Building the Star Trek Kitchen

It's happening! It's really happening!

After a year of waiting, the Barbie Dream house is finally becoming a reality. This week we actually went inside! Although our duplex on the 4th & 5th floors doesn't exist yet, it didn't stop me from squealing with delight at being able to actually go into the building.

If the weather holds up, they should be building our level of the building in about 4-6 weeks. Thank Goddess for this year's incredibly mild winter!

Now that the building is underway, we have to start designing the inside. This weekend we also finally ordered "The Star Trek Kitchen". The decor for the STK came about for three main reasons:

1. We are both huge fans of Le Corbusier & Mies van der Rohe's modernist "skin & bones" architechure.

2. I hate cooking and we have neither a Star Trek Replicator , nor a Japanese robot.

3 . We're both sci-fi nerds. (And did I mention that even the name of the actual building is "L'Alienor". I kid you not. )

So basically we're designing a kitchen that looks like it belongs on the inside of a spaceship. This is the kitchen we had originally chosen back in October before we completely lost our minds:

This is the Star Trek Kitchen:

The computer rendering based off of our actual blue-prints gives a pretty good idea of what the final version will look like, except we will not have cream colored walls because that goes against the STK decorating manifesto.

It's a very narrow kitchen with no real eating area, but we plan to put a little table by the doors to the small terrace. I say small terrace because it functions as a not to subtle reminder that we have TWO terraces, which makes me sqeal with delight whenever I remember this fact.

Anyhoo, I found this cute little Le Corbusier rip-off combo for 50% discount, but it's just too early to buy stuff like that yet....since I change my mind every 2 weeks.

So that's the Barbie Dream House insanity thus far this month. Just reading this is so exciting for you that I bet you have goosebumps!

Why I heart France: Reason # 7

Les Soldes!

For those of you who don't already know, twice a year the French government regulates crazy sales periods where all retailers are allowed to sell their crap at massively reduced prices. So for several weeks each year the entire country turns into one big clearance rack.

French Boy and I headed out to see if we could find anything for what is now being called "The Star Trek Kitchen". (More on that tomorrow) We didn't end up buying anything , but we did get some good ideas on appliances.

Later after shopping we had lunch and snacks with the French in-laws.

French God-mother Francine and her husband Francis were invited too.

For dessert I ate about 5 of these lil mini eclaires. Aren't they just adorable!

And that pretty much wraps up our lazy weekend. It was too cold to do much else. Monday is the big day for Barbie Dream House planning. We have an afternoon meeting to discuss.....toilets! I'll keep you posted, because I know you're totally enthralled.

Left-over Weekend Photo Blogging.

Everytime we venture into Metz we head straight to the Barbie Dream House. And each time we hold our breath and secretly wish that somehow when we arrive at the construction site, the entire building would magically be finished.

So far it hasn't happened, but we are hopeful. It's moving along quite nicely. Here's me standing in front of our garage. I look entirely too goofy and you can tell just from a quick glance how I love carbohydrates.

On a completely different note, I learned that not all French people thing that foie gras is the cat's meow.

So there ya have it. Now, I'm going back into hibernation mode. I may be out again by the end of the week.

I can't spell MILLE-FEUILLE.

Don't get me wrong, I moved to France for my husband, but I stay in France for the pastries. And any country that has a nearly lawfully designated "coffee & pastry" hour everyday of the week at precisely 4PM deserves to keep me.

I don't mean to brag, but there is nothing more wonderful than a sleepy Saturday afternoon walk through the city with my FrenchBoy, followed by an hour of pastry and coffee! Yum!

Last weekend we stopped in our favorite patissier in Metz. We love this place because the counter staff is so damn cheerful (not very French-like) and the pastries are always divine (very French-like).

The lil' Black kid above is always standing in the doorway to greet us. I forget the exact reason...something about little Black children being the symbol for "chocolate sold here" back in the olden days. I'm not kidding. I see these lil guys everywhere in various chocolatiers located throughout the city.

Although after seeing that "African Hot Chocolate" is their house specialty, who knows, maybe it's a sculpture of the owner?

Anyway, as I was saying, YUM!

And just when I think I might be able to button my pants again without having to lay down on the bed, the very next day we had lunch with FrenchBoy's parents. French mother-in-law went all out for dessert.

I don't know the name of this treat, but it's meringue tucked inside a scoop of vanilla ice cream that has been rolled in a mixture of finely chopped nuts.

I hope they're singin' Doo-wop.

I know Christmas is over and everything, but I found this little gem at La Poste (the Post Office) last week. It was in the display case right next to the fancy christmas postal boxes.



So.....like....what's happening here? Are they.........singing? Are they all wearing red lipstick? And what is that little Angel doing to Joseph? Is he drunk? Did he fall down? Have they no decency? Baby Jesus is watching for Christ's sake!

Too many suspicious happenings. I will just leave it at that.

Baby, it's cold outside.

By now it's no secret to you all that I despise winter. When winter arrives each year I hide...usually underneath a very fluffy blanket.

And although we haven't had snow yet here in my part of France, the non-stop rainy drizzly gray weather keeps me inside my house most days. I can go days without leaving the house. I'm totally content to work and e-mail and watch Law and Order on DVD while wearing my pink pajamas. (French mother-in-law encourages this behavior by buying me new pajamas every 6 weeks.)

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that although I have been a naughty and neglectful blogger, I have tons of photos and updates to do as soon as I change out of these pajamas. Maybe I'll even comb my hair....but maybe not since you'll never know one way or the other.



In the meantime, here's a photo of FrenchBoy and I doing our best snuggle-bug impression.


Ahhhhhhh!

The First Annual "Party's Over!" Contest.

Well---We all survived yet another French New Year's Eve celebration inspite of the champagne flavored punishment we inflicted upon our livers. Forget about the poor brutalized birds, I have no doubt that right now I have foie gras!

Anyway I have this hilarious photo of French mother-in-law two-fisting champagne, but I'm way too lazy to think of a caption. So, leave your caption ideas in the comments section. I'll pick the bestest one and then I'll send you a huge French prize! Really. I will.

(And by "huge" I mean small and inexpensive.)

Good luck!