December Daily {:10:} Butter, Boxes, Bias

Two weeks ago, this December Daily thing seemed like a good idea: Show y'all what my day to day life in France looks like.  Last week, it still seemed like a good idea.  But two days into this week (which look just like last week), I'm starting to wonder... But, I know that come next week, when I get to my vacation locale, I'll be glad to posting daily from that awesome place.  I'll leave you in suspense as to where it'll be.  (ha, the few of you who read my blog already know...)

Anyway.  Today's baking class was actually quite different, because the Center currently has an intern, and today was her second day there.  She's studying family economics (I can't remember the exact title), which is basically all about how to help local families, with a focus on how to eat healthy and cheap.

An intern who's studying how to help teach others to eat healthy and cheap assisted me with my American baking class.  Yeah, that went well.

She gawked at the butter.

She gawked at the brown sugar.

She didn't even know what molasses is.

But the time we got around to making the icing, she quit gawking.  I think she gave up.  

Below is *Anita, my faithful regular student.  (*Zelda couldn't come today, sadly.)  We made gingerbread men.  Oh my, bless Anita's heart.  She really struggles with this whole baking thing...I'm honestly surprised she keeps coming back.  That's determination!  

She had fun cutting out the men and decorating them.  I gave her the cookie cutter to keep and she was so excited.  I wonder if she'll ever use it and make that recipe again?

After class, I ran to the post office to mail off Christmas presents to my family.  You'll notice on the box below that there is no address marked.  I love that I can use duct tape to cover up old addresses on boxes sent to me, thus reusing the box, and send it off.

The post office gives me a form to fill out, and it's big enough to cover the main part of the box.  They stick it right on for me!  I was almost to the post office when I realized I forgot to bring my brother's address with me...and then I remembered that I had an email from amazon confirming the stuff I purchased would be sent to him, with his address in the email.  Thank goodness for smart phones!  Otherwise, I would have had to go back to my apartment, and then wouldn't have had time to mail the box today.

I went straight from there to my Steel Magnolias quilting class.  At one point, Teacher told me that I had to purchase...something...and I said "what?"  She showed me some of what I would need to buy.  When I asked her how to say it again, because I need to know the vocabulary word, she wrote the word down.

"Bias."

Ohlala.  Every time that happens, I laugh at just how stupid I feel.  When it's the same exact word in English, but I didn't know that.  Apparently, though, it must be close to a semi-bad word here in Marseille and in Lyon, because immediately all the ladies began hemming and hawing about how it'd just be better for me to show what I needed instead of asking for it.  With my accent, I could say it wrong...was all they told me.  Being Steel Magnolias, they're too proper and polite to explain further than that.

Eegads.  So...I have a small sample of bias to take with me to the store.  Add that to the to-do list before leaving for vacation one week from tomorrow!  Woot!