Somewhere in the Middle

Not without my snow chains.

Around 3ish we arrived into Les Houches, our new home for the next 7 days. Les Houches is about 8 minutes from Chamonix. We were all so happy to finally arrive. Little did we know things were just about to get interesting. 

The road to our chalet was quite steep & extremely narrow so much so that only one car could go through at a time. As we started to drove up the hill the car tires started to spin and we quickly realized there was NO way we were making it up this hill. There was too much ice/snow on the road that our car had no traction. But I was in a car full of men so they refused to believe the car couldn't make it up the hill and continued to try again & again. Backwards... forwards... going slow... going fast. After many failed attempts they finally accepted the fact that our car was NOT going up this hill. We also had no idea how far up the chalet was located. I kept laughing & thinking, "This is not happening. What are we going to do now?" 

• Option #1... Get out of the car and walk up the hill with everything packed in the trunk.

• Option #2... Find a gas station/car shop and buy snow chains. 

Option #1 was completely out of the question. So we decided to try and find a place to buy snow chains. Now this is Europe, not all stores are open at 4 on a Saturday afternoon. And everything is closed on Sundays. So we were a bit stressed about finding these snow chains. The Chamonix tourist office was super helpful and gave us some store suggestions along with directions. We quickly texted our friends who at that moment were on a flight to Geneva so they could be sure to ask the car rental for snow chains.

We found the auto supply shop without much fuss and S went in to find the chains. Now I know pretty much nothing about snow chains. I've never had to use them even during our winter trips to Austria & Germany. And I learned how to drive in Southern Ca. so snow chains is definitely not my area of expertise. I didn't realize chains come in different sizes &  designs and of course I had no idea how to put them on.  About 15 mins later, S comes out of the store with a big yellow box. Yeah, they had our size! We're set. S later told us they only had one set of chains available in our size so our choices were completely limited. S also said that he saw a sign that indicated the chains were 20Euros... well when he got to the register he discovered it wasn't 20 Euros but 200 Euros. For chains?! I have no idea how much chains normally cost but I find it hard to believe they're close to $300 dollars. But oh well. What were our alternatives. Here are the guys putting the chains on. Thank goodness R knew how to put them on!

Once we had the chains on, the car went up the hill without any fuss. When we arrived at the house I wasn't sure if the owner or property manager was going to meet us. I had sent them a text earlier in the day giving them our estimated time of arrival but because they didn't speak any English I wasn't sure how we were going to obtain the keys to the chalet.

Did I mention the contract was all in French too. We had a friend translate the document so we knew what we were signing & when I never received the signed contract we again had to have a friend call them and find out what was going on. I couldn't help thinking, "Are we being scammed? Is the chalet going to be the same one we viewed on the internet? What am I going to do if it's a total shack and I have 4 friends flying in from the US for this trip." Talk about being a little stressed out.

Anyway... when we pulled into the chalet's driveway a neighbor walked up to us and gave us the house keys. He spoke no English so all I said was my last name and he gave me the key. Once we walked into the house we were like little kids exploring every inch of the chalet trying to decide who would take which room and commenting on how nice the place looked.

All the rooms were very charming and the kitchen was great. I was so happy to see that everything was exactly as shown online. Typical chalet... everything was made out of wood. Super cozy and you really felt like it was a home. Two of the rooms had secret rooms at the top that were only accessible with a ladder. Once inside the rooms you could completely lock yourself in. It was really cool! One even had little heart peep holes. It was such a great surprise to find these rooms. Lil' C was in heaven. Each of us went into the secret room to play games with him. He loved it.

While we were unloading the car, the owner's property manager's daughter's boyfriend (did you get all that) came over to explain how everything in the house worked. I almost didn't let him into the house because when I opened the door he couldn't really explain to me in English who he was or why he was there. It's funny now that I look back on it. Even though the owners stated that English is spoken on their website it was a complete lie. lol! They basically just grabbed anyone they knew who spoke a little English and had them call us or come over when we had questions. Crazy. 

We spent the rest of the day going grocery shopping and relaxing. None of us were in the mood to cook or go out so we order pizza from a little place in town.

The following day, we walked around Chamonix, ate a great lunch, and played in the snow. I also contacted Evolution I to enroll Lil' C & I in ski Ecole for the week.

In the evening, we went to the local ski shop in town & rented our equipment so we'd be all set for Monday morning. The guy that measured us for our ski equipment was this total snowboard 50ish year old dude with this crazy goatee. He had a real quirky sense of humor too. When I asked him if it was possible to return my ski equipment early if I decided not to ski the whole week he said, "Sure. So if you break your legs tomorrow you bring your skis back tomorrow. No problem." Gee, thanks for the load of confidence! lol!  You know the superstitious side of me was wondering if he knew something I didn't.

Our Baltimore friends arrived in the late afternoon. It was great seeing them. Unfortunately, the airline lost two of their bags. And of course those were the two bags that had all their ski equipment. We all felt for them. The airline strung them along for almost two days saying they had found their bags and someone was on their way. When the bags didn't show up the airlines acted like they had no idea where the bags were located. One day they'd said, "Your bags here" and then someone else would say "I think your luggage is in Paris". We were beginning to think these bags were history either that or for sure we'd spot someone skiing with J's ski gear. After two days they gave up and bought some ski wear and rented the rest. The bags showed up a day after they bought everything. 

Sunday night we celebrated Steve's birthday and R made a wonderful dinner followed by a delicious pastry cake we bought at the local boulangerie. It was a great first day!

Awww.... Chamonix

A message from R, Lil' C's godfather...

"I can't stop thinking about Chamonix......."

Weeks after we came back from Chamonix, France R & I would e-mail/call each other & talk about how much we loved Chamonix. And I'd always begin my sentences with a slow "Aww... Chamonix".

Every time I think back to our ski trip I can't help but smile. I love browsing through my photos and remembering the little moments that made our trip so incredibly memorable. This is one of my favorite photos. It's moments like this when you're relaxing with the people you love, watching the clouds go by and taking in this spectacular vision of  natural beauty. You just can't help but be grateful for your life.

Lots of good times. It made all the planning & arranging so worth while.

Our friends Special Agent B and Lil' C's godfather, R, arrived the day we were set to drive to France. We decided to leave a little early so we could split the drive. We wanted to arrive in Chamonix in the early afternoon since we'd never been there before & arriving at night would make it so much more difficult to find our chalet. Plus we needed to go to the grocery store and pick up some cold items.

The day we left was crazy! I was incredibly forgetful that day. I'd put something down one second and a few minutes later I couldn't remember where I'd put it or what I was supposed to do next. You know things are really crazy busy when that starts to happen. Our two friends arrived into Brussels at different times so I was going back & forth to the train station while trying to put aside last minute items that needed to go with us. I also wanted to bring R to the store with me so he could help me chose a good variety of wines to take with us. I know that sounds a bit crazy. I mean we'll be in France for goodness sake we can buy the wine there. lol! When I told Special Agent B we still needed to stock up on wine he laughed and said, "Why are you bringing sand to the desert?" lol! In my defense, our local store has some fabulous wines for incredible prices so we couldn't pass on the opportunity to stock up on our favorite vinos. I mean we could always buy more once we arrived in Chamonix.

Now packing all this wine, food, ski wear, games, toys, and suitcases was quite a challenge. And we had to fit five passengers into the car too. lol! And our car isn't that big. Oh, and did I mention we were bringing a juicer too! lol. About two weeks before our trip I e-mailed everyone and asked them if there were any special American food items they wanted me to buy. My friend, J, the off piste skier e-mailed me and said, "One word... juicer".  If you knew his wife you'd completely understand. She eats incredibly healthy and she can not live without her freshly squeezed morning juice. Good grrrl E makes a killer carrot and apple juice and we all knew we'd be able to enjoy this delicious concoction as well. So a week after I received his message a juicer arrived on my front door from Amazon, Germany. Arranging everything into the car was like putting a puzzle together. I joked with Special Agent B & R that if they didn't pack light enough we'd all be wearing our ski outfits in the car. lol! Of course it wasn't that bad but it was tight! You couldn't see through the back window.

It took so long to get everything settled into the car that we left later than we planned. Three hours later! So that amazing French dinner we were hoping for in Dijon got cancelled and instead we ate Panini's along the motorway. They weren't all that bad. We arrived in Dijon close to midnight.

The following morning we walked around Dijon but with the temperatures dipping below zero we decided it was best to settle into a cafe to warm up. Dijon wasn't particularly charming. It was a bit industrial at least from what we saw so we made our way back to the car for another four hour drive. But before leaving we made a mad dash into a boulangerie to purchase some baguettes & quiches for take away.

S did most of the driving. I don't blame him it was the most comfortable seat in the car. lol! I slept most of the way but when we got close to Chamonix I woke up to the most spectacular view. We had finally arrived. It was more beautiful than I imagined. A perfect winter wonderland.

Stay tuned for more posts about the beginning of our adventures in Chamonix.

Cookies & Ornaments at the Chateau

Last Christmas when invitations for the Holiday coffee were sent out I decided to pass. There was an Christmas ornament exchange planned and well... I just didn't want to participate. What a scrooge right? lol! The thought of spending time & effort into buying a beautiful ornament and then giving it away to receive an ornament I didn't like wasn't my idea of fun. I know it's silly but that's how I felt. I want to fill my home with things I love instead of accumulating things I don't want or need. But this year I felt a little different. Everyone I knew who attended last year raved about the food and the house. And I also found out it wasn't absolutely necessary to participate in the ornament exchange. This year when I received my invitation I decided to go. This may be my last opportunity to attend since we may be leaving Belgium this summer. So I picked up a pretty handcrafted German ornament at the Cologne Christmas market to exchange. And I even baked my dozen cookies for the single soldiers. I was all set.

Now I had visited the grounds before but it was in another area so I never really saw the General's home. Well... when I drove up the driveway I was not prepared for what I saw. A house? No, no, no! It was a Chateau. Absolutely gorgeous especially in the evening with all the lights on and Christmas decorations.

After I dropped off my cookies and ornament I wondered around the first floor. The rooms were decorated like those you'd see in a typical Chateau. Just beautiful especially with all the Christmas decorations. Each fireplace mantle had huge swags made with a blend of boxwood, firs and pines. Displayed throughout the house were several collections of items they had acquired through their travels all over the world. It was quite impressive. My favorite collection were the German nutcrackers. There must have been at least 15-20 nutcrakers of all sizes and colors. The General's wife also had two beautiful nutcrackers along the staircase the size of Lil' C.

As I toured the home I saw many more collections... antique Springerle molds, small porcelain boxes, and tureens from all the NATO counties. The tureens were beautiful. But can you imagine the space you would need to store these items? The most unusual collection I saw was the one in the game area. The wall had an assortment of antique wooden game boards. As I admired the way she decorated each room with such care I began to think of how overwhelming it must be to have SO MANY things. I'm sure the movers are meticulous when packing their home but because she does the decorating herself she still needs to know where everything is kept and store it once the season ends.

In the dining area, there was a nice variety of delicious appetizers. The table was decorated with a huge 3ft. flower center piece filled with red tulips and greenery. There were also about 4-6 cakes designed like holiday cupcakes set on pink depression glass. I fell in love with these cakes. I'd seen them in my Williams-Sonoma catalog but these were decorated so much prettier. And along the wall was a tall Nutcracker ice sculpture.

Towards the end of the evening the General's wife read "T'was the Night before Christmas" and everytime she said the word "the" you had to pass the wrapped ornament to the person on your left. At the end just when you thought the story ended, she said "The End". It was quite funny because some women were really excited about their gifts and then they realized they had to pass it along one more time. And the ornament I received? Well, it wasn't exactly one I would chose myself but it was pretty. As soon as Lil' C saw the handblown silver glass ball he asked me if it could be his ornament. I'm happy someone in our family loves it. ;)

Pancakes at the Mental Asylum

In less than an hour from now I have an appointment to have my very first mammogram. sigh. I'm not too excited about going especially when I hear other women describe their experience. Plus having this test done in a foreign country is making it even less desirable. I know I have to do it for myself and for those I love. Early detection is so important.

When I was at the hospital several months ago my GYN doctor highly recommended having the test done since I'd be turning 40 within the year. I hesitated and gave some excuses about doing it later. But she saw right through me and said, "You really need to make the appointment now." I knew she was right. Now the GYN area of the hospital is just beautiful. It's new and pristine. But when I made my way down to the other area they directed me to I felt like I was in a different hospital. It was dark, gloomy and old. I hate to say this but it felt like one of those old mental asylums from years ago. Scary. This is where I have to go?

It also doesn't help that I heard another woman say she had to walk down the hospital corridor without her top while other people walked around! What? No hospital shirt, gown, sheet? Nothing? Not even a piece of that paper they cover the examining table with? Oy vey! On the up side she did say no one seem to care or even notice. My appointment is also at a different hospital so let's hope the set up is a bit different. lol! Just in case though I've decided to take things in my own hands and wear a button down shirt with a camisole I can easily pull down to my waist. I don't really consider myself to be a modest person but I want to be a little comfortable before having my breasts squeezed into pancakes. Oh, god. I do not want to go to this appointment!!!

Update: Ok, I'm back from my exam and it wasn't as horrible as I imagined. No sign of the old mental asylum either. Which was a very good thing. That's the kind of thing that could have me running of the hospital screaming. lol! Apparently, the hospital is being renovated so I must have visited the old section when I made my appointment. The radiology section was brightly lit, clean, new, and not scary at all. Everyone was extremely nice & very professional. The doctors were right on time too.

The woman who performed my mammogram spoke very little English but with some sign language and a few words here and there we understood each other. Now when I went to undress it's true there was no gown or shirt but the changing room was linked to the examination room. Perfect. The mammogram itself was uncomfortable and at times it was downright painful. The technician kept telling me, "Ok, no breathe." I wasn't sure if she was serious or if she meant "Don't move". I wasn't sure what to do. But I'll tell you at times it was so painful I did hold my breath just in case I really wasn't supposed to breathe. There was no way I wanted to retake the exam! lol! Afterwards she motioned to put on my camisole and jacket and she took my purse and lead me out to the corridor. I wasn't sure where we were going but she motioned for me to go into another room and said something about another doctor. The next doctor spoke good English and asked me to undress again for my ultrasound. After performing the ultrasound she told me everything looked good and she would forward my results to my doctor. I'm so glad to hear she didn't find anything unusual. Within 30 minutes I was walking to my car. Yeah! It's done. At least for another year.

My favorite Innkeeper + Breakfast with Santa

For Lil' C's Christmas show this year he played the part of the Innkeeper. The class along with the school staff put on a fantastic show. Lil' C was very excited about being an innkeeper and was quite serious about his role. He wouldn't share any of the details of the show except to tell me which roles all the children in his class were playing. Lil' C along with one of his classmates danced to a song called, "No room, no room! It was really cute. The children also sang a song called, "Shh... Don't wake the Baby" that was hilarious.

Another fun event we experienced during the holidays was "Breakfast with Santa". Last year the community theatre put on a really nice show but the acoustics were horrible and the venue was much too large. You had bored children playing and walking during the show. I remember my best friend Gio was visiting us from CA at the time and I took a photo of her wanting to slash her wrist with a plastic knife. lol!! She was having that much fun. lol!! But this year, they changed the venue and the show went so much smoother.

We had a nice breakfast with J's family too. Of course, Lil' C had a blast with his best friend J.

Santa also had enough free time to ask each child what they wanted for Christmas. When Santa asked Lil' C what he wanted I thought he would share his story about wanting to buy him a present but he surprised us all and told Santa, "I want a magic butterfly necklace." Santa has his work cut out for him this year. lol!

Where is my springerle cookie mold?

One of the things I love most about Christmas in Europe are the Christmas markets. Usually, we try to go to a few German markets before Christmas but this year was so crazy I only had a chance to attend one... the one in Cologne.

Cologne is known for their large Christmas Market. I believe they have either 5 or 6 scattered all throughout the city. Each area has a different Christmas mug too. Over the years, we've collected over a dozen of these mugs and while I think they're great I'd rather use my pretty Villeroy & Boch set.  I'll admit though the designs are much more unique now than they were in the early 90's. So I decided to pick up two for S. He loves these little mugs and even though we decided not to exchange gifts this year I knew he'd be happy to see them under the tree.

It's been years since I've visited Cologne but it was just as beautiful as I remember. Much colder though. ;) The city looked so pretty with quaint little red booths surrounding the cathedral.

We arrived in Cologne in the early morning. I had plenty of time to roam around the church and take a tour of the cathedral which was very interesting. One tid bit I found interesting was that Villeroy & Boch created the cathedral's mosiac floor tiles. The cathedral is immense. There was no way I could capture it all on my camera so what you see above is actually the area on the side. It's quite magnificent.

After our tour, my friend Blonde K & I made our way through the markets. I was on a mission to purchase an antique or just antique looking Springerle cookie molds. Of course there were lots of other things that tempted me. lol! There was a fabulous section selling food items. So I bought some Gluwein spices and chocolate balls spiced with cinnamon & speculoos to make hot chocolate along with a few delicious fresh out of the oven pretzels. Yum.. I actually froze a few hoping to enjoy them in the new year. And you can't leave a German Christmas market without purchasing some ornaments. ;) I found a very pretty one to bring to the General's wife's coffee. 

Ever since I fell in love with my silicone molds at the Chocolate Festival in Brugge I'm constantly on the search for new ones. But not just any silicone molds. I want molds that are unusual or those with really pretty designs. And if they're manufactured in France I'm in heaven.  At the Christmas market I found a beautiful one shaped like a circle with a flower on top. Very pretty.

Towards the very end of the evening I finally found my Springerle cookie mold. The detail on some of these molds is just incredible. I fell in love with a fine little man dressed to the tee. Of course, I didn't want him to be lonely so I found a gorgeous woman to keep him company. But unfortunately, she was 80 Euros or maybe 80 Deutsche marks. It was all so confusing. Sometimes the woman would say the price was in Euros but other times she'd say they were in Deutsche marks. Anyway, she insisted that the woman was 80 Euros. 80 Euros for a cookie mold! That's over $100. My, my, my... I just couldn't stomach paying that much for a cookie mold no matter how much I wanted her. Plus, I don't have any plans nor will I ever bake cookies with these molds. They are purely for decoration. Since I'm not a serious collector I also had no idea if she was really worth the money. So my little man will have to be content with being a bachelor for the time being. lol!

As Blonde K & I made our way to another Christmas market we decided to walk through the city centre. The shopping was fantastic. We even found a wonderful craft store where I stocked up on vellum, paper, and other fun crafty items. Now I have to tell you my friend Blonde K can SHOP! I've never meet anyone who has the shopping stamina I do but this grrrl gave me a run for my money! lol!! We shopped & browsed until the very end not even stopping for a sit down dinner. We walked from early morning to about 7 in the evening. But I wasn't complaining. German wurst and potato pancakes were all I needed to keep this grrrl happy!

A Celebration of Optimism

In just 10 minutes, I will begin to watch CNN's live coverage of the events surrounding the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. Wow. I get sentimental just thinking about it. I'm so excited about what this change will mean for the United States.

My friends R & Fern received tickets to the inauguration a few weeks ago. I'm so jealous. Most of the people I know who live in the Northern VA/Baltimore area are planning to stay as far away from DC as possible. But you know what... despite the millions of people that will be in DC today I still wish I could be there to experience this monumental day in history.

Into the Swing of Things...

Updating my blog when so much time has lapsed since my last entry is always hard. Yet the more time goes by the more I have to share and the more difficult it becomes. It's a horrible cycle, really. When I used to keep a journal I'd change the entry dates. Who I was kidding? I guess I figured years from now I'd never remember if it was the exact date or not. But with blogging there's no tricking the system. And believe me I've tried. lol! So let's go back a few weeks when everyone was in the Christmas spirit.

Remember those gingerbread houses I spent DAYS baking & putting together? Here is what the area looked like before we started decorating.... Notice how everything is neat & organized. Not for long...

Here are the finished gingerbread houses...

I'm so happy with the results. Lil' C and I had a ball decorating them. I gave Lil' C his own little piping bag filled with icing and let him go to town with several bowls of different candy.

Most of the candy Lil' C used made its way onto the houses but a few pieces were consumed. ;) Of all the projects I've done with him I must say this one took the cake! Lil' C absolutely loved it. He decorated his house for a good 3 hours.

As Lil' C decorated his house he kept telling me, "Mommy, this is the best day of my life." When he made this statement I melted. All those hours spent preparing & baking the dough and building these little houses were so worth it. I've decided making gingerbread houses will definitely be a part of our Christmas tradition.

Here is a close up of Lil' C's gingerbread house. I love that he used all sorts of candy on his roof and the yellow star on the other side is so cool. And look at the little heart above the entrance. Too cute.

After Lil' C went to bed, I spent a few more hours decorating my house. I wanted to fill up some of the empty space on my house so I decided to make a front yard.

A few days after we finished our gingerbread houses I was telling my sister about them and she was surprised how easy it sounded. For some reason, she thought she needed special baking templates. All you need is recycled cardboard and wax paper. There are several videos on Youtube that offer some great tips.I found one where you crush hard candy and bake it into the window for a stain glass effect. I'll have to try that technique.

Next Christmas I've decided to make the gingerbread houses at the end of November. This way we have plenty of time to let the house set. Then we can begin decorating them the first week of December. I'm also going to chose a template where the front & back roof is already attached. The frosting I used was super strong (like edible super glue) but adhering these parts to the house was time consuming so having them already attached will be helpful.

Here is the recipe I used (courtesy of Epicurious.com)

• 6 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 4 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 1/2 cups solid vegetable shortening
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup robust (dark) molasses

• 1 roll kitchen parchment (at least 10 yards long — sold at cookware stores and at some supermarkets)
• 1 1/2-inch round cookie cutter for roof tiles
• Assorted cookie cutters (such as Christmas tree, gingerbread man, and star)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Sift flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and cardamom into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat shortening in large bowl until fluffy. Add sugar and beat to blend. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Add molasses and beat on high speed until well blended. Add dry ingredients in 4 additions, beating at low speed until dough forms. Divide dough into 6 equal pieces. Flatten each piece into rectangle. Wrap each in plastic and refrigerate until firm enough to roll, at least 6 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll out 1 dough piece (keep remaining dough refrigerated) between two 15-inch-long sheets of parchment to scant 1/4-inch rectangle, turning over dough and parchment occasionally. If parchment wrinkles, peel off, smooth wrinkle and reposition parchment over dough; continue to roll out dough to required thickness. Cut dough according to your template.

Icing:
You will prepare this recipe twice: once for assembling the gingerbread house, and again for decorating it.

4 large egg whites

7 to 7 1/2 cups powdered white sugar

Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in medium bowl until very foamy, about 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Beat until well blended. Add remaining cups sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating until well blended after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl occasionally.

Beat icing at high speed until very thick and stiff, about 5 minutes. (Second batch of icing will be made later.)

Assembly of Foundation and Walls
2 pastry bags
1 1/4- to 3/8-inch diameter plain round pastry tip