What We're Up to Today

Making these S'mores brownies to bring to a baby shower luncheon. 

They were easy to whip up, but really hard to cut because of the gooey marshmallows. To be honest, they ended up looking nice in the pan, but came out as mangled blobs and tasted only so-so. Oh well, better luck next time. That's what I get for taking an untested recipe to a social event. Thanks, ladies, for humoring my remedial cooking efforts.

I have another party this week and am not taking any chances. I'll be bringing this tried and true beauty:

BHG's award-winning Marbleous Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cake with Salted Caramel Glaze. 

The glaze alone is lick-it-up-by-the-spoonfuls delicious. I also spent part of today menu planning and compiling a grocery list to get all the necessary ingredients to redeem myself from today's sub par culinary effort.

 Finally, I ordered, picked up, addressed, and mailed out these invitations for my big sis's baby shower next month. This little guy will be Nanette's first, so all the Dockum sisters are converging in our hometown to host the social event of the season in Eastern Washington. Nan's a huge baseball fan in general, and of the old-school Yankees in particular, so we decided on a classy vintage baseball theme. If you're wondering, no, I did not spontaneously acquire fabulous design skills. This invitation is brought to you by the creative geniuses at Etsy. It was the first time I've ordered anything from there and was pleasantly surprised. Since we sorely lack the creativity gene and are generally crafting impaired, the sisters also have a communal Pinterest board going to collect fun baby shower ideas. So if you have a board, I'll be scouring it for inspiration. Favorite pin of the week: No sew bunting for a concessions-style refreshment table.

P.S. Thanks to N and her mad Photoshop skills for blurring out any identifying any information about the shower, so as to deter any crazy blogstalkers from crashing the party.  Hopefully you still get the effect. 

Diamanche en France

Our second day in Paris was a Sunday and I wanted to attend mass at Notre Dame. A very cool cultural experience and the service was a lovely, dignified affair. Sadly, a raging case of jet lag caused me to keep dozing off. It didn't help that the service was also incredibly long with long periods of standing...and in Latin. Suffice to say, we didn't make it through the whole thing and had to get up and walk around so I'd stay awake.

 Yes, I was that person who took a picture during a religious ceremony. Bad, bad American tourist!

Andy and I returned to the flat and decided to explore the Latin Quarter on the Left Bank with Andy's mom and brother. Here's one of the fresh air markets like you see in many big cities. I could get used to meandering around a city, admiring the alluring produce, and picking up pieces of dinner along the way, couldn't you? 

Not long into our walk, with our guidebooks still in our bags, we happened to turn the corner and see this architectural beauty at the top of the hill. 

 Not knowing what it was, but anxious to explore, we discovered that it was the Pantheon. Patterned after the Roman Pantheon and formerly a church, it's now a shrine to French secular society/history and the burial place of many French luminaries, as well as the home of Focault's pendulum.

 Next door - St. Etienne du Mont. A lovely little church with a purple door (you knew I couldn't resist) that friends said was their favorite in Paris. Sadly, it was closed to tourists on Sunday.

 We continued on past the Sorbonne, down to the gorgeous Luxembourg Gardens. Definitely one of my favorite places in the city. We spent many a happy hour there strolling and people watching. I also went jogging there one morning and felt oh-so-French as I sweated with the locals. Above is the Luxembourg Palace where the French Senate meets.

 Pete and Andy sporting their best goober faces. Classic.

 A grotto in the church St. Sulpice (you might recognize the name from The DaVinci Code). I particularly enjoyed the large murals, specifically the one of Jacob wrestling the angel. A place where the combination of beauty, art, and faith made me stop and ponder.

Back across the Seine to the Ile de la Cité and the Conciergerie, where prisoners were held during the French Revolution to await their appointment with Madame La Guillotine. Its most famous prisoner: Marie Antoinette.

 Funny story: We actually got locked in Marie Antoinette's cell after an active toddler pushed the door shut. We'd been walking behind him the whole time and could tell that his parents were stressed about keeping him contained. They were mortified when this happened, but people were very nice about it and just laughed at the irony. They alerted a worker and you can imagine the key he brought to unlock the door. Yep: A huge old iron one on an enormous keyring, just like they would have used in Marie's time.

 No SUVs here.

 Home again, home again, jiggity jig. The heavy wooden door to our flat at 16 Rue Budé.

 In for the evening. We relaxed and prepared a delicious dinner of omlettes (with meat, tomatoes, and the cheese recommended by the fromager), baguettes, and fruit.

 Andy working his magic in the tiny kitchen. He makes a mean omlette. No joke, the man has skills.

Our first beautiful French pastry. Annette adores raspberries and this one was lovely, but looked better than it tasted. I am happy to report that wasn't the case for pastries in general.

We spent a pleasant evening talking and planning our trip to northern France the next day. Chatting with Andy's family is always fun, no matter where we are. After sifting through multiple French train schedules and travel books/websites, we came up with an itinerary. The consensus: Early bedtime and a 5:30 a.m. wake up call in order to catch the 7:07 a.m. train to Normandy.

Paris, Deux Jours

We touched down in Paris on a Saturday morning after our 7-hour overnight flight from Toronto. As soon as we could grab our carry-ons, we hopped off the plane and headed straight down to buy train tickets into Paris. Despite running on a mere 3 hours of sleep (Andy had none), I was so giddy that it was hard to walk at a normal pace and not look like an overexcited tourist. Apparently I didn't fully succeed since we soon encountered our first ripoff scheme at the airport ticket kiosks. A man approached and said he had some extra train tickets he wouldn't be able to use and offered to sell them to us. We'd been warned to be aware of scams and something felt fishy about it, so we said no. Instead, we used our best "bonjours" on the real ticket counter lady, and were soon on our way!

It took about an hour to ride into the city. The suburbs are quite gritty and different than the idyllic Paris scenes we're accustomed to. But as soon as we got off the RER at the St. Michel-Notre Dame stop, we ascended the Metro stairs to our first real Paris scene, which was just as magical as I'd imagined. Place St. Michel (picture above) in the Latin Quarter on the Left Bank, and the lovely Parisian architecture.

We successfully navigated our way across across Seine, through the square near Notre Dame, and back across another bridge onto the Ile St. Louis, to the flat where Andy's mom and siblings were staying. Talk about a surreal experience as we knocked on the huge ancient wooden door and saw Andy's mom poke her head out the window four floors up. Someone let us in and we hauled our bags four flights up the narrow winding wooden staircase. It was about noon by then, so we grabbed a bite to eat in the kitchen (my first taste of divine French yogurt in little ceramic pots) and soon afterwards headed out to explore. Betsy, Pete, and Annette had already been in Paris for almost a week so they'd seen many of the main touristy things already. We followed their lead since we knew we'd see the other stuff after they left on Tuesday. 

Our first stop: A charming fromagerie/charcuterie (cheese and meat shop) right outside the flat to get some food for a picnic and dinner the next day. The smell was intoxicating and I had a great time examining all the items. The complicating factors: We wanted to try something new, but didn't know what to order, and the shopkeeper spoke almost no English. So Betsy and I used our pidgin French to ask him what would go well with an omelet ("fromage bon avec oeufs?" Thanks to E for the gift of a French-English phrasebook, which saved the day. He gave us some divine Comté cheese, a few sausages, and we were on our way.

We crossed back across the square and asked another English-speaking tourist to take our picture in front of the cathedral. (L to R: Pete, Andy, me, Betsy, Annette). For those of you who don't know, Betsy is Andy's twin sister. It's funny that when people hear he has a twin, even though they know it's a girl, many still often ask, "Do you look alike?" You decide.

Next stop: San Chapelle with its glorious stained glass windows. Stories from the Bible are portrayed in the glass, but I had a hard time identifying many of them. Anyone else have the same experience? It was also cloudy that day so apparently the effect wasn't as brilliant. As you can see, it was still breathtaking. I guess that means we'll just have to go back another time to see the chapel in a better light. Darn. Any volunteers for travel buddies?

 Pete and his best heartwarming smile. 

We continued on out Pont Neuf to the Right Bank of the Seine, avoided another gypsy scam at the stairs of the Pont des Artes bridge, walked through the courtyard to the Louvre, and over to the Rue de Rivoli. I'd hoped to warm up with a cup of the famed French hot chocolate from Angelina's, but the line was crazy long so instead we went back into the Tuileries Gardens and enjoyed our lunch of sandwiches, cheese, and sausages as we sat on the green chairs that seem to be found in all the large Parisian gardens. We continued our amble to the end of the Tuileries where we found this man selling roasted chestnuts, which of course, we had to try. My traveling motto is, "When in Rome..." The snack hit the spot on a chilly day.

Risked life and limb to cross the chaotic traffic circle near the Place de la Concorde, with its pilfered Egyptian obelisk. It's at the east end of what is now the Champs Elysees and was the location of the guillotine during the French Revolution.

No sooner had we crossed the street than a gorgeous old luxury car pulled up and an impossibly chic wedding couple emerged with their own photographer and camera crew in tow. We watched as they did a shoot near the fountains at the Place de la Concorde. You know, just a typical day in Paris.

 Said wedding car

It was getting cold and the effects of jet lag started to come on, so we hopped on the Metro and rode back down to the stop near the Hotel deVille, which is Paris's city hall. I love that building and it was fun to pass it every day as we left for our adventures. One of my favorite memories is coming up from the Metro that day to the sounds of a Klezmer band and a street fair in full swing. To me, that's the beauty and excitement of travel: Encountering those unexpected experiences that are unique to the place where you're at. Being with the locals instead of just schlepping around to all the touristy haunts. Not that we didn't go to all those as well...

Andy was pooped and needed a nap, but I wanted to keep exploring and try stay up to get my body clock on Paris time. Betsy was looking for a book as a gift, so we headed over to the famous Shakespeare and Company bookstore on the Left Bank. I love browsing bookstores no matter where I am, but this one was particularly fun. A historic shop where every nook and cranny is filled with every type of literature imaginable. A bibliophile's dream.

Last stop, walking along the quays (pathways) next to the Seine. This video captures a quintessential Parisian scene: The omnipresent bateaux mouches (sightseeing boats), street performers, and people ambling along the river. It makes me smile every time I watch it.

Hooked

Thanks to Downton Abbey, I have been a waste of human debris for the past two days. It all started so innocently, watching the first episode in bed with Andy on Monday night. By Tuesday night I'd seen all four episodes of season one and the first episode of season two. Yes friends, that's 8 hours of TV in a day. It helped that Lucy was feeling under the weather, so I didn't feel as bad just curling up in bed with her next to me while I watched with the computer propped up on my lap. She particularly enjoyed the hunt scene. For those of you who are considering calling CPS, no, she didn't see the part with Mr. Pamuk. Eek! What was Mary thinking??? (For those of you who haven't seen it, it's a seduction scene. Definitely not R-rated, just not quite appropriate for a 2-year-old's eyes).

But it doesn't stop there. That night at 11:44, after I'd exhausted the episodes available on pbs.org, I sent this crackhead email to my sister Kaylee, who has seen all of season two via pirated versions on random European TV websites. And I quote: "What's the website to see season 2 episodes 2 and on?????? what is matthew's fiancee's secret???"

Our email chain proceeded as follows:

Kaylee-  "Hahaha your desperate email cracks me up! You and Kira both started the show yesterday and have been watching nonstop. Makes me proud! The website is tv-links.eu. Then search for downtown abbey and then a list of links will come up. Some are better than others cause of quality or time restraints. I recommend novamov, videozoer (or something like that I think), or putlocker. Those work the best. Not that I would know ;)"

Me - "I am pathetic." (Followed by a link to the PBS website where you can rate how much you like each of the characters. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/downtonabbey/season2_characters_vote.html


Kaylee - (Attached the picture posted above with this message) "Oh hello, Mathew. Looking dashing in the military garb. I'll admit it. I'm a sucker for him in this outfit. One of the best scenes happens when he's in it..."

So there you have it. I contemplated the security of the links to season 2, but threw caution to the wind and am now up to episode five. Thanks to one sketchy Russian website, my computer is most likely now riddled with viruses and spyware. I am currently exercising all the restraint I have not to go onto any other European websites to watch finish up season two. We'll see how long that lasts. I have a Sunday School lesson to prepare, but am a weak soul. Maybe this week we'll just watch a video. :) I did clean for two hours this morning to be at least somewhat productive.

ATTENTION: If you have any propensity towards the Edwardian era, refined women in elegant clothing, Englishmen in dinner jackets, any of the Jane Austen stories, soap operas, or BBC costume dramas in general, you are at risk of getting sucked into the world of Downton Abbey. You've been warned.

To the Manor Born

I'm on the verge of diving into the first episode of Season One of the highly acclaimed Downton Abbey. Literally, I'll push play as soon as this post is published. Multiple sources report that it's not only highly entertaining, but also highly addicting. I keep reading that the character's outfits are amazing as well. What can I say? I'm a sucker for a good costume drama. This could be the commencement of many winter nights spent glued to the computer screen. Thanks to E for reminding me that you can watch it for free on pbs. org. In true highbrow fashion, a toast to not having to spring for a Netflix subscription!

Do you Downton? What's your take on it?

You'll Shoot Your Eye Out!

What to do when the tragic lack of snow in Utah forces you to forego the traditional Christmas Eve sledding? Engage in a little modern warfare.

Our gift to Andy's family members: 6-dart repeat firing Nerf guns. After heading over to a local elementary schoolyard with the intent of playing kickball, we handed out the wrapped packages and had everyone tear them open in unison. Within a minute, guns started blazing.

 

  The baby-faced assassin packing some heat.
Unlike Ralphie's mom, we apparently have no qualms giving pseudo-firearms to our children. Charlton Heston would be proud. Others are probably horrified by this picture. You know who you are. :)

Kickball quickly evolved into dodge/dart tag with modified rules. Each team had to kick the ball and run the bases as usual, but people were out when hit by a dart. It was great because Andy's aunt, uncle, and cousin were there, along with his twin's "good friend," so we had enough to really play. 

Freezing temperatures forced us to call it quits after 45 minutes. So the battle moved inside instead.

Andy's mom made scone dough with bullets whizzing around her.

Then someone had the idea to break out the ski goggles to prevent any unfortunate eye injuries that could ruin Christmas festivities. Opthamologists across the Wasatch Front breathed a sigh of relief. That's when it got really good.

Auntie Char's got her game face on. Oh, and the paper antlers Andy's uncle made for each of us for a game we played later.

Uncle Pete's locked and loaded.

Later that night we found him sitting in the recliner wearing his ski googles and reading a book while Ben stood across the room and used him as target practice.

Does anyone else see that sinister glint in her eye? Don't mess with Bets. A true competitor, if I ever met one.

Ben busted out his best moves for the occasion.

Protecting the not-so-innocent.

Let the games begin!

Highlight: The sneak attack from Betsy's friend, Steve "the nice biologist." Also a very formidable opponent and good sport about the evening's shenanigans.

A tiny reindeer eating dinner during a break in the action.

Scones, sausages, and fruit for dinner on Christmas Eve. A Haws family tradition. Great company and good conversation.

Now back to more games. The kids broke a wily dragon pinata after dinner and enjoyed the spoils.

I think Pete's celebrity double would be Jude Law. Anyone else with me on that?

Thanks to our first-ever yoga class, catching up with friends, lots of reading time, societally-sanctioned gluttony, and seeing the kids so excited, it was a great trip. More to come!