Thursday, June 18, 2009

Yesterday morning, Tya's class got out of school early. After only one hour of French class, they were back on the streets. So, I drove down and picked up my daughter and her best guy pal(or possible bf- the jury is out on this one.)
I had some errands to run, so I took them with me to a nearby shopping center. And in the supermarket there, I spotted this:

Tya positively squealed with delight. And even I made sounds of great suprise and delight.

Her friend thought we'd lost our minds.

It's not that we are 'into' junk food. We're definitely more of a brown rice and veggie burger household.

BUT

We hadn't seen a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup or a Dr. Pepper since August 2007. So, it WAS very entertaining and surprising.

When I left France about 10 years ago for Africa, it was very difficult to find any American products at all in our area. I could occasionally find peanut butter or pancake syrup at outlandish prices. That was about it.

But now I can easily get items like: Old El Paso taco shells, Skippy peanut butter and
Campbells Cream of Mushroom soup (essential for the occasional US-style casserole). Even Pepperidge Farm cookies have caught on.

Crazy!

We bought nine packs of candy (@ 1 euro each. splurge.) and the last two cans of soda on the shelf. Guess some other Americans got there before us. I have NO clue who they were. I never see/hear fellow USA folk around. The only anglophones I ever run into are Brits. Odd.

I'm not sure I'll be a frequent buyer of this stuff. We've gotten along without it pretty well until now. But it was kind of fun. If only they'd get Crisco (which I need for my cake decorating) and Diet Dr Pepper)

And now for something completely different-

We've done some more work in the house!

Now when I look down from my office stairway, instead of plain white walls, brown lino

and grey plywood doors, I see this:


Check it OUT!!! Turquoise/aquamarine walls, a new light fixture, pale yellow cement floor, new doors for the closet and powder room,
PLUS floor to ceiling bookshelves nearly two stories high!!!!!



Before he left on Monday (for one month in Ouaga) , JP got some of our African artwork hung up on the walls.

I have been really busy these past few days, getting (very heavy!) boxes of books from the garage and attic and putting them on the shelves.
The books are, of course, arranged by genre and then by alphabetical order.
If I had more non-fiction I'd definitely Dewey Decimal it :) but I've only got about two shelves full and it hardly seems worth it.


I LOVE this SO much!
Can a stairway count as the favorite room of your house?
(NB: The very top shelves will be easily reachable by a special ladder we are having custom-built. )




11 comments:

oreneta said...

You of everyone has some idea of what we would be in for if we get this house and have to start work on it....I live in fear of Spanish workmen...OMG we have had such terrible luck, except one of them.

Beth said...

Rocky- I'm not sure that "misery loves company" is the best way for me to put this. Maybe I'll just say that I'd be thrilled to share such a similar "challenging" experience with you!
Workmen are EVIL, mostly.

Can your guy do much of it himself? Or you?

La Framéricaine said...

From the heart of Albuquerque, NM, I have nothing more to say, after "Congratulations!" than, "Those are MY bookshelves!!!" How did you get them from the living room (I mean "library") in Le Blanc? As "beauty is in the eye of the beholder," how did you get them out of my mind's eye and into your staircase?

I bet you can sleep sooooo much better now that those bookshelves are up in their beautiful surrounding.

Oh, the joys of junk food!

Teacher Mommy said...

I am SO JEALOUS of your bookshelves. I could really use some like that....

Joy said...

I am completely envious of your bookshelves!! In this instance, YES, the staircase would count as my favourite room, too! (FYI, I only consider our home unpacked after a move when the books are on the shelves...)

Momma Bee said...

I too, envy the bookshelves. This is the only reason for having a wall, other than keeping up a roof, and what a perfect place to pick your evening's entertainment as you ascend. My husband doesn't believe in bookshelves. He says, "You just need fewer books!" Evil man, he will assemble bookshelves in Hell.

Eldest daughter says that she could never have lived without Dr. Pepper and Reese PB cups for 8 years. Perhaps I have spoiled my children?

La Framéricaine said...

Just stopped back by to drool over those bookshelves some more. There is nothing dearer to a bibliophile's heart than a bookshelf--bricks & plywood; metal utility racks; IKEA folding shelves; and now this BurkinaMom in France standard of excellence in bookshelvery!!! I too am so envious. Le F and I made a special trip to Châteauroux to look for alternatives to custom-made shelves for the house in Le Blanc because of the issue of cost. We found some really cool, 7 shelf/7ft tall/2ft wide/1ft deep, unfinished pine for $102 e per kit. Just the thought of one whole wall dedicated to our books made us both hopeful!!!

Beth said...

I think I must have the Interwebz' coolest readers, ever. What other group of people could get so excited with me over my bookshelves!?
I *heart* you all.

Pam- I shall count the days until you post a picture of your very own French do-it-yourself 'wall of wonders'.

Barb- Your chilluns are Good Kids, despite their access to tasty snack foods. I know this because they are yours and so must have inherited mega-wonderful character from you, impervious to spoiling.

Heidi said...

Obviously I love your bookshelves too (jumping on the bandwagon) but the Pepperidge Farm cookies made me laugh - when I was living in Le Chambon sur Lignon ("c'est un petit village près de Lyon!" as I used to explain to every French person I met) my senior year in high school, in '95, the idea of the American cookie was just catching on. They had a series of Lu commercials on where a French guy was catching hot American chicks by putting out "American-style" cookies where they could see them. The girls would say, in this *horrendously* exaggerated American accent, "Oh, COOKIES by LU!"

I can't see LU biscuit boxes now without thinking, "OH, COOKIES by LU!"

Kelly said...

I love the paint color! And the book case is a dream...

Beth said...

Exciting Home Decor Update:
I found an old cotton rug rolled up in the attic. It is the EXACT shade of blue that is on the walls. I just put it on the landing in front of the bookcase and it fits there PERFECTLY!

WIN!