Tag: gift

Humor, Jules, Max

Piquer: Guess who moved out of our house and stole away with our stuff?

Max, working from his new îlot central. After 8 months of renovation, our son is finally settled into his new appartement.   Visiting La Ciotat or a nearby town? Stop in and see us at Jean-Marc's wineshop. Call ahead and we'll set up a visit. Today's Word: piquer    : prick, bite, sting    : to steal, nab, nick Her Own Legacy by Debra Borchert: A … Continue reading Piquer: Guess who moved out of our house and stole away with our stuff?

Kristin Espinasse41 Comments
Christmas

The Carpenter’s Gift: A Christmas Story

Christmas lights in our village of  St Cyr-sur-Mer, South of France TODAY'S WORD: le menuisier     : carpenter ECOUTEZ/LISTEN: hear Jean-Marc pronounce the following sentence: Download MP3 or Download Wav     Le menuisier. Le menuisier a donner à Kristi un cadeau de grand signification.    Carpenter. The carpenter gave Kristi a meaningful gift. A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE… by Kristin Espinasse Today, in the seaside town of La Ciotat, I … Continue reading The Carpenter’s Gift: A Christmas Story

Kristin Espinasse41 Comments
Christmas, French Christmas

How to say Christmas Tree in French?

I'm getting ready to film the first in a series of videos about our home renovation. Don't miss a clip! - subscribe to our YouTube channel. Forward this and tell a design savvy architecturally-minded friend about the channel. They might have fun following us on this project in the sunny South of France (…meantime we are freezing in this heat-challenged home). Photo taken in Serre Chevalier, near … Continue reading How to say Christmas Tree in French?

Kristin Espinasse51 Comments
Christmas, Jackie

Cadeau: My Daughter’s Christmas “Liste de Voeux”

Does the Christmas rush "kill" the joy of the holidays? And re gift-giving, how much is too much and how little, too little? or is it all just over the top? Are we remembering the reason for the season? Read on in today's story column.   tuer (too-ay)     : to kill tuer le temps = to kill time Reverse Dictionary killjoy (spoilsport) = un(e) … Continue reading Cadeau: My Daughter’s Christmas “Liste de Voeux”

Kristin Espinasse40 Comments
Culture, Flowers, Traditions

The muguet tradition in France: Lily of the Valley sold on French street corners on May 1st

le muguet (mew-geh) n.m.  : lily of the valley Question: So what are the French doing today, the first of May, besides la grasse matinée? Answer: Waving snow-white porte-bonheurs through the air and wishing each other good luck! Along little cobblestone paths in the French hinterland, and at noisy intersections across the city, French vendeurs de muguet are taking over street curbs with buckets of lilies of the … Continue reading The muguet tradition in France: Lily of the Valley sold on French street corners on May 1st

Kristin Espinasse19 Comments