Se Dessiner

Taking Shape


Choses (Things) have been moving along avec notre voyage (with our trip).  Billets (tickets) have been booked for our vol (flight) there, late Mai (May) et (and) booked le billet maison (the ticket home) by way of Amsterdam, qui (what?)?   yup.

Change of Date
 Nous avon (we had) orginally booked our vol billet (plane ticket) around ma soeur's (my sister's) best guess for sa date de marriage (her wedding date) which was looking to be mid Juin (June) There has been un petit (a little) change to the plan since then, Christine va être une jeune mariée de Septembre instead du una jeune mariée de Juin (is going to be a September bride instead of a June bride). A combination of coordinating familia (family) schedules and finding a location lead to the shift in date.  Maintenant (Now) the date is set and the venue booked, as well as florist, caterer, cake, and something else, il est (it is) an interesting combo booking place.  Si vous avez (if you know) Christine vous (you) should ask her about the venue, it is like une femme (a woman) is trying to create her own personal wedding world piece by piece.

Amsterdam vous dites (you say)? Amsterdam je dis ( I do say).
Voler (flying) back by way of Amsterdam just kind of happened.  Booking avion billets (plane tickets) with miles takes some work, not just in acquiring the miles but also actually finding a vol (flight) that they will let you book takes some patience.  J'étais (I was) losing patience while trying to find un vol (a flight), and suggested we could leave from anywhere in Europe for un billet de train bon marché (a cheap train ticket).  Nous (we) picked cinq villes (five cities) at random compared train cost, available flights, and pretty pictures et (and) landed on Amsterdam.  Hooray! Windmills!   Je (I) was actually getting mon coeur (my heart) set on Vienna, mais il était trop (but it was too) far away.  Nous (we) had thought about seeing a couple of pays (countries) while there, so ce n'est pas (this is not) completely out of gauche (left) field.

Daniel didn't waste any time researching appartements (apartments).  Je suis venu á la maison (I came home) et il a eu quarante-cinq (he had forty five) links for moi (me) to look at.  Ce soir il voudrait (Tonight he would like) me to do le deuxiéme (the second) combing through to compare nos deux listes (our two lists).  The range of rent is only deux cents (two hundred) euros from the cheapest to the most expensive but widely different in personality from un petit studio with a hot plate and divan (couch) that doubles as le lit (the bed) au centre de la ville (in the center of city) to un deux chambres avec la grande cuisine et balcon (a two bedroom with a large kitchen and balcony) on the edge of le ville (the city).  So there is lots to think about.
Daniel is particularly excited about appartements avec (apartments with) pull out couches.  Il est (He is) just dying for someone to come visit.  Well I should get to the apartment list.

Tonight's Picture:

Un petit chaton gris est venu chez nous une nuit.

Pervious Picture:
My sister and I with our grandmother. Today is her birthday.

Or at least le jour (the day) je posted the picture was her birthday.

Je vous ai manqué

(I have missed you)

Life has been a bit busy since l'été a terminé (the summer has ended).  Dans sous trés peu (In very short) une semaine ensuite (a week after) coming maison je started working trois (three) jobs, which je suis trés (I am very) thankful for as ils sont (they are) all theatre jobs.  This combined with just getting set up back in the house has put moi off my blogging.  J'ai (I have) been frenching and le Roseta Stone has been aller been (going well).

J'ai été (I have been) missing mon blog quite a bit, and je believe mon grammer has been missing it as well.  Mais, je suis (But, I am) back et (and) hopefully vous êtes (you are) back avec moi (with me).

Trip Update:

Exciting change Daniel et moi avons (and I have)  moved up our trip to Mai et sommes trés (May and are very) excited plus sur (more on) that to come.

Bienvenue en arrière (Welcome back)

Tonight's Picture:

Mon soeur et moi, avec notre grand-mère a un mariage de famille.  

Aujourd'hui est son anniversaire.

Pervious Picture:

This girl is going to Paris!

Billet du Tour

(Ticket to Ride)

Mois et Mois (Months and months) of mile collecting has finally paid off, or at least half paid off.  Nous (We) have booked nos billets á Paris (our tickets to)!  Only our billets to Paris the website did not have flights scheduled pour Août (for August) next année (year) yet.  Though je suis ( I am) less worried about the vol maison (flight home) than le vol to Paris.  Je wish je could say that booking le vol was easy after all the pain of accumulating miles, but of course ce n'est pas (that is not) the way.  Quand nous (when we) decided to book notre vol la nuit derniére (our flight last night) nous hoped to be celebrate with a tasse de vin (glass of wine) at the end.  By the time nous were done weighing our different airlines , comparing the different miles rewards specials running, picking the exact date,  which airport to fly from, comparing different seat sizes on planes, realizing we had lit (read) the website wrong and throwing out the last heure de travail (hour of work) and starting over nous étions fatigués (we were tired) and were more than a little snippy with each other... so no vin last nuit (night).

For the important part:
We are flying out of Atlanta, GA on vingt juin (June 20th) on British Airlines .... Business Class!

So la premiére question (the first question) tu (you) may be asking is why Atlanta, GA as we live in North Carolina and n'y a pas il (isn't there) a international aéroport just un heure trente minutes (1 1/2 hours) away? Because British Airways only lets you use your frequent miles in un petit (a small) list of aéroports in the USA.  Nous n'avons pas su ceci (we did not know this) quand nous (when we) signed up for notre (your) BA carte de credit (credit card).  No problem, Atlanta is only cinq heures (5 hours) away et Daniel has cousins that live there and hopeful will drive us to la aéroport  then watch our Jeep for the été (summer).

Duexmiére question (second) why schedule it pour l'anniversaire de Daniel's (Daniel's birthday) because everyone wants to spend their anniversaire stuck in a plane with deux cien (200) strangers pour neuf heures (four 9 hours)?  This is a longer answer.
About cinq semaines (5 weeks) ago ma soeur  (my sister) got engaged and elle (she) hopes to be married next Juin (June).  Since ils (they) just got engaged they haven't exactly booked venues so ils doesn't have a firm date.  While it would have been nice to book notre billets (our tickets) once we had exact dates, miles seats were running out so we took an educated stab at a fly date.  Luckily BA allows you to change your vol (flight) without much penalties if we need to, hard to say how much a headache it actually would be.

Side note: One of their deux (two) best dates is our cinquiéme anniversaire de mariage (fifth anniversary) et nous volerions (we would fly) quatre jours (four days) later so it would be like taking our honeymoon all over again.

Last question may be Business Class seems awful cushy doesn't it ... oui il est (yes it is)... do tu (you) really have that many miles?  Oui et Non (yes and no).
We will be blowing all our BA miles flying to Paris and then will fly home on Delta miles (most likely coach).  BA has this crazy essence (gas) tax so you are paying about tres cien (300) dollars in taxes on each vol, et le essence (and the gas) tax is the same price no matter which class you are flying.  So we decided to just unload all the miles flying in in style and pay considerably smaller taxes on the return flight with Delta.  After nous (we)  book our return flight je will be out of miles but there will be enough time to build up miles before nous do another trip this grande.

Side Note:  Since the US Government can't collect flight taxes at the moment international Delta flights have taxes for like 5 dollars.

Morale del'histoire (Moral of the story):
Flight is booked! Email conformation sent! Freaking out about how trés petite français je sais (very little french I know) started!

Tonight's Picture:

Cette fille va á Paris! 

Pervious Picture:

The lamp is made of paper flower and I want.

Il Prend une Famille

(It takes a family)

Je appreciate all of les petites choses (the little things) ma famille font (my family are doing) pour m'aider á apprendre le français (to help me learn french).   Cet été ma belle-mére (this summer my mother-in-law) has emailed moi dans français (me in french). Elle also mailed moi français magazines that elle (she) picked up durring a petite layover in Paris.  C'est le premier (it is the first) magazine where j'amine (I like) the ads most of all.  Le sentences are short, so there is a better chance je can lu (read) et understand them.  Il y a (there are) way too many mots dans (words in) the articles pour que je comprenne. ( for me to understand).  Et (and) photo captions, j'aime (i love) photo captions, they are the adulte (adult) form of picture livres (books).   Ma belle-mére étudié français dans université (my mother-in-law studied french in college) so elle (she) has a starting point in aide de moi (helping me).

Je suis aidé ( I am helped) by mon non-speaking français famille as well.  Ma maman (my mom) got me a movie for a recent gift giving occasion and made sure elle (she) picked a DVD that also included a french audio version.  Je n'ai pas ( I have not) had a chance to watch it dans français ou anglais (in french or english) yet.  The lastest aide de ma famille (help from my family) came in the form of a pocket bible.  Le frére de ma mére, (my mother's brother) was going through a duexiéme main livre (second hand book) store and came across this pocket taille (size) français Nouveau Testament.

Side Note: Nope, je n sais pas (I don't know) "uncle" yet, which is funny since that is normally le duexiéme semaine de français un zéro un  (the second week of french 101) mais je suis (but I am) half way through the duexiéme level of Rosetta Stone and have not touched on extended famille yet.  Go figure.

It looks tres vieux (very old) because it is from 1950's. Mille neuf cent cinquante-deux (1952) to be exact.  This lead moi to regale la famille of my ability to translate tios mots á la fois (three words at a time) around la table de cuisine (the kitchen table).  Ils (they) were highly entertained, nothing like famille to humor tu (you).  

It is tres bon (very good) to know toi famille y a il (your family is there) to support tu. Je need to step up ma français to make use of all of these tools that je keep receiving.

Tonight's Picture:

Le lampe est fait des fleurs de papier et je veux.

Pervious:

The young bride rides the fake horse.  

Je meant "young" as "new" not young in age, in case anyone was wondering.

   

Éspouse de Maison

For someone who has as little to do as je do te think je would be posting more.  Je may be splitting my attention between too many projects.

  Je suis une éspouse de maison cette été ( I am a house wife this summer.)  This has been keeping me fairly busy.  Who would have guessed, probably all the femmes (women) who are house wives.  Je fais cuire tres repas un jour (I cook three meals a day).  Et (and) by cuisinier (cook) , je suis (I am) up scrambling oeufs et légumes pour petit déjeuner á sept trente chaque matin (eggs and vegetables for breakfast at 7:30 every morning.)  Daniel comes maison (home) every jour (day) pour déjeuner (for lunch) and I normally prépare salades pour nous (prepare salads for us).  Et then I cuire dîner.  (and then I cook dinner)

Despite épouse de maison (ing) for almost deux mois (two months) now, je still struggle to find mon stride sometimes.  Jeudi (Thursday) was a great épouse de maison jour (day).  Je suis allé (I went) to Westport pour le matin(for the morning).  Je shopped at a deuxiéme main (second hand) store et got a few choses (things). Then I spent un heure (an hour) in my favorite store trying on robes c'étaient tres cher (dress that were very expensive) et then achat choses de (buying things from) the sales room.

Je then allé (went) to the farmer's market and bought fromage, pain, fruit, et  biscuits (cheese, bread, fruit and cookies) for a picnic dîner.  Had la température not been so chaud (hot), je ne sais pas le mot pour (I do not know the word for ) sweltering, je would have stayed longer.

Quand (when) je got back, je put everything away et est allé (and went) to the café et had un café froid  (and had a cold coffee) and blogged.  These are the jours (days) j'amie being a épouse de maison (I love being a housewife).  These are also les jours les paraboloides (the days the dishes) pile up dans l'évier (in the sink).  Sadly, je ne sais pas un épouse de maison avec (I am not a housewife with) une maid. Je also don't have a allowance so tres peu jours (very few days) include shopping.

Je might as well enjoy the next deux semaines (two weeks) of being une épouse de maison before it is over.  My l'été (the summer) flies.

Tonight's Picture:

La jeune mariée monte le cheval faux. 

Why it pays to stay till the extrémité pour la fete.  

Pervious Picture:

The poor woman has no hands.

Aucuns Vols Faciles

(No Easily Flights)

Trip Update:
Nous avon (we have) acquired enough frequent flyer points to cover notre (our) round trip billets (tickets) to Paris ensuite été (next summer).  Je (I) can only imagine this is what it feels like when your stock vests.  It is actually kind of funny after spending mons (months) trying every random survey, trial membership and mailing list to acquire enough Delta miles to cover our flights and with one simple carte de credit (credit card) nous earned both of notre billets (our tickets) on British Airways.

But bout nuit (last night) nous realized a petit catch in notre (our) plan.  Though British Airways flies out the Charlotte aéroport (airport), which is only une heure et demi (an hour and half) away, one can not book a vol (flight) using reward points from this aéroport.  The closest aéroport that nous can book from is in Atlanta, Georgia, cinq heures (five hours) away.  Not all is lost Daniel has cousins there, who may be getting a phone call for a favor et (and) nous will just add un jour ou deux (a day or two ) to the trip.  Je sais (I knew) this was being way too easy.

Oh and Delta has recently reconfigured their reward flights so the it takes substantially plus (more) miles to qualify for a international flight.  The strange silver lining to this nuage (cloud) is that is only vingt pour cent plus (20% more) miles to qualify for a first class billet (ticket) on the same vol (flight).  So who knows nous may be fly out on BA and back first class on Delta?  It would mange (eats) up most of notre miles but je bet nous pas (we will not) being taking a trip like this for awhile.  Je vous tiendrai courant (I will keep you informed).


Aujourd'hui (today) I had one of my worst jours (days) of Frenching to date.  I always score badly on the écrit (writing) section and it is not unusual to have to work that section trois (three) times before je receive a passing score and that is fine.  Je ne peux pas ( I can't spell) in English why would je think it would be any better in Français.  But, aujourd'hui je (today I) scored a zéro! Je have never scored that badly, don't get moi (me) wrong j'ai eu (I have had) some really bad scores but never a zéro.  Ce jour (that day) off really did not pay off.


Tonight's Picture:

La pauvre femme n'a pas des mains.

De ma visite au musée. (From my trip to the museum)

Pervious Picture:

The fake cherries and eggplant sit in the real flowers.

Et en tant que toujours (and as always) feel free to french back

Mémoire d'Etsy

(Etsy Store)

So je suis (I am) sure some of vous avec (you have) noticed the side bar with the pictures of ornaments et (and) lately bijoux (jewelry), et si vous n'avec pas (and if you haven't) mon marketing plan has failed.  The pictures are a link to mon mémoire d'etsy (etsy store).  J'ai vend (I sell) ornaments et ayez (and have) since Christmas dernier (last).  Je started the shop when j'étais (I was) between travail (work) right after graduate school.  Je decided since j'ai eu le temps et étais (I had time and was) trying to save argent (money) je would make ornaments for the famille (family) members nous (we) were going to exchange gifts with.  Ma mere (my mom) has been making these simple hand stitched fabric ornaments for gifts for ans (years) now.  Since j'ai (I was) going to be making a bunch of them and came up with the idea with plenty of temps (time) je figured je would see if je could vend (sell) any.

Mon primiere (my first) sale happend really rapide et ils acheté (fast and they bought) half of the items je had listed.  Super excited je listed beaucoup (a lot) of ornaments to have only un (one) additional sale that season.  J'ai (I have) had only trois (three) sales since then oh and deux (two) of those were famille.  Je will admit j'ai only half kept up with it.  Semaines ou mois (weeks or months) will go by without moi posting a new item et (and) then je will post trois ou quarte (three or four) then do nothing for semaines again.

Je sais (I know) much of que (what) makes a shop travail et (work and) how to make it more successful, je just don't commit myself to it.  Mon (my) hope was to travail on it over cet été (this summer) et hopefully still will.  Je did stitch deux plus (two more) ornaments aujourd'hui (today) so those maybe clogging up votre (your) facebook feed soon as well.  The plan was to expand beyond the petite hand sewn ornaments since je started, since je actually know how to sew and build things all the time.  Je believe if je ever just committed to doing the site then je would get around to figuring out que (what) else je could do.  Always ouvert (open) to suggestions.


Tonight's Picture:

Les cerises et l'aubergine fausses s'arrêtent en vraies fleurs.

Of course ils sont de ma mémoire (they are from my store).

Pervious Picture:
I cook in the kitchen


Et en tant que toujours (and as always) feel free to french back.

Écriture de Lettre

(Letter Writing)

Ma belle-mere m'a  écrit une lettre en français. (My mother in law wrote me a letter in french). This was tres (trés) sweet of her as this is exactly what je was hoping for en écrit this blog.  Je did put off écrit her back for several jours (days) as je knew it would take beaucoup de travail (a lot of work).  Et il était. (And it was). Je spent le meilleur (the better) part of une demi-heure écrit elle (a half hour) back.  Et c'est un email trés peite. (And it is a very little email).  Mais l'a écrit que j'ai fait. (But wrote it I did)

Daniel et je (and I) have realized notre été dans (our summer in) Paris has a huge amount of logistics to work out.  Norte vol et hôtel (our flight and hotel) seeming least of all. So I am trying to start working out some of those details.

Side Note: Since we (the english speakers)  spell Paris the same way the french you should just read it with the français pronunciation for me. (Pare-ie) Merci.

Additional Side Note: So je suis allé dehors ( I went outside) to escape loud fille (girl) dealing with a mid life crisis only to have her follow me dehors to smoke.  Last temp enfants (time children) cette temp (this time) mid life crisis.  Is there no relief en mon cafe (in my coffee shop)?

Tonight's Picture:

Je fais cuire dans la cuisine.

Pervious Picture:

The weather is hot and sunny on the dock.

Un An

(One Year)

A couple of nuits (nights) ago over cafe (coffee) in what has already become our neighborhood coffee shop, Daniel et je (and I) started planning notre (our) trip to Paris.  Well more we started planning planning notre trip to Paris.  It is exciting but a bit daunting.

Side note:
My quiet aire de travail (work space) at the coffee shop has been overrun with peites enfants (little kids) alright so maybe there are only trois (three) but je find it trois un trop grand nombre (three too many). How quickly suis devenu vieux (I have become old) and crotchety.  Have je mentioned they are clogging up the salle de bains (bathroom) when je suis dans le besoin (I am in need).

Aujourd'hui je (Today I) learned tense, future and past.  This was a peite (little) encouraging as the program has advanced enough I am no longer parroting vocabularity but working on more complex thoughts. I am also trying to use plus français (more french) in casual conversation, and am pleasantly suprised by how often je can make a complete thought entirely in français. Though je think ils (they) would still turn me away from enrolling in kindergraten as under developed.

While the program is much more focused on creating complete sentences there is always new vocabulary in each section. Aujourd'hui, j'ai appris aujourd'hui (today, I learned today), I just wrote that sentence to make me laugh. I also learned dictionnaire, "Oui est le dictionnaire?" (Where is the dictionnaire?) Which I thought was silly, "Oui est le contrôle de charme?" ("Where is the spell check?") Seems much more helpful dans ces jour et âge (in this day and age).

I have mentioned a few times how learning a foreign language really makes tu (you) think about ton (your) own language. As I was reciting my new words enveloppe et email (envelope and email) it makes it kind of obvious quand (when) some words came in to being.  Sure email is a concept that occurred when globalization was well underway and it makes since that most romantic based languages will use the same word for it, but how about envelope.  Are the words just taken from one another or did this become a common word while the world was growing smaller?  I know all a bit off track for me.

Je will wrap up this post before it becomes any plus (more) random et stream of conscious like.

Tonight's picture:

Il fait chaud et il fait de soleil a le port.

Plus photos de (from) Norwalk! 

Ma Maison (Ma Maison Provisioire)

(My Home (My Temporary Home)

So as an excuse to use my chambres de maison (rooms of the house) knowledge je have decided to give a photo tour of notre (our) apartment.  Nous also got a nouvel appareil - photo (new camera) a couple semaines (weeks) ago.  Le nouvel appareil- photo est parce que notre vieil appareil-photo était cassé. ( The new camera is because our old camera was broken.  Quand je (when I ) heard about it j'ai regardé le mari ( I looked to the husband), qui a regardé au chien (who looked to the dog), qui a regardé (who looked) like she didn't care.

Either way nouvel appareil-photo et nouvel appartement:

Notre cuisine et salle á manger. (Our kitchen and dinning room)

 So it really isn't a salle á manager it is a barre de petit dejéuner (breakfast bar) and the only table space that nous were provided with in the appartement but it has deux chaises grandes (two tall stools).  Strangely it has caused nous pour mangent plus (us to eat more) meals at a "table" than we normal do, which is on the couch.

Mon aire de travail (My work space)

Nous brought the card table from home et j'ai acheté le chaise bon marché (and I bought the cheap chair) from Target. These are the only normal chair and table in the appartement.

La salle de séjour. (the living room)

On a whole pretty happy with it, though why tu (you) would need a massage chair, je ne sais pas ( I do not know.  Nous have a projector which is fun.

Notre salle de trois saisons. ( Our Three Season Room)

Think half sun room half screened in patio.  Either way it is lovely, and (et) the only fenêtres dans le appartement (windows in the apartment).  The plan is to get chaises et tables bon marché pour elle (cheap chairs and table for it).

Mes lanters de papier 

La chambre á coucher (the bedroom)

Nothing special just a chambre á coucher.  Tu can tell all the design of the appartement was left to the common areas.

Salle de bains (Bathroom)

Bain et toilette (Bath and toilet) are in another room, but this was the good part.  Deux éviers (two sinks)!  If this does not seem exciting to you, you have obviously not been sharing a salle de bains with someone for the past cinq années (5 years). And there is even more closet space than you can make out in the mirror, from now on all of my closets need to live up to that amount of storage.

That is notre maison. Je suis (I am) sure more Connecticut photos, some maybe even outside of the appartement, to come. 

Pervious Picture:

A picture of my when my husband was supposed to be photographing the flowers.

Arrivée

(Arriving)

After looking at the dates of my last half dozen (douze) posts I realize une fois que deux semaines (once a two weeks) seems to be what je suis (I am) averaging.  

Side note on the douze:  these posts take me awhile to écrire because as je suis (I am) typing je suis revising so je can use mon français (my french) and then are running to a translator so I can check mon spelling.  This can take awhile as je play around with what word gets me the français je sais (I know).  Then there is the proof reading to include the anglais (translations), by the way je never trust mon own translations. So on to the amusement with twelve.  Je always try and take a crack at the français before I hit the translator, and je typed DOUZE, regarde (looked) at it and thought there is no way that is right.  To my not so trusty translator at which point je realized je had not idea how to spell twelve in english.  Je did have an idea but was wrong and the translator does not spell check in your own language for you.  So a side step to google, back to the translator to realized je has spelled it correctly in français to start.  While I am excited to relearn this first grade word in the privacy of my own home, and then share it with the internet, and not while in the middle of écrire une chéque (writing a check) valuable minutes lost as well as often my train of thought.

Back to the main point.  Daniel et je are now in Connecticut, by way of ma maison de parents (my parents house) in West Virginia, where ma soeur (my sister) was able to see us for dîner (dinner).  A stop off in New Jersey to visite deux trés bon amines (visit to very good friends), then just une nuit dans un hôtel et nous sommes ici (a night in a hotel and we are here).  Only six jours (days) in transit!  More and hopefully frequent Connecticut updates to come!

Additional Side Note: accidentally typed diner instead of dinner and the translation was wagon-restaurant, anyone else find that interesting? 

Tonight's Picture:

Un photo de moi quand mon mari était supposent photographier les fleurs.

Pervious Picture:

The little rabbit is wearing a pretty flower. 

Apologies to those of you that have just been dying to figure that one out.

Gauche, Gauche, Gauche, Droite, Gauche

(Left, Left, Left, Right, Left)


There has not been much posting the past deux semaines (two weeks) and that is because there hasn't been much frenching for the past deux semaines. Nous (we) moved me out of my SC apartment and back into our NC maison (home) just in time to pack up for a été (summer) in Connecticut.  Daniel est travaillent (is working) for an acoustic consulting firm ( I can barely spell it in english let alone français).  Je ne sais pas (I don't know) what I will be doing other than enjoying the the Connecticut coast so that will leave plenty of time for a focused French effort.   

Now to the French, currently working on time, directions, and position or as I like to think of it as the important but supremely frustrating things.  For one, aside from pronunciations I have had a simple time knowing my numbers from dix to soixante (10 to 60) but things just got weird.  70 or soixante- dix, more accurately 60 plus 10.  Very odd why not just come up with un plus (one more) word for a number, but no problem 80 will be soixante-vingt, nope.  80 is quarte- vingts (4 times 20)  90 is quarte - vingts- dix  (4 times 20 plus 10).  WHAT THE HELL? Can I remember this formula sure, will I be able to understand someone one when ils parlent (they talk) to me?  Was this really easier than creating trois (three more) numbers?  So apparently I am not in love with absolutely everything french.

Tonight's Picture:

Le petit lapin est porte sa belle fleur. 

Pervious Picture:

This chair cost $35 if you want it

This is still true, nous (we) are still trying to sell it along with plenty of other crap.

Sortir

(Moving out)

I have started closing down mon (my) apartment in South Carolina which invovles selling some of my furniure.  Selling the furniture help us deux (two) fold.  Premiere (first) we have realized we like our maison avec moins (home with less) things in it, so we have elected to not bring maison most of the furniture we took to moi apartment.  Le deuxieme (the second) advantage we get from this plus d'argent (more money) for the travel fund.  Nothing coûtez plus de trente dollars (cost more than thirty dollars) but I figure the television will pay for most of a déjeuner bon marché de café (a cheap cafe lunch).  J'amine (I love) that "bon marché" literally translate to "good market". While I think this is very polite of the French, but what about when tu (you) want to call something cheap in the negative meaning.  Once again I find myself wondering how I will be able to be my wonderful quipy self in french.

This selling of furniture makes moi empty apartment even barer and crack den like.

Trip Update:
Moi British Airways carte de credit (credit card) came in mail and with un $5.25 d'argent achat (one lunch purchase) I have secured my billet (ticket) to Frane!  Now nous (we) have to spend 2,500 on le carte dan 90 jours (days). Je think je am up for it.

Tonight's Picture:

Cette chaise a coûté trente-cinq dollars si tu la voulez.

Pervious Picture:
The girl in the blue dress is with her parents.

Coup de Soleil Mardi

(Sunburn Tuesday)

Daniel was able to spend a couple of  jours et moi cette semaine (days with me this week).  Yesterday nous allés (we went) to the beach and took le chien (the dog).  Daniel achetent (bought) a jeep in l'hiver (the winter) and has been dying to take it for a good drive and the beach was just his excuse.  And what is the point of driving a jeep if you don't take the top off so we drove the hour down and the hour back with the voiture (car) completely open.  Fun but extremely breezy.  Le chien was funny as she very much enjoyed the beach, the people, the smells, but oddly enough scarred of l'eau (water).  Not really l'eau so much as  the waves.  I would like to point we were not standing calf deep in l'eau, nous n'avons pas même nos orteils (we didn't even have our toes) covered.  Elle (she) could stand in the l'eau but as soon as the first inch high wave came rolling toward her, she ran up the beach.

As fair complexion as I am, and for those of you who know me know you don't get any plus blanc (more white) than me, j'aime m'asseoir au soleil ( I love to sit in the sun).  After being on the beach for trois (three) hours and the added deux hours in the open top voiture, I felt as burned as the couple of spots on my shoulders that did not get any sun screen.  Which are bright rogue (red).  Every since j'étais un enfant  ( I was a child) I have started to burn the moment I step out in the soleil.  I am going to try to get out to the beach at least one more time before I leave South Carolina.

Trip Update:

Nous (we) believe we have figured out a way to fly entirely on frequent flyer miles.  Nous have been chipping away at acquiring enough miles on Delta and have been taking advantage of every odd offer to sign up for dinner clubs, to requesting Alaska vacation information, and taking online survays. In order to pick up a 100 miles here and 500 miles there.  As well as plenty of other things.  We were doing fairly well but were worried about actually making our 120,000 miles in time.  We have now completely switched gears ... British Airways .... tah dah.  Daniel has been following a blog call Frugal Travel Guy which in addition to giving lots of advice to maximize your travel argent (money) also post cartes de crédit (credit cards) offering big milage deals.  British Airways will give us enough points for deux billets (two tickets) round trip for using their card.  How easy it is to actually book the flight will be a whole other story I am sure, but currently very excited.

Tonight's Picture:
One from the last show I designed

La fille dans la robe bleu est et avec ses parents.

Pervious Picture:

My dog sits in judgment of you.

It is ok she sits in judgement of moi as well.

Fin d'un Travail

(End of a job)

So I have put the tres (third) and final show up at the college je travaille á (I work at), while je sais (am) always happy to be done with a show it is a bit sad. It is the last show I will do ici (here).  This year I took a job in South Carolina that is tres hours away from where my mari et je habite (my husband and I live) in North Carolina.  I was offered to return next automne (fall) but I want to be home next an (year).  This year has been hard for my mari et je but je feel we are coming out better for it, though would not recommend it. While I am counting down the jours (days) until we close down mon apartment, I have enjoyed mon travaille and will miss it.  J'enseigne  (teach) some really good étudiants (students) and have grown rather attached, turns out I am the maternal type.  I am sure they will bring in a wonderful replacement for me that is most likely more experensesd than me as je suis deux ans (I am two years) out of grade school, but I still hate to leave them. I have also made some bon amis (good friends), which I hate to leave as I am just getting to know them.

Well this post seems lourd (heavy) on me and legere ser français (light on french), I guess my real life happens sometimes.  Now that my show has finished I have had some time to french and have now competed Level Un.

Tonight's Picture:

Mon chien assist dans le judgement de toi.

Pervious Picture:
 Two of my good friend, we look like sisters. I don't know what Kisten is doing with her hands.

Réveiller Mardi

(Waking Tuesday)

Ce matin ma mari et je (This morning my husband and I) had the smallest of tiffs, centered around if I could make the café while he was in the douche (shower) or if I could sleep and make the café after his douche.  Tiff quickly over Daniel excussed it by saying "Je sais combien va n'aimez pas réveiller" (I know how much you don't like waking up).  Actually he said "hate waking up" I feel this diffrenece is improtant as i find the impact of "hate" pretty high, I just don't know hate in français yet.  I would like to point out we réveiller (woke) and were making coffee at six en le matin (in the morning).  It is true that I will take every oppertunity to remain en lit (in bed) as long as possible, but hate, hate waking up?  That is like saying you hate being part of the day, that you don't want life to exist outside of your lit.  I don't hate the day, I just don't see any point of leaving my warm draps et oreiller (sheets and pillow) any minute sooner than I need to, and occasional a few minutes after I should have.  Once réveiller je suis (awake I am ) perfectly pleasant and moving about the apartment, just why start that process before va have to.

On an another note, I occasional hate telling people I am learning français.  S'il savent (If they know) français they immediately start parlent (speaking) français to me.  Je ne parle pas français, ( I don't speak french) I have the capability of a toddler that can point and name things.  I am like a pet that can do a  trick, sure it is fun to watch, but it really isn't useful.  Give me another six mois (months) and then maybe start talking français to moi.

Tonight's Picture

Deux de mes bon amis et moi, nous ressemblons aux soeurs.  

Je ne sais pas ce que Kristen fait avec mains

Pervious Picture:

The kittens are in the giant cup.  

Adorable, I know. 

Naissance de fromage

(Birth of a Cheese)

For those of you (vous) that actually parlez français (speak french) may have been wondering why je (I) choose the name of my blog, even if vous haven't been wondering je will tell vous.  Mon Petit Fromage translates to My Little Cheese and means exactly that, no it is not un (one) of those things that just translates poorly.  Those of vous that know me are use to my occasional odd sense of humor, but je ne suis pas (I am not) the creator of this title.  Mon mari parle français (my husband speaks french), he is not quite fluent but can get around on it in France.  Back when nous (we) were dating I was feeling a bit romantic and in that silly fille (girl) way I wanted him to say something Français to me and he called me his little cheese in the sweetest of voices.  I as most people who don't parle français can figure out Petit and Fromage and while I did not feel properly woed I did laugh.  An odd sense of humor is obvious something nous share.  But the choice of the blog? Dans ma maison (In my home) "Mon Petit Fromage" is a term of endearment as well as the first français je learned, so how better to entitle my quest to learn french with first bit of french I learned.

While my last entry asked for photo submissions, I have not had any response, and in fact may be my poorest received entry every.  Je sais (I know) this because I check the view stats in that sad obsessive way, but I am cool with the person je suis (I am).  So until i receive a photo submission je suis just going  to photograph ce qui est prés (0whatever is near me).  Unfortunately I left my cable for my téléphone portable á la maison (cell at home) so vous get this:

Tonight's Picture:

Les petits chats sont dans la tasse grande.

Pervious Picture:

They listen to the concert outside.

This was a band called Metal Shakespeare, all their songs are created from Shakespeare's plays and the dress in Elizabethan clothes while they rock.  Soo much fun.

L'anglais

(The English Language)

In learning a new language it makes tu (you) very aware of your own.  Je (I) have started noticing all the oddities of language tu just happen to learn not from étude (studying) but just vie (living) in the language.
Start écoutez (listening) to the l'anglais (english) especially phrases you have always used but never thought about the individual words that make it up.  "Some way, shape or form" it is awfully repudiative isn't, these things are no so weird until you are piecing them together word by word.  How does a language program enseignez (teach) you "rolling with the hommies""roulement avec les habitants à la maison" some how I bet it does not translate.

Will je be able to be sarcastic en français?  Je ne sais pas si je sais ( I don't know if I know) how to interact with people if I can not be sarcastic or silly.  Hope level cinq (5) covers early 90's slang and snide wording.  Because ils sont français (they are french) will ils even notice I am being sarcastic?  Despite being dans l'amour (in love) with the pays (country) I can still make fun of it.

Done with the reflective. I brought a costume maison (home) but forgot to bring the instructions with it.  Instead of getting ahead in my show I am behind on I baked cookies and frenched.

So je  am willing to admit the picture captioning part of the blog is probably silly.  Je am trying to use it as another tool to practice words or phrases that may not come up in casual typing.  Sometimes I have trouble coming up with a picture ideas, je tend to let my limited vocabulary pick my pictures.  I would like to ask for photo suggestions.  Still tied to my limited vocabulary I will try to captain as accurately or creatively as I can, given what I have.  Ensuite un est sur vous  (So next one is on you).

Tonight's Picture:

Ils regardent le concert l'extérieur. 

Pervious Picture:

The brown toy and the purple flowers.

Daniel got those for me on our anniversary last ans (year).

Printemps Vacances

(Spring Break)

J'ai vingt-sept ans ( I am 27) and yet still manage to have a printemps vacances (spring break, well literally it is spring vacation but I think I got the idea across).  I now understand the attraction to the dark side of educational théâtre plus et plus (more and more).  How have I been spending this possible last glimmer of spring break heaven, being as boring as I can manage.

After deux (2) conferences, a lazy few jours (days) sounded nice.   Mon mar et moi ont regardé la télévision et ont joué sur les ordinateurs. (My husband and I have watched television and played on our computers).  While this relaxation has been très bon I have done a few productive things.  I have been propre ma maison (cleaning my house), mon chien (my dog) likes to keep the place as furry as possible.  Those of you who saw her picture in an earlier post, let alone know her in person, will understand.  I also managed to start travail (work) on a costume for my upcoming show.  It is a children's théâtre piece so I am making a bleu kimono ( I assume the word is the same in french). Once the show is done I may even post some pictures. Enfants (children) shows always have great pictures.

Daniel woke up malade Mardi (sick Tuesday) so this has slowed productivity a bit.  Currently, je ne suis  pas malade (I am not sick) and we are hoping it stays that way.  He has almost completely lost his voice and is a few jours (days) from tech semaine (week).  So here is hoping it is short lived.  I am looking on the bright side and am happy to finally get to use malade which is a word I have known for awhile.

Français Progress:

• Have not frenched in over a semaine or deux.  
• Acheté una livre (Bought a book) of fables in both Français et Anglais. ( Waiting for Godot was my other bilingual choice, yea I think I made the right choice too)
• Daniel and I have started parler (speaking) Français a bit at home.

Tonight's Picture:

Le jouet marron et la fleurs violet.

Previous Picture :
The woman has the smallest dog.

I would like to point out that is not a puppy but a near full grown dog.

Je Vous Manqué

(I have missed you)

Life has been a bit busy lately.  It has been conference season in the theatre realm so I have been running around for that. Une conference was Atlanta, Georgia which I took mes (my) students to.  J'enseigne a l'université (I teach at a university) is a petite town in South Carolina.  I needed to conduis (drive) down in the van with the students, which was fun and loud.  That was deux samedis (two weeks) ago, this past samedi I was in Charlotte North Carolina at a strictly technical théâtre conference. Je préfère ça (I prefer) this conference quite a bit, there are so many bon (good) workshops to go to.  These conferences also give me a chance to catch up with mon amines (my friends) I have not seen in ans (years).

Currently I am at home on my printemps (spring) break.  I have plenty to do this samedi with catching up on work for the ever approaching end of the semester but hopefully this relaxed schedule will allow me to refocus on étudié français (studying french).

Fun Note: I have noticed my spell check can tell when I spell a french word wrong but never has a guess for how to spell it correctly.

More Trip update: nous (we) have enough for un round trip ticket ! At some point I will list the random things we are doing to accumulate points.

Tonight's Picture:

La femme a le plus petit chien

A bon amine (good friend) of mine who I hope doesn't mind her cameo


Pervious Picture: It's winter for the tree.

Jours d'achats

(Shopping Days)

Frenching seems to be like most things, easier when practiced often and a pain in the ass when you have taken a few days off.  At least I seem to make up lost ground faster than a few mois (months) ago, so I guess I can still count that as a win.  I was distracted by some invités (guest) for a few days.  Ma mére et soeur (my mom and sister) visited me Vendredi et Samedi (Saturday and Sunday).  They came to see ma une piece de théâtre.  We also managed to squeeze some achat (shopping) in at the outlet stores.  Figures j'habite (I live) an hour away from prime outlet shopping and it takes ma famille ( coming down to get over there.  J'ai achaté quarte chemises, une robe, et des caleçons. ( I bought four shirts, a dress, and a pair of shorts.)  I also got a Coach bag but I haven't mentioned that to ma mari (husband) yet.

I can now écris (write) or rather type, but I don't know that word yet,  é   â   ç   I still need to know the e with the accent going in the other direction if anyone could be of help.

Trip update:
We are less than 4,000 miles away from booking one of our plan tickets with frequent flyer miles.  The hope is that we can earn enough points to book both billets (tickets).  And are looking at every creative way to generate miles.

Tonight's Picture:

C'est hiver pour l'arbre

Pervious Picture:
The girl pen wears a yellow dress.

Yup, seems a bit ridicules to me too.

Invités Vendredi

Friday Guests

My most recent Roseatta Stoning has enseigné (taught) me about d' argent (money) as well as about value.  The word for expensive made me laugh out loud as it is cher.  I could not help but think of The Cher, music and cliché gay icon.  After a brief search of Wikipedia I realized she just shortened her name from Cherilyn than chose a french stage name.  But, I had to wondering if her french fans were all a te he watching the singer known for being practically naked  while performing named expensive.

But I digress.

Trip Update:
Mon mari (husband) keeps inviting invités (guests) to our apartment in France.  I would like to point out we have no apartment (spelled the same in frech, pronounced differently) currently booked.  In fact we don't even know our dates yet.  But in the spirt of the trip I guess our apartment is always open, keeping in mind no idea if there is an extra lit (bed) or couch.

Today's Picture:

La fille stylo porte une robe jaune.

Pervious Picture:

The green apples are on the table.

So I have realized all of my pervious pictures have been something on something so *hint* I have found a non on picture for today.

Jour de L'amour

(Day of Love)
For some reason Valentine's Day is not covered in the first four lessons.

So my frenching is currently slowing down in momentum this semaine (week).  I am in tech for una piéce de théatre.   For those of you not familiar with tech.  It is the technical week in preparing a play in which all the technical elements of a show come together right before openning.  Lis (read)  in long hours stuck in a theatre living through your own ground hog jour (day).  These are a valuable part of the process unless you have all of your tech stuff done.  So despite not having anything to do I still need to be there and it is a bit bad manners to pop out the headset and start rattling off french.

Not all was lost.  This weekend I launched into the second prong of my french attack plan, Mastering the Art of French Cooking.   And I successfully mastered the art of cooking frech chocolat mousse.  I felt frencher with ever tasty bit.  Again tu (you) might ask how cuisson (cooking) helps, not sure but it sure gout bon (taste good).  Anyone who saw Julie & Julia or read the Julie/ Julia Project,  I understood Julie's cussing and temper tantrums so much more after cooking a few of these recipes.  At one point I was wisked ingredients over a pan of simmering water o the stove for 4 minutes and then wisked the same ingredients over a basin of ice water for 4 minutes and could not begin to tell you why.

Back to the present.  I hope I can find a break in my day tomorrow to get to the supérmarché for some du café or I will be one sad fille (girl) the next matin (morning).  This is why we say stupid tech.

Other helpful things I learned today:

Carte de crédit ( credit card).
And tu (you) guessed it, one more delicious step towards that petit déjeuner (breakfast) crissant.

Tonight's Picture:
This one is for my sister's boyfriend:

Les pommes vertes sont sur la table.

Pervious Picture:
My husband and I on the mountain.

The picture was taken at Hanging Rock, we finally went on a hike there after intending to for the last year.

Fatigué Jeudi

(Tired Thursday)

Some nights I really enjoy my Rosetta Stone and other nights my sessions feels like two hours on the step mill with the television locked on Fox News, exhausted and frustrated.  But we trudge on.  Not a completely lost night, I did learn on very helpful phrase une piéce de théatre. (The "a" has one of those pointy hats on it but I have no idea how to make my keyboard do that, please help).  So if you are one that thought the british " theatre" spelling was pertinacious, I am sure all the accents really seems unnecessary.  I find it a major plus to know how to refer to my occupation.  Hopefully "costumes" and "designer" will be in tomorrow's lesson.

Other helpful things:

Combien coutent? - how much money.

Which I will hopefully turn into:" Combien coutent est la crissant?"  Which I will turn into buttery, flaky goodness in my belly.

Tonight's Picture:

Mon mari et moi sur la montagne.

Pervious Picture:

The dog is on the bed. 

I don't know the word for furry yet, once I do I will be sure to add that.

Je veux le chocolat!

(I want the chocolate)

As I mentioned I have been working at the the Rosetta Stone for several months now, and tonight I started Unit Quatre (4) Shopping, exciting, I know.  What I found note worthy about this lesson were the things they suggested you buy.  Sure there were the standards fruit, vegetables, a coat, but then there was chocolat, gateau (cake), des vetements (clothes), and bioux (jewelry).  Now I am sure I don't have to tell you of our proximity to the holiday that exemplifies these very items.  If I do need to tell you, then you sir (as I am sure no female is confused right now) still have time to pick up a Valentine's card before it is too late.  Returning to the point, I think this was Rosetta Stone's Valentine's gift to me, so I could request the things I want in two languages, as those four things cover everything I could want.

Other helpful tid bit I now know how to ask directions to the boulangerie.  One step closer to that morning croissant!

I have decided to caption a random picture with each entry.  I am guessing this one will be pretty easy to decipher even if you don't know french.

Le chien est sur le lit.

Bonjour

My husband, Daniel,  and I visited Paris on our honeymoon and I fell in love.  With Paris.  It lived up to every 1950's romantic movie cliché I had ever hoped it would.  I have been dying to go back ever since, so we have made a crazy plan to live in France part of the summer next year.  By plan I mean we have decided we want to do this and thus end of planning.  There is one small flaw in our rock solid plan.  I don't speak French, Daniel speaks it pretty well.  But as for me,  my four classes of college and high school Spanish did not do me an ounce of good when I was trying to order a sandwich at the cafes.  So I am trying to learn french, at least well enough to buy groceries and spend way too much on shoes while I am there.

So how to achieve this goal of learning French in a year and half:

1.     Thanks to Santa Claus last year I have in my possession Rosetta Stone French Levels 1, 2 & 3.  And have already been hammering away at them and have vowed to work half an hour to an hour  "frenching" four days a week.

2.    Thanks to Santa Calus this year I now possess Mastering the Art of French Cooking  By Julia Childs.  Is this helpful, who knows but anyone who cooks with that much butter in the name of France is a friend of mine.

3.    You my friends, you my friends who know french, you my friends who forwarded this to someone who knows french.  Please help me out.  This blog will hopefully be more than me just bitching about how hard it is to learn french but a chance to start a bit of French correspondence.

4.    Go to France, everyone says emersion is the best plan.

So help a fille (girl) out.  Chances are at first there will only be a few french words and phrases sprinkled through out.  Hopefully we will progress to actual conversations.  So in payment of your usage corrections and sharing of words I should know, I will keep you up to date on our trip planning and my rants on why I hate 44 ( it is really tricky to say and the stupid program beeps at me every time).  Together we can make my dream of buying shampoo unsupervised by my husband a reality.