rekindled spirit

i wasn’t sure how i was going to pull this one off since there’s nothing really french about my life. all i knew was that i wanted in on winning this fabulous book by vicki archer.  it’s easy,  go here  if you want in too.

i thought about telling one of my many stories of when in france but there are so many other guides or bloggers that are doing that way better than i ever could-

my melange:: getting the most out of your french adventure and infusing european culture into your lifestyle 

paris parfait::with added insight into french life and culture 

tongue in cheek:: french antiques and stories of and american mother and her french family-i read this one every morning with my coffee

le petit cabinet de curiosites:: shop your heart out here, french antiques and european fabrics galore!

tarte flambée

tarte flambée, or flammkuchen in german, is a specialty of alsace, an eastern region in france that borders germany. it is a favorite savory dish here in our region and often served in the winter at open or christmas markets. the name comes from the method of baking translating to  ”baked in flames”, it is served fresh out a wood fire oven.

it is quite easy to make at home too in your own oven. it is always a big hit in ours! that’s about as french as we get around here.

language development is interesting and amusing to observe in children.  it is even more so when raising children in a bilingual family.  my husband and I call it “fulltime entertainment“.  as many parents do, we foster this fascinating process by reading to them(in both languages).  we truly enjoy searching for and  collecting fairy tales and classics then  revel in the magic they create for our children. many popular fairy tales were originally written in german by the authors bruder grimm . they were two brothers that traveled  around the country asking people to tell them stories. they collected hundreds of stories which they re-wrote and published.  here are some familiar tales:  little red riding hood, rapunzel, the hare and the hedgehog, rumpelstiltskin , snow white, sleeping beauty, hansel and gretel, the elves and the shoemaker, cinderella and many more.  almost all of your childhood favorites!  

most on that list really surprised me  and left me wondering are there any that are originally written in english?  one beautiful sunny day, I stopped at a flea market in überlingen just because i was driving by and stumbled upon  a vintage copy of the wonderful american classic, walt disney’s dumbo the flying elephant  in german (originally written in english by helen aberson). it was a pleasant surprise to find it  in german!

the rune stones by claudia wedig 

congratulations to my dear friend claudia whose book was published and is out at books stores all over the country this week!!! the book is written in german so all you german speakers and enthusiasts, go out there and get it! a magical fantasy, it offers equal parts of danger and delight. i am so proud of her!  here i have i translated to the best of my ability, the excerpt for the book. here it goes:

the farmer boy elyjas is hunted by soldiers and flees into the forest. there the mysterious araya rescues him from a wild bear and cares for him until he regains his strength. araya is the high priestess of the moon goddess. she knows that elyjas was chosen by the gods, in order to assist her in their dangerous fight against powers of the darkness. shakar rhi, the fallen high priest, wants to release the eleven terrible masters of the darkness. they were banned before many generations in stone cocoons. if shakar rhi’s plan succeeds, the masters of the darkness can again secure their cruel rule and the whole country will fall, succumbing to destruction and devestation. in a magic world elyjas and araya fight despair with courage and receive support from many fantastic natures. But their mission can succeed only if they learn to use the four powerful rune stones in order to rule the elements. Can they master their task and prevent the freeing of the dark creatures and the fall of mankind?

i know i didn’t do it justice but notice: one of the main characters is named araya

claudia, at her last birthday party. she baked that fantastic cake herself! 

claudia is a wonderful human being. aside from her new title “author” she is a software engineer by day, and  fierce baker on the weekends. she taught me how to bake everything from sponge cake, swiss roll, to german christmas cookies. she has also exercised with me every night for the last year helping me lose 22 pounds!

herzlichen glück wunsch claudia, zur erfüllung deines traumes!/congratulations claudia, for making your dream come true!