Tongue in Cheek

Bike Shops sale more than Tires

The Bike Shop where I Popped a Wheel-y of a Deal

Glancing back at the table, making sure everything is just so, knives on the right and forks on the left is a big challenge for someone like me, who can't raise their right hand without thinking first of, "The Pledge of Allegiance!"

Tonight's New Year's Eve dinner is at Chez Nous. I cannot forget NOT to say, Happy New Year until AFTER midnight, or I will bring bad luck on whoever I say it to, considering I have already ruined several French friend's New Year to come, this is more of a stress then preparing dinner tonight for 20 people!

Okay, here is the low-down on the table setting from my adventures at the flea markets and other ways that I have come into having an Armoire ready to burst at the seams:

Vintage Champagne glasses found with Yann in the middle of nowhere, at a flea market located in a cow pasture, at 5am with a flashlight!

Silver that my parent's gave us when our son was born, they bought this silver, which includes cheese knives and dessert forks, from a couple in their 80s, who use to be diplomats who toured and dined the world.

Linen tablecloth; One day I saw the box of linens, all sorts of wrinkled serviettes, sheets, tea towels, and what have you...bending down to look in the box I thought, "I HATE TO IRON!" Yet using paper is a pet peeve of mine. The linens had a variety of monogram letters. The tablecloth's initials are, V.B. which in my books means: Very Bad if you spill anything on this.

The dish on top, is the one on which I will serve the vol-au-vent of Lobster. These plates are one of the rare gifts in which my Belle-Mère gave me, porcelain de Paris, with gilded curly Qs, set of 24 and I have yet to break one. Even though in my wicked thoughts that sometimes consume me, I have thought about breaking the whole lot! Unfortunately, I like my Belle-Mère's rare gift too much--so my wicked thoughts go surpressed and expressed in unconscious ways, that my hero Carl Jung would tsk-tsk-tsk at me.

Bottom Plate, now you know why I envied my friend's directoire chocolate assiette!!! I think I will ask her if I can borrow it to serve little cakes on for tonight's dinner, it does match my service. Then again if I ask her and she agrees...then I'll have to lend my set of dishes to her sometime. New year's promise; Share willingly.

1930s art deco, indiviual crystal fruit bowls, in which I am going to serve- chilled cucumber soup with a grilled walnut and celery pesto on top. I bought these at a, Used Bicycle Shop, that Yann dragged me to one afternoon. The find was in a dirty cardboard box, with matching red wine glasses. The dealer at the shop was happy I was taking "the junk!" I told him I would say thank-you by make chocolate chip cookies for him. In the car Yann told me I should make him Chocolate Chip Cookies as he was the one who dragged me in there, vraiment!

The only thing new on this table will be what the New Year might bring, and hopefully it will be good if I don't blow it...

Directoire Assiette

Eat what is NOT on your Plate

"Go ahead eat the Chocolate! The New Year is around the corner! Go ahead I can see you want it! Vas-y!" How could I tell my friend it wasn't the chocolate I was eyeballing it was the pedestal plate! Gee! How often do you see a plate nearly two hundred years old, looking like it was this year's Christmas gift? Smiling I took the chocolate covered cherry, nodded a, "Merci!" and popped it in my mouth, though secretly inside wishing I could have the plate too! Really, will I ever grow up?

A Gift my Mother Gave

My Mother's Passion

My Mother and Aunt Marie use to go to the antique auctions when I was little.

After dinner dishes done, she would race off with a smile, high hopes written all over her face.

A 1920s blue glass beaded evening bag-

An oak dresser with a swivel mirror for $35-

Grey freckled tin ware-

And a trumpet was some of the won bids I can recall.

Especially the trumpet.

My Mother used it as our alarm clock...

"da da ta a ta dum da ta da da ta dum!" She would toot to wake-up my four brothers and I. The sound was too raw for the morning light- sleep was out of the question!

It was not the blast of the trumpet that struck my heart for loving to find old things. It was the joy I saw on my Mother's face, as she would come home late at night, with her arms carrying her latest acquisition.

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SUNDAY SCRIBBLINGS  earliest memory

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photo: An 18th century engraving, that I bought in an antique shop, in Aix en Provence. Where does cupid point his arrow in your life?

Crystal Clear

Many crystals reflecting light

Sometimes knowing what we want strikes through us like lightening, our desire becames pure and focused, our feet run steadily along the path... yet other times the light comes with the crash of thunder diffuses our knowing, as if our minds have become a crystal...with the light we are dancing colors over the horizion, going million directions at once.  Is that the life of an artist, the creative juices just bubble up and need expression!

Going to yesterdays brocante was like that for me...so many interesting things I couldn't focus. I just wanted the other buyers to leave so I could take my time!

French Garden Frog

French Frog

painted red

carved in stone...

(not like my last new year's resolutions.) 

The paint on this frog is old, though maybe not as old as the frog. When I bought the frog I didn't think about how faraway I was parked...the walk to my car was not a HOP SKIP and a JUMP! Had I thought about the distance...Oh, I still would have bought that Red frog!

French Wine stoppers

Child's Play 1991

"What can I give her to play with?" My neighbor asked herself. Glancing around her beautiful apartment my eyes could only see one fragile object after another. "Don't worry, I have plenty of toys in my sac-diaper bag." As if my reply fell on deaf ears, she continued opening buffets and shuffling things around.

While I was admiring the entrance walls, which were covered in thin hand painted leather, something that had belonged in her family since the 15th century- Chelsea had crawled under the dining room table and was pressing the servants bell button! Jeanette came down from the hallway, where the kitchen was located, whipping her hands on her apron she smiled, "Oh little one what is your desire?"

Madame Lombard waved her finger, "Ca-va ça-va, I have found something to interest her!" With that she added, "Jeanette, we will take our tea in the salon." Picking up Chelsea, I followed her into another stunning room, where in the corner sat a harp that belonged to Marie-Antoinette. How was I going to manage my baby from touching that, plus sip my tea lady-like?

"Come here Chérie," as she placed wine stoppers on the rug, "look at these shiny things!" All I could think about was how someone's tiny hands were going to have a field day tossing them about. Concerned I questioned whether it was a good idea to let Chelsea play with the crystal stoppers? Without lifting her head up she reasoned, "Bien sur, not a problem, these things are old and the bottles are long gone! Anyway, Chelsea is "sage," she won't throw them." Next to the shoebox of stoppers, Madame Lombard put a silver wine bottle holder.

While we sat on Louis 15th armchairs sipping tea, Chelsea seemed to be under a spell! Like a Princess, she was picking up the stoppers as if they were precious jewels and placing them into the wine bottle holder.

At the end of the afternoon, with kisses given to both sides of our cheeks, Madame Lombard had Jeanette gather up the stoppers in a "sac plastic," for Chelsea to take home.

Merry Christmas

                        

The wonder of the star within you!

Who is kissing Santa?

Wishing you a Merry   Christmas

En vous souhaitant un Joyeux Noël

Surrounded by those who love you!

Entouré par ceux qui vous aiment!

Sacha's Santa

Christmas                                  

In our village lives another Franco-American family. Their little boy Luca asked me with pleading eyes, "Corey, remember last year Santa came to your house to see me?" Barely, did the word yes come out of my mouth, when he was onto the next question, "How did he know, I mean, How did that happen? Who told him?" His huge lollipop eyes looking right through my heart...Gee this Christmas tall tale sometimes really gets me...not telling the truth, but saying the truth sounds like Mr. Grinch! Looking right at him I said, "I did! I am the one who called Santa!"

A year ago, almost to the day, Luca had started to cry, when we asked him what was wrong he said he had never seen Santa, and with bigger tears splashing on the floor he added, "And and and... he has never seen me!" Well, I had to change that devastating fact of his life! So I called Yann.

Luca stood still...in his eyes I could see hero written above my head. "Oooooooooh, Corey could you call him again? Tell him our chimney is too small, and Papa shuts the shutters at night, and he locks the door too. So um...um...do you know what to tell him? I mean how is he going to get in my house on Christmas night?"

Gee this Christmas tall tale is really putting me in a pickle! I remember once driving with my two little children in the back seat. Chelsea (who believed in Santa until she was ten (!!!) was saying how nice it was that the village was collecting gifts, for the children of Bosnia. Sacha who I honestly think never believed in Santa from the moment of his birth, looked at his sister doubtfully. Setting her up he said, "Chelsea, couldn't Santa just fly over and drop his gifts out?" Falling right in the trapper's trap she defended her man, "Oh Sacha, it is a war zone there, and Santa and his rein deers could be bombed!" I saw the smirk smile as Sacha delivered his one two punch to Chelsea's belief system, "Chelsea if Santa can make those rein deers fly all over the world in one night I am sure he can fly into a war zone and fly out with a crack of his whip! You know he IS magical!"

Sacha, who is now 13, hugs Luca lovingly he whispers, "Luca Santa is magical! And he will come see you with his arms full of presents! You wait and see!"

May all your Christmas Dreams come true!

Christmas in France

French Christmas Traditions and the American Mother

Careful to tradition, both French and American, I have set up the house for Christmas to enchant my children and soothe my soul.

Prepared are the 13 desserts on a large pottery platter. I have stuffed the dates with almond pate, the other 12 desserts surround them. Gifts are wrapped in red and green paper, tucked in each ribbon is a branch of holly. The santons are waiting in the creche, holding their gifts, the three kings hang out in the room next door following the star. The Chestnut cream is made for the Buche de Noel. Stockings and Sabots in place for chocolates to arrive. Champagne chilled and tempting in the frig! Christmas menu circling in my mind; Smoked salmon with creme fraiche and a twist of lemon, Chestnut soup, pastries with roquefort, roasted walnuts and glazed pears...Even the weather is cold enough for snow! With all this joyful energy about, how could I possible be homesick? Nevertheless I am; My heart looks back at Christmas in California, I can see my Mother preparing her home...popcorn balls in the basket...but before my heart feels too bittersweet I hear Sacha singing:

* Petit Papa Noel

Quand tu descendras du ciel

Avec des jouets par milliers

N'oublie pas mon petit soulier!

Little Father Christmas

When you come down from the sky

with your thousands of toys

do not forget my little shoe!

*Raymond Vincy 1946