Who better to make a big decision than a 3.5 year old?

Oh hey, yeah in case you were wondering about the long gap between the photo book deadline and my next entry...

Well, that's because they extended the date! Ha. So that meant that on the last few days before it was due, I was once again pulling all nighters (give me a deadline and watch me get busy!) - going through hundreds of photos and memories to put into a form that we can revisit regardless of technological changes.

I gotta say, I am very happy with the outcome. I am not overjoyed, but happy nonetheless. It was so fun to look at the wonderful people we are so fortunate to have in our lives and the beautiful places we are so lucky to have visited! Below are a tiny smattering of some 600 pictures in the books.

Can't remember where this was. (Why a photobook is imperative!)

At our welcome back for a visit party in Durham, NC

In our rented RV.

Utah, the magnificent

The technical process itself sucked ass. Photoweb.fr is the crappiest piece of shit software to make a photo book ever and would not recommend this company to anyone. I have used easier programs and this was ridiculous.

And some of the pictures which had been graded as "ok" during the making of the book (there wasn't a good category in typical French fashion) were a bit fuzzy. I wonder how the photos which were in the acceptable catagory would have looked had I not edited them a bit making them "ok" again. The last option was unacceptable. It reminded me of my French driving class instructor who told me repeatedly that she would NOT give me any positive feedback on my quick and efficient maneuvers through the craziness or my whirlwind ways through the roundabouts. She said, and I quote, "if I DON'T say anything, then it was okay".

Anyway, I digress.

So, if you want to see my photobooks, and who doesn't right? Just send me an email and I will send you the link.

For my latest installment of SCMtFU:

Last night I asked her to look through the amazing Family Guide Italy book. Book link here (I am NOT promoting Amazon, btw, just to share the book info.) We are just itching to go there but damn, there are just so many choices and places to go - we often get stuck in the planning phase and just end up staying home.

So, I asked her to look at all the pages carefully and pick a place that she would like to go. Yeah, you read that right, since I can't decide, I thought why not pass the buck to someone who seems to know what she wants to the point of tears.

This is what she picked:

While I have no doubt, this is a fine carousal, it doesn't even hold a candle to some of the incredible French ones she has already ridden! For example check out one of my old blog entries http://transitionkitchen.blogspot.fr/2011/10/absolute-coolest-carousel-in-land-of.html. In all of the land of Italy - she wants to ride a carousel. Yeah, like I said, a girl who knows what she wants.

So, then I passed the book to Leo ...

Glitter, chicken pox and SCMtFU

I am back and revitalizing my 21 day blogging challenge. Would have done it sooner but we had some chicken pox in the house and we went out of town and Leo was sick and and and and well whatev. 

Chicken pox are still here a bit yet, but well that's life and we have been keeping ourselves amused.

Paper mache makes the chicken pox blues go away!

Speaking of amused, I would like to start a new segment of the blog called, "Sabine cracks me the fuck up". Eventually, it will likely evolve into Sabine and Leo crack me the fuck up... that is not to say that Leo isn't already a hoot and a half but the segment will involve clever quips made by Sabine. Of course, she doesn't know she is being funny - and that is what makes it even funnier.



So, here it is SCMtFU #1.

Sabine has just finished painting and glittering her paper mache dinosaur egg. After which she has been directed to clean off the table and vacuum the floor (both jobs she finds incredible amounts of joy in... for now anyway).

She comes in the kitchen with the wash cloth for me to rinse off, which I do and return to her to finish the table.

Dinosaur egg with couscous and glitter! (you read that right)

She starts to rub off her hands and is getting increasingly pissed off that she can't get each speck of glitter off her hand.

Her grumbles turn into whines, turns into demands and then tears that "it won't come off! "It won't come off!" hysterics ensue. "I can't get the glitter off my hands! Mama! Help me! The glitter is stuck!!!!!! tears, whines and drama queen in action.


I tell her how lovely it is to have a bit of glitter on her hands, like on halloween.

"Oh" she says, "can I have some more"?

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bonus photo: toothy tooth teeth

Paper Mache instructions from this amazing blog:  Weefolkart