Somewhere in the Middle

Chocolate + Champagne

This morning I woke up thinking Chocolate & Champagne is a very dangerous combination. lol! It took me a good 20 minutes to get out of bed this morning. I guess that's what happens when you drink way too much champagne. ;) But it was worth it.

The party started early as my girlfriends & I sipped Tahitian Ginger & Pineapple liquor (from a trip Peace Corp girl brought back from Tahiti) on the train ride to Brussels. It was much too cold; we needed something to warm us up.

Before heading to the Sablon area we stopped by the Grand Platz which was completely lit up. It looked gorgeous with the Christmas tree twinkling in blue lights.  They also finished renovating some of the buildings so it really looked magical. As we walked to the Sablon district we saw some people in horse carriages. The cold weather, Christmas lights & candles, horse ride carriages... it was all so enchanting.

All the shops along the Sablon district were alive with people. You could see people inside the antique shops talking & sipping champagne. Before we went to Pierre Marcolini we stopped by Godiva. Outside the shop they had a 6 to 7 ft. statue of St. Nicholas made of dark chocolate.

We decided to make Pierre Marcolini our first stop. And guess who greeted us? Pierre Marcolini himself! So cool to meet the man behind this fine chocolate. As much as I would have loved to take a photo of me & Pierre I felt a little weird.  I didn't want to seem like a crazed American. Inside the Pierre Marcolini which by the way looks like a jewelry store except behind the glass cases are the most sinful chocolates. Everyone in the store was eating chocolate and sipping lovely drinks. I made my way to the counter and was given a delicious strawberry~hibiscus drink. Along the way P.M. reps were handing out champagne truffles and a new chocolate created exclusively for Pierre Marcolini in Brazil. Letting these delicious treats melt in my mouth was like going to heaven. As we made our way to the second floor we noticed the P.M. reps were letting a few people into the3rd floor. Last year when Peace Corp girl went to the Sablon nights she mentioned they were invited to a private party but at the time their Belgian friend had been with them who of course spoke French. We all wanted to make our way up to the 3rd floor but weren't sure how to go about getting in. By chance one of my girlfriends overheard someone say "Facture"  (bill) before the rep opened the gold rope. So of course we made Peace Corp girl go first and she said, "Facture" and voila we were in! Upstairs they were serving all the champagne, chocolate, and Beaujolais you could possibly desire. It was fabulous! After we bought some chocolates we left and were handed a nice goodie bag with some Pierre Marcolini chocolates and we said "Au revoir" to Pierre.

We wondered around the Sablon district for a while longer and sipped more champagne and ate more chocolates at the Wittamer pastry shop. We also stopped by the Dandoy Biscuiterie and picked up some buttery speculoos cookies shaped like St. Nicholas. It was a night I definitely won't forget.

Celebrate Joyfully

"To share a meal with the friends and family
who bring laughter and joy into our lives is
one of the greatest pleasures of life."

Happy Thanksgiving!

A Free Pass this Thanksgiving

As we celebrate our 3rd Thanksgiving here in Belgium I'm beginning to accept the fact that it's okay to take a break from this holiday. When everyone around you doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving or even recognize the day as a holiday it's very easy to just go about your day like normal. I remember our first Thanksgiving here we spent it in Madrid, Spain. We had only been living in Belgium for 3 months and I just didn't want to be home.  For me, Thanksgiving is a time to be with your family & close friends and if you're not well... it's just too sad.

Last year my girlfriend Gio was here so I made a quasi Thanksgiving dinner with a rotisserie chicken since my small Betty Crocker oven just can't handle an American sized turkey. Along with the chicken I made all the traditional Thanksgiving side dishes. And you know what? It turned out great and it was easy peasy. So this year I'll be doing the same.  Although I hope I don't get hassled by the security system like I did last year. lol!

But this Thanksgiving will be a little different. Tomorrow evening a couple of my girlfriends & I will be attending the Sablon Nights event. J'adore the Sablon district. lol! How can you not love it with it's charming restaurants and 5 chocolatiers within a block of one another. There is also a special event at Pierre Marcolini. The area will be illuminated for this spectacular event organized by the Sablon Quartier des Arts et du Commerce Association. There will be plenty of chocolate, wine and champagne samples. Now that's a Thanksgiving to remember! lol!

Where next?

It's hard to believe we've lived in Belgium for almost 2.5 years. I'm really enjoying living here and to be honest I don't want to leave yet. I'm having way too much fun! I absolutely adore Lil' C's school and I'd love to see him continue for a few more years. I almost think a 4 year tour would have been better since the first year is really spent getting settled & adjusting to your new life. The second year you really start to get out &  make friends. You begin to feel like you're a part of the community. And the last year you've completely settled in. This is where I am right now. You have a nice group of friends, you know the area, kids are settled into school. And just when things are quite comfortable...it's time to leave. ;(

Last week S had to submit his top 5 places for his next assignment in case he decides not to retire.   Our list definitely reflected our desire to stay in Europe.  But we'll see what happens. I'm trying my best not to worry about it too much.

Deciding what is on our list is so surreal. Usually when civilians decide to move (especially if it's somewhere far) they do quite a bit of research and possibly even visit the location before making a final choice. But with us it's just not possible. The amount of information for each place on the selection list is minimal. We try to do as much research as we possible can but you never really know a place until you live there.  Even though we've been moving around for the past 16 years it always amazes me how my friends casually regard their moves to places like Guam, Japan, Korea, Russia or even parts of the US they're not familiar with. In our case, we're keeping our fingers crossed we can stay in Belgium. Of course the hard part of this decision is being so far from my family. I miss them terribly.

Let it Snow

Lil' C making a snow angel.

All week there was talk about snow for the weekend. I was excited! I love the snow... at least the type that makes everything look magical and stays around for a day or two so you can make snowmen and have snowball fights.

I remember when I was a little girl growing up in NYC I'd listen closely to the radio as they announced all the school closings. And when I heard, "All parochial schools are closed" I'd be soooo happy. It meant a free day of playing outside in the snow with your friends from the block.

Now... living in West Point, NY you experience PLENTY of snow. The type of snow where when you're driving you no longer control your car; your car may or may not stop at the stop sign. There was one particular turn & intersection that I never knew what my car was going to do. All I could do was pray that there was no one else in the intersection. I can also remember saying "God, please let us make it home safely" more than just a few times going up Storm King or coming back from the Woodbury area. Driving in the snow can be down right scary!

Over the weekend we received more than a light dusting of snow. We received a nice amount of snow to play with on Saturday but today we thought it would all be gone by the morning. But no. It actually snowed more today than yesterday. I'd say we got around 3". I know this isn't a lot for people who live in areas where it snows constantly. But for Belgium this was major. The roads were pretty bad.  And it's not like on the East coast were you see tons of salt trucks & snow plows out on the road making the roads safe to drive. We did see one salt truck but the amount of salt coming out of the truck was minimal. Perhaps that's the only truck they have for the area. lol! And a snow plow? No where in site. I don't even know if Belgium owns a snow plow because this amount of snow just isn't normal. I'd love to know what the Belgian news casters or radio announcers are saying about all this snow.

Luckily, we didn't have to do much driving this weekend. It was all about hanging out & relaxing, playing in the snow, making tents to play "Go Fish" & "Monopoly", and drinking hot chocolate.

Lil' C & I had a lot of fun making this snow family!

Notice the three shirts I have on! I'm always cold.

We did manage to go out today to see a show at our local playhouse. Lil' C really enjoyed himself. One of his classmates was in the play. It's so cool to see a play where you know so many people in the cast since they're all from your local community.

With all the snow that fell in our driveway our car refused to reverse when we got home this evening. So we'll see if we go anywhere tomorrow. It just might be Lil' C's turn to anxiously await school closures... except now all that information is online. ;)

Turning the big 4.0.

Today is my birthday.

My 40th birthday to be exact.

It's hard for me to believe I'm actually 40. 40! Can you believe it? Wow. I was talking to my Mom the other night and told her, "Can you believe it Mom. I'm going to be 40. I don't 40 at all". And she said, "You'll never feel your age. In your mind, you'll always feel younger." And it's true. I still feel like I'm in my early 30's still learning about myself and being open to new experiences & opportunities. I still see myself as this young grrrl always seeking the fun stuff in life, curious about the world, and willing to be silly & immature at times. So far I haven't hit that birthday age that's a bit hard to accept. Right now, my age is just a number. Numbers.. what do they really mean? In size, weight, age. Who cares. As long as you feel good about yourself that's all that matters.

After all the excitement today I'm feeling incredibly happy to be surrounded & loved by so many people. Thank you. I initially thought this day would be pretty low key but it turned out to be so much more.

This morning at 6:45 my girlfriend Gio from Calli called and sang "Happy Birthday" to me. It was a great way to wake up! Right after I hung up with her S and Lil' C came into the bedroom singing "Happy Birthday" with presents decorated with balloons (Lil' C's idea) and cards so special they made me cry. Lil' C actually read me his card along with his special birthday message & drawing. Lil' C was so excited to give me his gift... a blue glass tulip. It was really special. He picked it out himself and even used his own money to buy it.

Lil' C asked me, "Mommy, how old were you yesterday?" I said, "39". So he said, "That means you're 30 today." lol!! I said, "Yes! Exactly!" lol!

Right before we walked out the door this morning my girlfriend Kiki along with her kids sang "Happy Birthday" to me as well. As I walked Lil' C to school I thought about how awesome this day was starting out. Three birthday songs all before 9:30am. ;)

After I dropped Lil' C off at school I drove to my German friend's house to learn how to make Stollen. My girlfriend is in charge of coordinating the Stollen sales at the German Christmas market so I volunteered to help. Last year S & I enjoyed it so much that V translated the German recipe for me but I really wanted to see it being made. It was a great morning with hot tea & freshly baked Stollen. Yumm...

Once I left V's house I drove to Peace Corp girl's house for lunch. While I was telling her about my morning, 8 of my girlfriends jumped out and yelled "Surprise!" I was so shocked!! A surprise party. I've never had anyone throw me a surprise party before. ;)

The fact that my girlfriend Kiki and Peace Corp girl arranged it all made my heart swell. These girls are super special.

Everyone brought a yummy dish to share and we toasted with some champagne thanks to Foie Gras girl. Nothing like having champagne in the afternoon. Kiki made me a "White Russian Tiramisu". Delish!! Thanks Kiki!!

I also received a beautiful hand-made apron from my girlfriend Blonde K. I absolutely love it and the fact that Blonde K made it makes the apron even more special. Everything was absolutely wonderful. The fact that these women got together today to help me celebrate my birthday meant a great deal to me. I left Peace Corp girls house feeling quite giddy partly due to the champagne & bourgelais but mainly due to all the love I was feeling.

As I walking to Lil' C's school I ran into my German friend, Yogi K. We've only recently met but she's one of those girls I felt an instant connection with. She's incredibly sweet and just a really good person with a wonderful spirit. Yogi K surprised me with some chocolate infused with lavender along with a few lavender sprigs. A week ago we were talking about chocolate and I briefly mentioned I love lavender especially when it's in chocolate and here she was giving me a bar of my favorite chocolate.

When S came home we went to one of my favorite restaurants and we had a lovely dinner.

Throughout dinner I was telling S about my day and how every single phone call, card, and well wishes were so special to me. When you're younger birthdays are all about parties & gifts but as you get older and wiser you realize that what's really important is that people remember you. Having my friends & family take the time out to just call or send me a quick e-mail makes me the happiest girl ever!

When we got home I received a voice mail from my Mom & Dad singing "Happy Birthday" to me along with a few other messages from my girlfriends wishing me well on my special day. I also talked to my grandparents and Nana also sang to me. ;) My last phone call was with my sister Giselle. She & I have a tradition that we try to open our presents while we're on the phone with one another. It's the next best thing to opening the present with her. It's nice because you at least get to hear the other person's expression. I loved her gift. She gave me a beautiful soft pink cashmere scarf that will definitely keep me warm during the cold, wet winter.

Thank you to all my family & friends who made this 40th birthday so memorable. I feel so fortunate to be surrounded by such amazing & good people. I love you guys!

Fall Break

This year Lil' C's October break really snuck up on me. I knew I wanted to go somewhere but I just didn't know where. Plus S wants to save his leave. So that meant we could only go away for 4 days which was fine. Now that Lil' C goes to school full time & continues his extra-curricular activities I feel like we don't have enough free time. So going away for a long weekend would give us a few days to do some "Mommy & Me" activities.

So at the last minute I planned a trip to Normandie, France. It's such a beautiful area, rich with history. The idea of spending family time walking & playing at the beach sounded perfect. And it was. The weather was definitely much nicer last year but despite the occasional rain we had a great time.

Our accommodations were a bit different. The B&B I was hoping to stay in was full but the owner mentioned we could stay in their new Gypsy style caravan. hmm? Sounded a bit different and it looked nice so I booked it. I have to tell you it was really cute and it had an incredible shower. Lil' C loved sleeping in a room of his own with bunk beds. What was really interesting was that while we stayed at the caravan I had the most vivid and bizarre dreams. I loved it though. I wasn't quite sure what was waiting for me when I fell asleep. And every night I had at least two dreams. It was really unusual.

Lil' C absolutely loves animals and really wants a pet. So I was happy to hear that our B&B had a dog. Immediately, Lil' C fell in love with the Mylene's dog. As soon as Lil' C finished his breakfast he'd quickly run out the breakfast room to play with the dog. I think Lil' C would have been completely happy if we never left the hotel. One day he even asked me, "Mommy, can we just stay at the hotel today so I can play with the dog?"

The highlight of our trip was a visit to Etretat. The cliffs were amazing and the beach was full of beautiful rocks.

Lil' C & I had fun picking out our favorite rocks. It was quite sunny as we walked along the beach but once we got to the top of the hill to get a better view of the cliffs it started to drizzle. As we made our way back down to the beach it was pouring. So we slipped into a local cafe & drank some hot chocolate until the rain calmed down. Once it did Lil' C and I went back out to the beach. While looking for a green rock, I found several little fishes that had washed ashore. When I showed them to Lil' C he told me he was going to pick them up and put them back into the ocean so they could come back to life. I didn't have the heart to tell him the truth.

Earlier in the day we watched some boys boogie boarding by the cliff. Once the tide was low we were able to walk around that same area where these boys were. It was really cool but super slimy. Thank goodness for our rain boots. My shoes would have been ruined had I not brought these babies.

We also got to walk through a cave that let out onto the other side of the cliff. At first Lil' C wasn't too keen on going into the dark cave but eventually he warmed to the idea. We kept reminding him how we were being real "Explorers".

We also visited the American Cemetery and walked along the beach area. It's such a gorgeous and peaceful place.

Along the way we made a few stops to buy some locally made Calvados and some new sugars & spices. There is a shop in Port de Bessin that sells an amazing collection of gourmet foods. Last year I stocked up on a variety of sugars...lavender, violette, rose, and oriental spice.

This year they had a delicious caramel sugar that I just couldn't pass on. In the centre of Bayeux there is a French bakery that has the most beautiful, golden, buttery Brioche. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

Needless to say we brought home Brioche, French bread, apple tarts and quiches to eat on the way home.

The following morning I couldn't resist and I made Lil' C and I Brioche french toast with caramel sugar and toasted pecan maple syrup. Yumm..

Lil' C & I spent the rest of the week playing games, cooking, and doing art projects. I love to play Monopoly so I bought Lil' C the children's version. It was a lot of fun playing with him. He's quite good too. During the first game he managed to monopolize most of the rides and make me lose all my money! lol!

We also did a little baking. Lil' C used his new silicone cookware set to make some spiced pumpkin bread. I love how you can actually cook in these cute little pans.

Don't forget... 8 TBLS of Coffee

After the party

Today was my day to host the English Conversation Group. Yesterday I panicked for a moment when I realized I forgot to buy eggs! I had planned on making my Jewish Apple cake and Spiced Pumpkin Bread which uses a total of 7 eggs. Yet I only had 3 eggs. And because yesterday was a holiday all the stores were closed so the chance of buying more eggs was going to be nearly impossible. Instead, I changed my menu and half my Pumpkin Bread recipe and Banana Crunch muffins. Most Europeans are only familiar with savory pumpkin dishes so I wanted to be sure to make a loaf so everyone could try it.

Our meetings start at 9:30am which meant I'd just be getting home when everyone arrived. So I was good and did most of the setting up last night & I woke up extra early this morning.  Lil' C was a big help to me. He was so happy to set out the napkins, forks, and a plate of grapes. Lil' C also helped me rearrange the chairs. He's a great little helper. It was nice being able to use my new Villeroy & Boch china along with my new French press & carafe. I'm really lovin' white right now.

Before I left this morning I pre-measured the water to make the tea & coffee and I also prepared a batch of mulled cider. I was a little nervous about making coffee. I'm not a coffee drinker so I don't have the slightest clue how to make it. I always hear people talking about coffee that's too strong or dark or even worse too mild. I don't want to be the one that makes THAT kind of coffee so I enlisted S to help me brew a good pot of coffee. S told me exactly how much water & coffee grinds to use and instructed me to wait 4 minutes before pressing the top down on the French Press. When a few ladies started to ask me what kind of coffee I used I started to wonder about the quality of the coffee I made. I suppose it tasted fine since I actually had to make a second serving. Everyone loved the Pumpkin bread and the mulled cider was a big hit. I few of the ladies even asked if I could forward the recipe which to me was a big deal considering most Europeans think our American cakes & breads are too sweet. The conversation flowed well and before I knew it our session was over. I find my English Conversation Group so fun that I almost wanted to shout, "No, please stay. Let's talk more." ;)

Can Santa bring me the E30 Silit Vision System?

Remember those Villeroy & Boch dinner plates I bought just last Thursday? Well... I decided I wasn't really crazy about them after all.  I know, I know... I'm crazy.  But I wasn't in love with them. And if I kept them,eventually I would secretly wish they'd all break so I could buy new plates.. ones that  I really love. lol!

I wasn't even sure if it was possible to exchange or return them since the receipt was in German. So on Thursday night I e-mailed the company about their return policy but when I didn't receive a response by Friday afternoon I got desperate and called them. The sweet woman I spoke with told me there would be no problem in exchanging or returning the plates but I would have to do it within 14 days. She also told me that the store would be closed for the following two weekends for inventory. So that meant I'd have to go this weekend. I knew S wouldn't mind driving to Germany. He loves it there and if it the day involved good German food I knew he'd be more than happy to go. I immediately called him at work and said, "How would you like to have some delicious schnitzel?" He saw right through me and asked, "Do you want to go back to Germany to return those plates?"  I explained that the plates were just too big and a bit flat almost as if there was no distinction between the center of the plate & outer rim. He started to laugh and said, "And you didn't notice these things when you were at the store?" Ok, maybe I did notice they were a bit flat but as far as the size goes I was a bit confused. I mean when you're in a store with thousands of dinner dishes of all different sizes I couldn't remember for the life of me what size my dinner plates were. Were they 11.5", 12", 12.5" or 13"?

So Saturday morning we got in the car and drove to Mettlach, Germany. I'm just thankful that S drives a heck of a lot faster than the bus driver did. The return went smoothly and I bought a different set of dinner plates which I am happy to say I love along with some bowls & mugs.

Next stop was a kitchen shop with cookware, kitchen gadgets, and bakeware by a German company called Silit. And this my friends is where I fell in love with German cookware. I've never seen such beautifully made pots & pans. I immediately fell for the E30 series. Silit's Silargan cookware is made from several layers of very sturdy and heat-resistant high-tech ceramic and is fused with the ferromagnetic steel core at temperatures of 860 °C. It's ultra-hard, cut and scratch-proof, non-abrasive and extremely durable. After learning all this I'm ready to trash my All-Clad & Calphalon pots & pans and make room for E30 Silit cookware. lol! The store carried a garlic press that was the Mercedes Benz of all Garlic Press. At a steep 26 Euros ($33) it should be amazing. Silit also made a funky teapot and these adorable little pots that could easily go from the oven/stove top to the dinner table and make your dinner look fabulous. And there was this beautiful fondue set that really wanted to come home with me. But with such a big wish list I knew I'd need to return with a tax relief form (allowing me to buy products tax free in Germany) which would save me about 20%. 

We ended our shopping trip with a delicious German dinner... Kartoffelsuppe, Schnitzel with mushrooms, Spätzle, and 2 glasses of German wine. I also picked up a few slices of Apfelstrudel, German cheese cake and some Brötchen at the local bakery. Yum.

When we got home I researched Silit's products to see if I could purchase them from a US company but the number of businesses carrying their cookware was pretty small. The other disadvantage was that they didn't carry the entire Silit line. So it looks like I'll need to buy them before we leave Europe. You can bet I won't be exchanging any of these pretty pots & pans.

Tooth Fairy Visits Again

Looks like the tooth fairy is becoming a regular visitor at our house. Lil' C lost his other front tooth today and he has another loose one on the bottom! lol! It's happening all so fast! This morning I wiggled Lil' C's front tooth and knew it would definitely come out this weekend.

But when I picked up Lil' C from school he surprised me with his toothless grin. I asked him what happen and he said his best friend Lil' J was taking something down from a shelf and she bumped into him and the tooth landed on the table. S & I just can't bring ourselves to pulling any of his loose teeth. If I can gather up the courage maybe I'll try with the next loose tooth.

At the beginning of October, I took Lil' C for his regular dental check-up and when I saw his x-ray I was mesmerized. I'd never seen a child's dental x-ray before. There were teeth everywhere. It was really cool to see his baby teeth with the adult teeth underneath. Looking at the x-ray you can actually see which tooth he will lose next by how close it is to his gums. I'm sure the hygienist thought I was totally crazy when I asked if I could view his x-rays again so I could photograph the image. But I have no shame. lol! Well, I'm off to put some Euros under Lil' C's pillow and sprinkle a little glitter fairy dust in his room.