Coucoumellisms

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Certain things happened at my part-time job which led me to seriously consider quitting.  It turns out that I did not have to quit, because I was fired instead, with no real explication why (although I have a few hunches).  I was more than happy to leave, it saved me the bother of going through agonizing weeks of " Do I continue and see if it gets better even though I don't foresee it getting better soon or do I quit now? " I suppose that this was God's not so gentle nudge out the door and through a new one.  This particular job experience gave me the desire to work for myself, at something I LIKE to do. For years now, people have been telling me I should make pinatas to sell.  So I decided I would start up my own business, making pinatas, painting pictures, and sewing things to sell. It took a while to finally come up with a logo that I liked, that looked professional. I wanted it to be something mushroom-y because the coucoumelle is a mushroom. I also wa...

He got up and planted a big kiss on the side of her neck, right where it met her shoulder before putting his empty bowl and glass in the sink. “Stop.” She said, half-laughing, half-serious, “You’ll be sorry if all your charms start working on me.  I happen to have a certain faiblesse for kisses in that particular spot.” “Just providing all that attention that you’re so starved for.” Christian bantered.  “Before you go back to your lonely existence.” “I’ll be so spoiled, I won’t want to go back.”  Joanne smiled. “So don’t.” “And yet,” Joanne pretended to sigh, “I must.” “When are you leaving?” “Early Sunday afternoon, I think.  So I can be back in time to unpack, get groceries, throw out the spoiled food in my fridge, all that kind of stuff, before I go back in to work on Monday.” “Spoiled food, hmmmm.” Christian mused.  “I’m sorry about that.  I’ll have to pay you something for the food you’ve lost on my account.” “Don’t be ridiculous!”...

It was about seven-thirty when her cell phone rang. “Allô?” she answered. “Joanne?”  It was Karine. “Hi Karine.” “Are you planning on coming home anytime soon?” Karine asked. “Umm, well yes, eventually.  Why?” “Uh well, because you’re missing your surprise birthday party, and I think Christian is rather upset that you are not here to appreciate his efforts.”  Karine replied. “Oh noooo.” Groaned Joanne. “Oh yessss.” Confirmed Karine. “Okay, I’m on my way.” Joanne answered. “Okay, bye.” It was after eight o’clock when Joanne walked in the door.  She noted the untouched birthday cake on the counter of the kitchen.  It was obviously decorated by hand, with some effort gone into forming fruits and flowers.  Karine, Patrick and the girls were there, and she immediately recognized Michelle, Patrice and Caroline, mutual friends from years ago.  The guy sitting next to Caroline, she did not recognize.  She greeted the friends she ...

“Are you trying to keep women away for good?” asked Chantal. “Look at me.”  Christian told her, still joking, “I don’t need to keep women away, they aren’t attracted to a man my size anyway.  What woman would want me?!”  He laughed again. Joanne looked at him.  Christian was not a slim man.  He was a bit large around the waist, but he also had wide shoulders, and his weight was evenly distributed through his arms and legs.  When she looked at him, she did not see a fat man. The others continued joking, but Joanne was not listening anymore.  She continued to look at Christian.  To her eyes he was pleasant to look at.  His brown eyes crinkled in the corners when he laughed.  His face was expressive, his smile was charming.  She liked the way his very dark brown hair curled at the neck.  He kept it just a little on the long side, and it waved just a bit on his forehead too. Christian glanced at her and noticed her starin...

She was deep into a website project on her laptop when Christian came home later.  She saved her work and closed the laptop. “So?”  She asked, as he sat across the table.  “How was it?” He eyed her.  “You enjoy talking about yourself?” He asked. Joanne nodded. “To a stranger?” Joanne shrugged, “Sometimes that’s easier.”  She said.  “Strangers don’t judge.  They don’t really care.  They aren’t personally involved.” “So you’ve done this before?  Talked to a psychiatrist about your problems?” “Uh, no.  Not really.” Christian shook his head.  “So how can you know you’d like it?  What do you think it’s like, having to go through unpleasant memories that you’d rather forget?  It’s not much fun!” “Sorry.” Joanne replied. “So if you enjoy talking about yourself so much, why don’t you tell me what you were going to tell me this morning?” “You’re not a stranger.” Joanne reminded him.  “That makes things ...

Make coffee with reduced maple water.  (For those of you who do not have maple trees in your yard, just add some maple syrup to your water.) I remember thinking, back when I was in Paraguay, how cool it was to step outside and there was fresh grapefruit on a tree for your breakfast...  I guess having an apple tree and a few maple trees is pretty cool too though. Add pumpkin spice and vanilla to the coffee.  (Make your own pumpkin spice: 2 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tsp of the following: ginger, allspice, nutmeg, cloves) Heat milk (you can add some maple syrup to this too) and mousse.  Add milk and mousse to your coffee (you want about 1/2 coffee and 1/2 milk)  Sprinkle top with cinnamon/sugar mix. MMMMMmmmm!!!

Be Not Afraid (Paperback) by Jeanne Chabot (Author) No customer reviews yet. Be the first. List Price: CDN$ 25.91 Price: CDN$ 16.32 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details You Save: CDN$ 9.59 (37%) Temporarily out of stock. Order now and we'll deliver when available. We'll e-mail you with an estimated delivery date as soon as we have more information. Your account will only be charged when we ship the item. Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca. Gift-wrap available. http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1448929369/ref=cm_cr_rev_prod_title

I read through my book yesterday, and finished it this morning. Unfortunately, there were a number of typos, and other errors, including some formatting ones, especially near the end, that I did not catch, as well as at least one inconsistency. There are a few passages that I think could have either been written better or broken down. But it is too late now. An editor would have been nice, would have caught these things, but Publish America is, albeit a free one, still a self-publishing company, and does not offer much in the way of services, other than printing the book. It's too bad, because I think it is a decent book, and could have been better. Still, despite the few errors, it is not unreadable, nor incomprehensible like some of the books they publish must be. We (the authors) provide the book description as well as the author description for the back of the book, and I came across at least one in the Publish America Directory, that, in reading the back cover, I tho...

Jeanne Chabot © 2010 Every night when Nicolas went to bed, the dark came to visit him. It came to his window and stared at him through the drapes. Nicolas huddled under his blankets and did not move until his older brother Gabriel came in to bed. Then the dark left and Nicolas could sleep. “The dark is going to eat me.” Nicolas told his biggest brother Alex. Alex laughed. “There is no such thing as a dark.” He said. But Nicolas knew there was a dark. He could hear it laughing outside to itself. He knew it was the dark because when it laughed it sounded like the branches of the great old maple tree creaking in the wind. That night, the dark did not go away, even when Gabriel came in to bed. Nicolas did not sleep until very late. “The dark is going to get me.” Nicolas told his sister Maryssa. “He wants to eat me.” “The dark can’t eat you.” Maryssa said. “It doesn’t have teeth.” But Nicolas knew the dark did not need teeth to eat him. The dark could swallow him whole. Nicolas le...

Dear friend of Jeanne Chabot, PublishAmerica is proud to announce the recent release of Jeanne Chabot's new book: Be Not Afraid! Here's what the author says about the book: The day of her marriage, Isabella stands looking over the edge of her parents' terrace onto a busy passageway below. She desperately searches for a way out as she is faced with an arranged marriage she doesn't want. The daughter of a high-class couple, the man she loves is a common worker, outspoken in his fight for social justice in this society of the future which greatly resembles our past in many ways. Isabella has followed him in taking up the fight alongside other young men and women. This eventually leads to the death of one and the exile of the other. This is a story about keeping faith alive, fighting for what is right and never abandoning hope. It is also about finding love again where you did not expect it. We are offering you an opportunity to secure your personal copy of Jeanne Chabot’s ...

It turns out that the title The Passage was also taken so the book will be known as Be Not Afraid . I liked that, because it is something Jesus said, from the Gospel of Saint Luke, cited in the book. The verse itself pretty much sums up the book: Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more. I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes I tell you, be afraid of that one. Those are also the first words that Pope John Paul II chose to speak, when he became pope. "Do not be afraid." I think I am ready to hand in my final draft. I've gone through it and changed things I didn't like and I don't think there is much more to change anymore.

I have mentioned before that I was writing a story. I finally finished it awhile ago. I've been correcting and re-writing since, and last week I sent it in to the publisher that published a book by my father. They want to publish it! I just have to send the final copy in by September 1, and I have to find a new title for the book. Desert Storm is already taken. I am currently brainstorming and have come up with a few tentative titles: The High Road Hope Sang The Merchant's Daughter The Passage Hope Whispers Still brainstorming though.

... I've finished the first draft of my first novel and I'm now starting a second... Ever since she could remember, the seashore had always been Maria’s favourite place to escape to. It was a constant in her life, never the same twice, yet always there. Some days, the seagulls scattered into the air, screaming loudly as she walked past. Some days, the ocean was calm, some days huge crests rolled in and broke against the boulders scattered here and there along the coast. Some days the ocean was grey and angry, other days it was blue and serene, but it was always there, and it called to her as she stood, bare toes digging into the fine white sand. This was one of the subplots in my first novel and it's going to become my second novel. The above citation is the beginning paragraph.

I have officially finished the first rough draft of my first novel ever. It isn't the first I've ever started, but definitely the first I've gotten more than half-way through without getting bored of it and going on to something else. I'm busy printing it out double-spaced as I write this, so I can read through it at my leisure and add things or re-write them, or take them out. But hey... I'VE GOT A NOVEL FOLKS!!!

If the creative juices stirring in our houses are any sign, Christmas (and more imminently, Advent) is coming. I can't sit down anywhere and just DO anything, without one or more people sitting down beside me and wanting in on the project. I really want my kids to be creative, honestly I do. But not when I am being creative! Because then I have to work around the child that insists apon sitting on my lap and "working" too. I have to fight for the scissors, I keep losing track of the glue, my paper selection dwindles rapidly and I start to get stressed out about people wrecking what I have done. What I need is a proper art studio, with a high table/counter for me and a lower table for little hands to work at. No, wait, maybe a cage would be better? No no no, must.remember.to.let.them.be.creative.too. Anyway, amid the mess of paper that accumulated in our office downstairs, the misplaced glue sticks, the battles for scissors, the jealously hording of my own private, person...

I've been toying with the idea of doing something about the funny things our family ends up saying when we mix up our French with our English, and I finally did something about it. I made a little book, dedicated to my goddaughter and niece, Claire. Here it is:

This year, Dominic got lucky, he had two pinatas. The first was the best one, and we shared it with our American cyberbuddies when we went apple-picking near Albany NY. Dominic and his raptor baby, just hatching.. The second one was supposed to be a red soccer ball, but unfortunately turned out looking something more like a brain... some alien brain... Dominic hits the pinata at his birthday party He did have fun running around with the broken pinata on his head afterwards, pretending to be Ironman. Gabriel liked Dominic's first pinata so much, that he put forth his order, one just like it. I was a bit disappointed to be doing the same thing, so I asked him if he really wanted the same dinosaur or if he preferred a different one. To my relief, he said he wanted a triceratops instead. Gabriel and his baby triceratops, just hatching.

For the crafty people: Choose two rolls of ribbon with colours that go well together, and a pipe-cleaner to match: Cut about 2 feet of ribbon (more or less depending on the size of bow you want to make) cut ends into a point (or you can cut two points): Fold over one end of ribbon: Do the same for the other end: Prepare second ribbon in the same manner: Place one bow on top of the other: Place over pipe-cleaner and wrap pipecleaner around both bows: Wrap around twice and twist in back: Fluff out bows. You can leave it like this if desired: ... or you can tie some deocrations to the middle, like this cone. Small bells work well too, the dollar store is full of things that can be tied on: This is where my ribbon ended up, above the mirror in my hair-salon, the colours go well with autumn flowers too: Have fun!

Came across this tutorial while looking for patterns for possible costumes: http://www.livinghistory.co.uk/homepages/medievaldress/Page_1x.html This dress is based on simple shapes and uses remarkably little fabric. Most people can get the size they need out of 3m of a standard 60" wide fabric. Choose a decent linen or fine wool for accuracy, but the dress will also make up well in more fun fabrics such as velvet or furnishing brocade. The pattern is based on fourteenth century examples excavated in Greenland and adapted very slightly for ease of manufacture. I decided that before I tried it out on myself and Maryssa, I would wing it with a doll. Now, the doll I chose is arguably not the best option for trying out a pattern for humans because said doll has a very large neck and very little shoulder width. So I improvised a bit. The next time I make one of these, the gores (triangular pieces in the skirt) will definitely be of a contrasting colour, at least the one down the front a...