A Swedish Playdate

This morning, as luck would have it, Sanna and her small charge William were free for a playdate! Sanna is my Swedish friend from down the street, and William is one of Jules' little friends from school. They live very close to us. Thus, they quickly arrived at our house, and thus began our playdate - a playdate which started innocently enough, but which ended up becoming...well, actually, it stayed innocent, but turned out to be a whole lot more fun than we had originally planned...

First, whilst drinking English Breakfast tea with Sanna, I was suddenly prevailed upon by my spontaneity to make Christmas cookies, it being that time of the year in which baking Christmas cookies is generally accepted as an appropriate thing to do. This idea was met with much enthusiasm by all involved. I was, moreover, prevailed upon to add a great deal of food coloring to part of the cookie dough, managing (as you will see) to turn the dough brilliant shades of red and green, a procedure which made Félix very happy and caused his eyes to twinkle.



With much gusto, Félix, Jules and William, decorated the cookies with lots of colorful sprinkles.



The cookies went into the oven looking rather yummy...



...but came out of the oven looking rather pathetic; in fact, the red and green cookies were completely disturbing.



The boys loved the cookies anyway, although the red ones somewhat resembled the treats we give our dogs. When this was pointed out, Jules refused to eat any more red cookies.

So I said, "It could be that the green cookies taste better than the rest." This was said so that Sanna and I could eat the cookies which were not red and green. Félix declared that the cookies "didn't taste green at all." And although the flavor we were actually going for was not so much "not green" as "incredibly yummy," Sanna and I decided that our Christmas cookie endeavor was a success. As it is, tonight as I write this post, most of the cookies - red, green, or otherwise - remain uneaten.

After lunch, we broke a marmite with the boys. The marmite has an interesting story, as you shall hear...



Back in 1602, as I understand it, Geneva was being invaded by the Duke of Savoy. For those of you who never read anything more informative than blogspot, Savoy is an historical region located in what is now parts of France and Italy. Geneva was an extremely wealthy city-state, and the duke wanted to make it his northern capital.

But as the duke's soldiers climbed the walls of what is now "Old Town" (but was then just "Town"), one woman had a solution to the problem. Her name was Catherine Cheynel, and she was boiling a seriously huge pot of vegetable soup. The reason she was boiling so much vegetable soup was that she and her husband, Pierre Royaume, had fourteen children, and I'm guessing that meat for that many people wasn't cheap even back then.

So she took her pot of soup, right, and dumped it on the soldiers who were climbing the walls, thereby being heroic, but not really helping out that much. She did kill one man, and also helped cause a good commotion. Her kids also went hungry that night, which once again proves that it's hard to be a hero both inside and outside the home. Catherine Cheynel is now generally referred to as "Mère Royaume," or Mother Royaume.

But anyway, there's a song about the Escalade now, because "L'Escalade" is what the event is called, "escalader" being the French verb for "climb." The song has sixty-eight verses, and no, I can't sing it.

So back to the marmite to finish up this delightful story of soup and death...

The marmite is a small chocolate pot filled with marzipan shaped like vegetables and fruit, made to represent Mère Royaume's pot of soup. The youngest and oldest person in the room are supposed to hold hands and triumphantly exclaim, "Ainsi périrent les ennemis de la République!" ("Thus perish the enemies of the Republic!"). Then, still holding hands, they smash the chocolate marmite in one fell swoop - and then in the second fell swoop, all the children grab the candy and run. :-P Well, that last bit wasn't all that accurate, but the candy and chocolate are usually devoured fairly quickly, by children and parents alike.

Here is a picture of us devouring the marmite:



Adjö! Ciao! Bye!
That girl in Switzerland

P.S. Ok, so the only thing Swedish about the playdate was Sanna (and William is half Swedish too)...but my title got your attention, didn't it? Besides, when I named it that, I was actually in the process of failing to upload a video of Sanna teaching me some Swedish words. Quite funny, actually.

Happy Birthday, Jules!

Firstly, a random mood update!! Today I am feeling sardonic. *Heather sneers at the computer screen.*

And now for the next several completely unrelated things...

Today was Jules' birthday. He turned five. He is very proud of himself, what with having reached an important age and all. Charlotte and I made cupcakes, completely from scratch. They were very fluffy. And Yummy! Here are pictures.




Tonight for Jules birthday, they had a Chinese fondue, which I love. They followed it up with chocolate cake and Armagnac (adults only...haha...can you imagine..."Mom, now that I'm five, I think I'm ready to drink hard liqueur"). Me? I was at French class while all this partying was taking place.

Also, Geneva has up CHRISTMAS LIGHTS!!! *Heather sings at the top of her lungs, "It's the most WONDERFUL time of the year!!"* Here are two pictures I took tonight in the Jardin Anglais by the lake:




Cheerfully sardonic, and also paradoxically,
That girl in Switzerland

Some Fun :-D

Here are some pictures of Jules. :-D






Hehehe
That girl in Switzerland

Perspective + Some Autumn Crafts

This morning, whilst feeling musical, I turned on some Charlotte Church music on my ipod and began singing loudly. My Charlotte Church imitation is nothing to be sneezed at. Jules and I were doing some craft projects at the time. So after a few songs, I asked Jules if he liked my singing.

"Yes," he said, "but you know what? If you keep singing really high and a bird comes, he's going to get bigger and bigger and EXPLODE!"

I'm assuming he's seen "Shrek" recently, but his comment was no ego boost, let me tell ya.

Here are some pictures from today:

Jules's depiction of the neighborhood's animals...He's not much of a drawer, but he does try. There are our two dogs, Jenny (blue) and Teacake (large brown), and also two more dogs, Bo (larger black) and Filly (small brown), and also a cat, Raffy (very small black):


Our spiders ("art" for boys...hah):


Jules making designs with those little plastic pieces (no clue what they're called):


Jules with our scary spiders:


Being crazy:


Jules being...well...Jules:


Moi (photo courtesy of Jules):


Cheers!
That girl in Switzerland

Five Minute Rhyme

Today was a big day -
Was a lot to be done.
I made a huge list
And accomplished a ton.
I wired some money
And went to the Poste,
I managed three children,
And cooked artichokes.
I studied for French class
Until my brain ached,
Then took a short break
Down by the lake.
I walked two big dogs
That needed to GO!
They walked quite quickly;
I walked quite slow.
I traveled three hours
To Nyon and back,
And studied my Bible
To pick up my slack.
Had coffee at leisure
(It's never a rush),
Said hi to a friendly
Old man on the bus.
Of things needing done,
I think I did most,
But writing a poem...
This project's burnt toast.
Tomorrow I might write
Something quite new,
Something inspired
That impresses you.
But now I'm so tired,
I'm going to bed
'Cause more of my brain cells
Are obviously dead.

(...must have been the coffee...)

Goodnight!
That girl in Switzerland

Just Me. And That's All.

Dear Readers,

Last February, somebody asked me to define myself. "Who is Heather?" they asked. And after scratching my head and feeling bewildered and realizing that I had nearly no idea, I came up with a trite little answer, emailed it away, and thought nothing more about it until tonight.

Tonight I was thinking about God. And about me. And about who I am as God made me to be. And I was thinking about the unique path that God created for me even before I existed. And I was thinking about how I don't know exactly what that path looks like, and how it's scary to trust what you don't know. And I was thinking about how it's so easy to get distracted from following that path because I'm too busy trying to live up to somebody else's idea of who I should be.

Tonight I was asked the question, "What would it look like for you to completely trust Jesus when He says, 'You, follow me'?"

And I realized that the answer to this question lies in two places - who I am, and who Jesus is.

Jesus is love, loyalty, bravery, sacrifices, patience, hope, light and righteousness. I am the sum of my choices and experiences, and hopefully some of the characteristics of Jesus. Jesus takes all of my successes and failures and joyful times and broken dreams, and turns them around into lessons and growth and love and peace. He takes the best and worst parts of me, and turns them into something beautiful, something that reflects Him.

Jesus came to give life, and life more abundantly, life to the fullest. The only one getting in His way is me.

Jesus wants me to be who I am and to look a little more like Himself every day. He wants my heart to reflect His heart. He wants me to find my identity in Him. And that's all.

I might not know my path, and that might be scary, but I do know Jesus, and He takes all the fear away.

It's just a simple truth. So obvious.

So after taking a second look at my "trite" definition, I've decided it isn't so bad.

"What makes me, me? It's quite simple really: my failures, successes, fears and insecurities, confidence, family, friendships, opinions, beliefs...a passion for people, a couple of failed relationships, about one and a half severely broken hearts, a tendency to reflect on everything in words that never get spoken to anyone, and a strong love for God that actually does leave me speechless; essentially, I'm me because of my ability to embrace human experience and turn around a better person."

I'm just me. Me enhanced by Jesus Christ. And that's all.

Love,
That girl in Switzerland

To Those People Windsurfing on Lake Geneva in November

I should have thought that
The now-perpetually snow-covered
Mountain peaks, or the
Glistening orange and red horizon
Below them, or even the
Very chill in the November air
Would have clued you in.
Shouldn't you be waiting for spring again -
Polishing your boards,
Buying new sails,
Storing away wet suits,
And then anticipating warmer winds?
Now it's time to exchange scenery -
To move to the brilliantly white slopes,
To the boards that need no sails,
To the glaring sunlight that bounces
Off of goggles and ski poles,
To the winter hats and scarves and gloves.
What drives you to the less-forgiving,
Shockingly cold, breath depriving
November water of Lake Geneva?
Is it merely the enticing wind and waves,
Or is it also the needing to know you're alive?

Pondering,
That girl in Switzerland

Trying to find a new style...

Anniversaries

I wrote that email at eight thirty
On a cold January morning
After a sleepless night in which
The weight of a dark, wet dawn
Hung heavily over my tear-rimmed eyes.
(The footprints of those filthy memories
Which used to haunt my nights
Have now carved deep pathways through
My waking thoughts where
Every day they tread.)

It's nearing November again,
And I dread the death, the cold,
And the chill in my heart.
(Not forgetting the sixteen weary ways
Of reminding myself of how
I never quite measured up.)

I wish summer were beginning again,
But if it were, I would have
To relive Memorial Day.
(And then I would have to picture
A scraggly tree, and hear
My own nervous, breathy laughter,
And wonder why the familiar strains
Of that now-memorized song
Won't stop playing its
Endless soundtrack in my mind.)

But my waking nightmare is okay for now.
It reminds me to pray for you every day.
(It's comforting to think that
We might be friends again
Someday in Heaven,
Even though you don't believe
I'll make it there.)

I'm trying to enjoy this new autumn.
(But April thirtieth was last night,
Eight thirty on a January morning
Was just the other day,
And November sixteenth has wrapped itself
Around me like a badly-fashioned
Faux-fur winter coat.)

The bottom line is -
Some anniversaries just aren't worth celebrating,
But it hurts much worse to forget.

Trying to find a new style...
That girl in Switzerland

Month o' Sundays

Over several Sundays in September, I was priviledged to go with my host family on several very cool family outings. I thought I would post some pictures here since everyone complains that I post too much poetry... :-D

The first Sunday in September, we went to a small town in France called La Clusaz. It is about an hour's drive from Anières, Switzerland, where we live. We were having company from Barcelona for the weekend, so it was basically just a fun day trip for all of us.

Here are some pictures from our day trip to La Clusaz:

My fabulous host family - Arnaud, Charlotte, Félix (7 years - Mr. Coolness), and Jules (4 years - my little monkey).


Charlotte and Jules riding the luge d'été (summer luge).


La Clusaz in the background with part of the summer luge track in the foreground.


Félix playing putt-putt - I kept score. :-P


The Sunday after we went to La Clusaz, the family and I went to Cirque Knie...the Swiss National Circus! Cirque Knie has been run by the Knie family for five generations now - they do all of the animal training, and hire on the other acts. It's great fun! This was the third circus the Grobet family had invited me to, and it's always so much fun! Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos, but here is a link to the acts from last year and this:

http://www.knie.ch/zirkus/fr/notre-tournee/artistes-2008.html

The very next Sunday, Félix had his caisse à savon - a soap box race! Although the traditional and fun thing to do is to build your own car, the Grobet family cheated a bit and bought one that had been made by somebody else for a race last year. Just to demonstrate how much things cost over here...they paid over six hundred Swiss francs for it.

The racing started very early Sunday morning, but I slept in and met the Grobets in Corsier after lunch. I only wanted to stay an hour or so and see Félix race once before I left for church. There were quite a few kids racing - I think sixty just in Félix's devision. Félix placed sixteenth, so he was quite proud. :-)I can't wait to do things like this with my own family someday.

Here are some pictures of the caisse à savon:

Félix and his awesome car and outfit. Doesn't he look cool?? :-)


A few of the other contestants' cars.


Part of the track down the hill.


Félix driving past on his way down the hill!! (He had a wreck just before this picture was taken.)


And finally, last Sunday...for lunch Charlotte made American pancakes complete with maple syrup! I definitely thought that it deserved a mention. Félix helped flip them, and he's still talking about how he made me American pancakes for lunch and how they were the best ever. (And they really were the best ever...Aunt Jemima mix from the American store. Charlotte is so thoughtful.)

So here are two final pictures: one of Félix feeling proud of himself, and one of my "second family" and their American pancakes.



I love my host family!

Happily,
That girl in Switzerland

Ten Apples Up On Top - or more like two, in this case

Today Jules stayed home from school. He is sick, sort of. He has a weird malady that shows up in the form of "bug bites" all over his body, and especially on his hands. So he's been doing a lot of itching, scratching and crying. Poor Jules.

So...because I'm the fille au pair, I create instant fun...

Jules and I love the book "Ten Apples Up On Top," which is a simplified Dr. Seuss-y sort of book, though written by somebody else who's name I can't recall and can't be bothered to look up, although "Theo" rings a bell.

The characters in this book basically run around seeing who can balance the most apples on their heads. They get chased by angry bears and hungry birds who are all trying to take the apples. It's all very tense - Who will balance the most apples?? Will the bears get the apples with the deadly mop?? Will the birds eat the apples?? - at least until the end of the book when all of the animals conveniently crash into a huge apple cart, there is a huge apple explosion, and everybody (even the birds) ends up with ten apples on the head and a big smile on the face.

Jules and I read this book today and attempted to balance apples on our heads, which is a very hard thing to do. If you have never tried it, I suggest you do, so that you can appreciate the difficulty of what you're about to see.

Here is Jules' first attempt (note the red dot on his forehead):



Ok, so that was a fail...

Here is his second, successful attempt, minus one apple:



Here is my attempt (digitally captured by Jules the photographer):



Do you KNOW how hard it is to balance two apples on your head, hold a book, AND still manage to smile?? It's HARD!! Those animals in the book might have been able to balance ten, but we were doing well to get two!

Anyway, after we dropped the apples a hundred times, they weren't good for anything except HOMEMADE APPLE SAUCE!! Which turned out to be fabulous, and which, of course, Jules hated. Anyway, fun times, fun times.

I love that my world revolves around children.

It's all in a day's work, folks,
That girl in Switzerland