Putting food for the birds in the Garden / La nourriture pour les oiseaux

Today we put some food out in the garden for the birds.

Aujourd'hui nous avons mis dans le jardin de la nourriture pour les oiseaux.

Spécialement pour toi Moushette

Vas vite résérver tes places Ma Chérie avant qu'il ne soit trop tard!!!

Ski

Check this out on Mimi's blog! What on earth is this?

Allez faire un petit tour sur le blog de Mimi! C'est quoi ce truc sur les lattes?

Take a guess/ Devinez...+ 'Cause I wanna remember Car je ne veux pas oublier!

Usually when I do something really silly I try to get away by jokingly say: "well...I am blond".

Guess who is taking the expression over from me!!!

LoL!

D'habitude lorsque je fais des bêtises ou je ne comprends pas les choses très vite, je blague et je dis que je suis blonde...

Devinez qui c'est qui reprend mon expression!!!

MMMMDDDDDRRR!

'Cause I wanna remember, Parceque je veux m'en souvenir

In her Christmas stocking, Bhavishya got from Santa an "Etch a Sketch"

She loved it!!!

Then one day, shortly after Christmas whilst we were all (family and guests) in the Kitchen she says:

"Daddy, Loo"

So Mark takes her gently by the hand into the bathroom where upon we hear her shout "I want my Blackberry" and she runs back into the kitchen trying to grab her etch a sketch.

I cannot remember any of us laughing that loud! ;-))))))))))))))))))))))))))

For those of you who do not know Mark, my Darling Husband, he is HIGHLY ADDICTED to his blackberry. I call it his tamagotschi.

See for yourselves:

Epatant, Magistral, Touchant, Emouvant...un chef d'oeuvre!!!

Qui de vous avez vu ce film?

Que d'émotions! J'ai pleuré, pleuré, pleuré puis j'ai ri puis pleuré et encore ri puis encore pleuré!!!On passe littéralement du rire aux larmes tout le long du film.

Cela fait des mois que je voulais voir ce film et nos, Amis Claire et Antoine nous l'a prêté, puis ce n'était jamais le bon moment puis on était pas d'humeur de voir un film que l'on savait poignant, profond, touchant...on attendait d'être "bien lunés".

Je manque d'adjectifs positifs dans mon vocabulaire pour le décrire...épatant, magistral, touchant, émouvant...humain, triste mais remplis d'humour, bref un chef d'oeuvre..

La richesse des sujets évoqués sont incroyables...

• Adoption
• Racisme
• l'Antisémisme
• l'Inconciense
• La differences
• L'acceptation des differences
• Les situations plus que délicates en Israël et dans le reste du monde.
• Les problèmes que posent les religions.
• La solidarité
• L'espoir
  ...

Je suppose que c'est un film que l'on doit voir plusieurs fois avant de pouvoir tout assimiler puisqu'il traîte tant de sujets qui sont si riches.

Aussi, je trouvais très intéressant l'histoire des éthiopiens juifs que je ne connaissais presque pas.

Pour conclure, c'est un chef d'oeuvre! Un GRAND moment de cinéma! A voir ABSOLUMENT!

En espérant qu'avec des films comme celui-ci les gens découvriront ce qu'est la tolérance...

N.b. Ce film est trilingue...les langues se confondent: Français, Hébreux et Amharique)

IT'S A GIRL!!!

CONGRATULATIONS STINA &
WELCOME ANASTASIA ROSE!

We are thrilled to hear the news and that both of you are healthy and happy!

We hope to meet Anastasia soon.

Love to you two,
MarSaBaPa

"Resolutions maybe they come and go?"

This guy is really something! :-))

As the Brits say: Bottoms up!

Usually we do not encourage this type of behaviour!

Dear Sophie

May all your wish come true!

We hope you had a lovely lovely day and that Kris spoilt you.

We will try to call you but given the time difference with Sidney, we are not sure we'll be able to.
Big kisses and hugs from us all!

Yesterday I was in an artistic mood & Miss B was a great help!

Happy 2008!!!

TO ALL, WE WISH YOU A HAPPY 2008!!!


A TOUS, UNE EXCELLENTE ANNEE 2008!!!



Some Friends of ours send us a great sms / text with the following:

Adios 2007!
As 2008 is here to stay...Remember, Life is short,
break the rules, forgive
guickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh
uncontrollably, and never regret
anything that made you smile. We hope
2007
will give us plenty of time to meet
again!
Hugs and xxx
Thanks
I&L

Thank you Guys, you Guys are real sweethearts! Yes, we hope to have
plenty of time to meet again and the rest of you as well!

In the meanwhile here are some pictures of last night. I shall post an updates soon with some small movie clips.

Drinking some "Apibul" (Children's champagne made of organic sparkling apple juice without any added sugar) on her Daddy's laps.

Some "Ecrevisses" canapes.

Sipping "her Champagne".

Résolutions / Resolutions

Je n'en reviens toujours pas que nous sommes déjà à la fin 2007. CA PASSE SI VITE!

Les Résolutions...combien d'entre nous les ont brisés avant même qu'elles aient pu commencer?

A chaque fin d'année je médite sur ce qui s'est passé les 12 derniers mois et je réfléchis sur mes performances, mes réussites et aussi mes échecs. Année après année à la fin décembre je me fais une note mentale de mes résolutions pour l'année à venir.

Inévitablement après les bons repas de Noël, le vin, le champagne ce qui vient au top de ma liste:

LE REGIME ET LE SPORT! MDR!

Chaque année je commence l'année avec toutes mes bonnes résolutions, remplie de motivation et les semaines passent et malheureusement cette motivation s'efface peu à peu.

Cette année, je vais faire ma liste et je vais publier une partie de mes objectifs pour 2008 car le reste fait partie de mon "jardin secret" et je garderai cette liste pour moi ou je la partagerai avec mes proches...
Lors d'un de mes prochains poste je publierai une partie de cette liste.

NB: Je découvre juste maintenant un lien sur Yahoo sur ce même sujet.

I cannot believe we are already at the end of 2007. TIMES REALLY FLY!

Resolutions... how many of us all have broken them before they even started?

Every year end I reflect to what happened the previous 12 months and try to reflect over my performance, my achievements etc. Year after year in late December I make a mental note of new resolutions.

Inevitably after the Christmas cheer with all the good food and wine, what comes on top of my list is:

DIET AND MORE EXERCISE! LOL!

Every year I begin the year full of motivation and stamina and as the weeks pass by, the motivation sadly fades.This year I will make my list I will publish a few of my goal the rest is part of my little "secret garden" and will keep it for either myself and or my loved ones.In a later post I shall publish my resolution list (or at least part of it) so stay tuned.

Guest book / Livre d'Or

I would very much appreciate you would sign my Guest Book.

Cela me ferait très plaisir si vous passiez faire un pti tour sur mon Livre d'Or afin d'y inscire un pti mot....

Les douze pièges qui guettent les nouveaux parents adoptifs

En surfant un petit peu ce matin, je suis tombée sur ceci:

Les douzes pièges qui guettent les nouveaux parents adoptifs:

Le mythe de l'attachement mutuel instantané
Le syndrome de réparation
Le piédestal
La lune de miel
C'est merveilleux! Il est bien partout!
J'en veux! J'en veux!
Je suis enfin parent, alors pourquoi je me sens triste?
Je pensais avoir réglé ça!
On s'entendait si bien avant!!!
L'amour peut tout arranger!
L'inavouable déception
Je souligne la différence, j'ignore la différence

Pour en lire l'article en entier...veuillez cliquer ici. Nous avons assisté à plusieurs conférences donné par Johanne Lemieux, nous la trouvons excellente oratrice et très interessante.

Last presents...

Ok...once again...Bhavishya was spoilt rotten this year. We just opened the last presents and it is 8:30PM on December 27! I asked 1 present each and the total came to....46!!! I don't want to sound ungrateful but I wish people would listen to me!

TOO MUCH IS TOO MUCH!!! I am not having our Darling Daughter become a rotten spoiled child.

I must admitBhavishya was so so sweet and she wanted to help everyone open their presents but I feel bad about the opulence of everything!

Good bless you all and good night!

Some pictures of Christmas

happy Christmas!

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas!

...and it looks like we might have one!

Right now it is -6 degrees C or 21 F and it is 9:30AM! It's been cold for the past 4 days and the ground is frozen solid, so all is white but it is not snowing. Actually the sun is shinning. It is my type of winter weather. Ice cold and sunny.

So I just looked at the forecast and here it is:

Today: Sunny
Tomorrow: Mostly Sunny
Monday: Mostly Sunny
Tuesday: AM Snow / Shower
Wednesday: Rain/ Snow


I might post a picture later on.

Our first guest/Notre 1er invité

Our first guest is due in about 4 hours!

Notre 1er invité arrive dans à peu près 4 heures!

JEAN-LUC, ON SE REJOUIT! WE CANNOT WAIT!

I am such a sucker when it comes to Retrievers!

THE BEST HOLIDAY CARD I EVER GOT!!!

Thank you George Darling, it is very kind of you to remember me this year! You have a great christmas yourself and a fantastic New Year!

Question

Pensez-vous que Bhavishya est encore trop jeune pour aller voir se film?
Do you think Bhavishya is too young to see this movie?

A BELATED CHRISTMAS CARD

Did you all hear about the Christmas card being delivered 93 years late? It was dated December 23, 1914 and it only arrived recently.

It seems to be a mystery where it spent this last century. To read more about it, click here.

My Darling...

...and especially today.

;-)

VERONIKE

Ma Chérie,

Aujourd'hui, cela fait 2 ans que tu nous as quitté. Tu nous manques tant. Je te garenti que tu aurais été fière de ta petite cousine, Bhavishya et elle est très fière du combat que tu as mené jusqu'au bout. Tu restes dans nos coeur à tout jamais.

MAY GOD BLESS YOU FOR EVER.

Saskia, Your buddy Mark, Bhavishya and Pashmina

Happy Holidays! Joyeuses Fêtes

Joke / gag

I found this one by accident and could not resist posting.

Bhavishya's school picture

Bhavishya

I LOVE this picture. It was taken on Thanksgiving day...

Joke / gag

...and I wonder why I wasn't an "A" student in geometry!?! LoL!

INDIA-1 of the best rated videos on YouTube&viewed 200,000+

BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL! Oom Shanti!

St Nicholas / St Nicolas

Saint Nicholas Day is a festival for children in much of Europe. Somehow my understanding is that Santa Claus derives from him. In our part of the world, Luxembourg "Kleeschen" celebrated more so than Christmas. Christmas being more a religious holiday presents are not really given to children then only adults seem to exchange prensent on Christmas eve.

So in Luxembourg "Kleeschen" is accompanied by the "Houseker" a frightening helper wearing a brown monk's habit.

Although, half Dutch, we never celebrated "Sinterklaas" on December 5. Having an American Father and living in, Geneva where people did not celebrate St-Nicholas, Christmas seemed to be more important.

We now live in Luxembourg. All kids get presents on December 6. We decided it was important that Bhavishya also celebrates it like the other kids in her class. So we will give her a little something on December 6 with a plate fill with "goodies", tangarines, nuts, candy, cookies etc.

Maybe we will even celebrate with our good Dutch friends, Dolly & Yvonne?

My understanding is that the Dutch do celebrate it slightly differently than others North Europeans...the story goes..."Sinterklaas" arrives in Holland by steamboat from Spain a few days before his birthday. Kids sing special songs and put their shoes or clogs in front of the chimney or radiator...they remember to put in them a carot for "Amerigo" the horse of Santa. The next morning they find a small present in their shoe (chocolate coin, small toy...). On the evening of December 5, Sinterklaas brings presents to every child that has been good in the past year (all kids...). He usually leaves a bag with presents outide the house (someone is supposed to bangs on the door to indicate that he has come!).

As you can see on the picture St-Nicholas (the Luxembourg one and the Dutch one) wears a red bishop dress including a red mitre.

Here is a picture of Bhavishya meeting St-Nicholas at the local groccery store...Poor Darling, she was scared to death!

Here's a video...

On Diwali...A propos de Diwali

Well after preparing it all, with some help from my friend Sunita, I started to feel quite ill when our guests arrived. I was trying to finish preparing my Goan Shrimp recipe and had to leave. Boy was I ill or what...I managed to take a few pictures before disapearing to our bathroom for the rest of the night!

Après avoir tout préparer avec l'aide de mon amie Sunita, j'ai commencé à me sentir assez mal lorsque mes invités sont arrivés. J'ai essayé de finir de préparer mes crevettes et j'ai dû quitter la cuisine pour rejoindre le paradis des WC. Qu'est-ce que j'était malade! J'ai quand même réussi de prendre quelques photos avant de disparaître dans notre salle-de-bain pour la nuit!

Please help

I am looking for the Monopoly 70th anniversary British edition to give a friend for xmas.
Can anyone help me find it. All I find is the US version or the shops that have the UK one won't ship abraod, so far I've checked the following stores: Hamleys, Harrods, Peter Jones, M&S, toysrus, Tesco, ebay, Hasbro toy shop...

Bhavishya's new favourite book...

This is Bhavishya's new favourite. It is fabulous!



This is the review on Amazon...

Synopsis
We belong together because...You needed a home I had one to share
Now, we are a family Bestselling author/illustrator Todd Parr has received
hundreds of requests to write a book about adoption. And as he did with his
beloved books It's Okay to be Different and The Peace Book, he has found a way
to approach this challenging matter with humour and sensitivity through his bold
and colourful illustrations and unique reassuring messages.

We'r back...on est de retour...

We had a very good trip...sadely my Uncle Jorge died and we went to his funeral.

Bhavishya was AMAZINGLY GOOD throughout the trip. People ADORE her and I am so so proud of her.

It was such a nice surprise to have Pashmina pick us up at the airport this afternoon. She was so so pleased to see us. She squeed and gave Bhavishya a GREAT BIG LICK on her face...she was soo so adorable.

More later...i.e. pixs

Quel superbe voyage c'était...Malheureusement mon Oncle Jorge est décédé et nous sommes allés à ses funérailles.

Bhavishya était super Génial pendant tout le voyage. Ils étaient TOUS fou d'elle et je dois l'admettre...je suis si fière d'elle.

Aussi cet après midi nous avons eu la surprise d'avoir Pashmina nous chercher à l'aéroport. Elle était si heureuse de nous voir. Elle a donné une superbe grosse léchouille sur le visage de Bhavishya...c'était trop chou.

Les photos viendront plus tard.

Photo: Compliments of Perdom

When 24 hours in a day are no enough...

I received this from a friend of ours by email...thought I would share it with you all:

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a
day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 glasses of wine...

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.

When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise
jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students
if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box
of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles
rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students
again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a
box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything
else He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a
unanimous 'yes.' The professor then produced two glasses of wine from under the
table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty
space between the sand. The students laughed. 'Now,' said the professor, as the
laughter subsided, 'I want you to> recognize that this jar represents your
life. The golf balls are the important things; your family, your children, your
health, your friends, and your favourite passions; things that if everything
else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.' The
pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your
car. The sand is everything else; the small stuff. 'If you put the sand into the
jar first,' he continued, 'There is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small
stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.' 'Pay
attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your
children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner.
Play another 18. Do one more run down the ski slope. There will always be time
to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first; the
things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.' One of
the students raised her hand and inquired what the wine represented. The
professor smiled. 'I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter
how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of glasses of wine
with a friend.'

Share this with a friend. I JUST DID!

Sur la table de chevet de Bhavishya

Cela fait bien 6 mois que Mark lui a offert ce livre...un classique pour elle et elle l'ADORE (le livre et son Daddy, bien entendu).

Moi je le trouve très très mignon...

Look at our New Chef / Regardez on a un nouveau Chef cuistot

N.B. The soup was cold...the stove was NOT on!

La soupe était froide et la cuisinière n'était PAS allumée!

Bhavishya

Et Bhavishya, pédale, pédale et pédale encore!
And Bhavishya pedals, pedals and pedals more!

Adoptions from India down

Sandra has (once again) a very interesting article on her International adoption blog about india. It is about an article that was published in the Times of India. It is reporting a significant drop between 2001 and 2003!
Please click on the relevent links to read more about it.

Thank you Sandra for sharing!