I would have enough to share.  I have frozen it, too, and it froze and thawed very well for reheating!

I hope you are keeping warm wherever you live!
Have a "Jewel" of a Day!
Jan

Jardin Unique!

1/15/2014

Bonjour mes amis!

Happy 2014 Everyone!  I hope your New Year is off to a great start.  While I'm all about getting on with 2014, I still want to remember so many good things about 2013, so I am going to finish writing about our year in France.  I'm determined to finish.  I want to remember this experience forever.

Do you remember in November, when I started telling you about my Dad's visit to us in France?  Once again, I was taking on my role as Tour Guide, but I got to have an awful lot of fun along the way.  We went to this Château in Chaumont-sur-Loire.

I have to admit it makes me sad to look at these pictures now.  I miss spending time in Châteaux. The Château at Chaumont-sur-Loire has a huge Garden that we toured, a Jardin Unique, and it was gorgeous!

The presentation of the Garden was named "Jardins Des Sensations".  The Climate, Soil, Sun and Rainfall in France are perfect for growing gorgeous flowers...especially Roses!

And Hydrangea (my favorite)!

The Gardens were broken up into little "rooms", each themed in a different way...

And check out the view back to the Château!

Lots of ideas for a creative Garden!

My Dad and I enjoyed it so much!  We kept talking about my Miss Emerald as we strolled the paths.  She's a Horticulture Major at the University!  She's a creative type, and would have enjoyed taking notes!

This next "room" had a "Swimming Pool" and Patio area, and a space to put your shoes...

We even enjoyed photographing the bees...

And "funky" unusual flowers...

See the big turtle in there?

Afterward, my Dad treated us to an Ice Cream Cone!

Our final view as we left the Gardens...

"A Rose is a Rose is a Rose..."
Do you know this poem?  Written by Gertrude Stein in 1913, it is often interpreted as meaning "things are what they are".  Well, I'll take it!  I can't wait until we can enjoy Roses in Texas again, but thankfully, I have many photos of Roses in France to keep me happy.

I hope you enjoyed this Jardin Unique, and have a "Jewel" of a Day!
Jan