Good Old American Shopping

One of the things I like best about Brussels is the food!  Waffles, chocolate, fries, fresh fruits and veggies, bread, cheese, etc...  But there is just something about good old American food that I miss from time to time.  Today, I had the opportunity to go shopping at the commissary (grocery store on the base.)  The minute the doors opened, it was the familiar smell of an American grocery store.  I suppose I wasn't really expecting a full fledged grocery store, but that is what I got!  And to top it off, they were also American prices, and I was able to pay in US dollars!  

It was a little bit of Heaven on Earth! 

My selections.  Oh so healthy!  Ha!  I had a list when I arrived, and I can assure you that it was not this long.

Three of us went, and this is what our vehicle looked like to return to Brussels.  The turns had to be taken very carefully.

This was my seat. :) 

Unloading the goods.  Most of it is still sitting there because I really don't know where I'm going to put everything.  Oops!

Some close ups of the goodies.  Note the Tums...I'm going to need them when I start eating all of this food.

The Bubba Burgers were such a great surprise.  They were our favorite back in the states.  Chris was pretty much giddy with excitement!

Had to get some candy corn, of course!

Last week, I paid $12.00 for a box of Lucky Charms at the British store.  I swore I would never pay those prices, but that has apparently changed.  It was the first week of school after all.  This price was much more reasonable!

I even found a pumpkin Yankee candle.  Just in time for the Morton Pumpkin Festival! :)  It just wouldn't be fall without that fabulous scent!

Thank you so much to my dear friend who made the Vastine house a very happy one this evening.  We are going to thoroughly enjoy our feasting!!!

Until next time,
Wendy

Lunch....

Today was my last day of the Hints class at the American Women's Club.  What a great class!  I learned so much about living in this great country.  In celebration, the ladies provided all of this deliciousness...

Some macaroons (I swear I didn't eat all of those)

Chocolate

and more chocolate.


Yep, it was my lunch, and it was awesome!  You really need to come visit and enjoy this chocolate with me. :)


Until next time,
Wendy

Mickey D's!!!

The kids finished their homework speedy quick tonight, so we had time to go out for dinner.  We made it a casual affair and headed to my fave...McDonalds!!!  Alright...let's be honest...we were going there no matter what, but it was a bonus that homework didn't take all night.  I didn't lose any weight again this week (Ha!  I wonder why??...although I did lose 9 cm off various places), so what's a cheeseburger and fries going to hurt, right?!?  Of course, a friend from Bootcamp was there...and ordered a salad.  Hey, thanks for making me look bad!  She promised not to tell. :)  

Look at those happy faces.  Sorry Chris.  I'm feeding your babies this unhealthy food while you're away.  This was Thomas' first time ever eating a McDonalds cheeseburger!  I showed him a nasty picture of how chicken nuggets are made (it has been floating around Facebook), and he said he will never ever eat them again.  Nor will I!  Blah!!!

It's so cold here,  I can't even take my hat off to eat!

So, there wasn't a whole lot of conversation going on.  There was a TV in the corner with music videos, and apparently J Lo and Rihanna are far more interesting than Mom.  

Poor Thomas is suffering from "My mom tried to give me a haircut" syndrome.  Oh, it's bad.  I'm going to have to take him to a professional!

The kids like the "McDrive".

Dank U McDonalds for a delicious meal....

and Dank U for reading!

Until next time,

Wendy

Comfort Food

I promise...last post about food for a while. :)  Today, Chris, Thomas, Amy, McKenna, and I ventured up to Antwerp to go to the American Store.  Now, don't go picturing Wal-Mart.  This store was more like the size of a convenient store.  But, thank goodness it wasn't any bigger because that would have meant more money spent.  We really didn't NEED anything, but it was so much fun to buy some of those things from home that we really miss.  Did you know you could really miss Pam cooking spray?  I didn't either.  I'm pretty sure I saw Chris jumping up and down when he spotted the Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue sauce.  I'm glad he came along, so I wouldn't be the sole one to blame for spending all of our (his) hard earned money.  I found diet Mountain Dew!!!  Yay!!  But, the only cases they had were past the date, so they were on sale.  I went ahead and bought a case, but I swear I can tell if it is one day past the date.  So, I'm not getting my hopes too high that it will taste okay.  That was his last order of it as well because it only has a shelf life of two months.  By the time it gets here, it is already expired.  Bummer!  We came in just 2 euros over Amy's amount.  I think we did pretty well!  Here are our goodies...

Anyone want to guess how much we spent???

Allison went to her first birthday party today.  The birthday girl was having a Harry Potter party, and the invitation requested they dress up.  I'm super happy Thomas was Harry a couple of years ago.  This costume has come in really handy!  Doesn't she look so cute!!

This is how we are spending a lot of free time.  We bought this puzzle at Disneyland Paris. 

Chris leaves for the U.S. tomorrow, and he gets to see all of my favorite people...yes, I'm feeling sorry for myself!!!  Praying for safe travels!

Until next time,

Wendy

Belgian Art

I think one of the things that has surprised me the most about Belgium is the amount of graffiti.  There are rarely signs, cement, or stones that are without ink on them.  It certainly makes the country, in my opinion, look more run down.  The kids are fascinated by it, but they also think the "artists" are naughty. :)  This picture was taken at the bottom of the hill from the kids' school.  This is where I park before getting them at the end of the day.

Tonight, we stopped and bought dinner from the Chicken Man in Overijse.  Their truck is there twice a week. and they sell chicken and ribs and the most delicious potatoes (see Tiffany...I'm going with your diet.)  And, it was less than 20 euros for two rotisserie chickens and 800 grams of potatoes.  What a deal!  This picture qualifies as the "art of food".

And, this is my favorite picture so far on the trip..."my art".  We took Flat Stanley to the Chateau de la Hulpe.  This is just 3 km from our house, and you may recall the pictures of this estate from our house hunting trip.  The kids enjoyed walking around the grounds after school on Monday.

Allison presented her book report today.  She wrote a poem for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and then sang it to the tune of Party Rock Anthem.  It was great!  Written papers and posters aren't original enough here.  This was her teacher's suggestion.  It only took her five hours on Saturday...ugh!  But, her class loved it, the boys were impressed with her rapping skills, and it was voted one of the top presentations in the class.  She was beaming after school.

I attended a champagne brunch at school today.  Yes, I did have one glass.  I've never had a drink at school before.  I met some really interesting and fun women, and for the first time, I really felt a part of the school.

We have been invited back to the commune to continue our quest for residence cards.  Hopefully tomorrow, we will be one step closer.  Thankfully, we have heard that Hoeilaart is one of the quicker communes.

And, I am officially the owner of a Volvo S60.  But, I can't have it yet because you have to wait for your license plates which are dependent on your residence card.  And, you only get one plate, so you have to have a second one made.  And of course, you can't drive the car without two plates.  It's just so Belgium.  

Until next time,

Wendy

Food Critic

Okay, the first part of this post doesn't have anything to do with food.  My mom has been mentioning rather often that I haven't posted any pictures of our master bedroom.  I am aware of this.  Before we moved, I redid our bedroom.  The whole thing...by myself.  I was so proud of it.  Loved the color...loved the accessories....and loved that I could say I didn't have ANY help.  And then one month later we found out we were moving.  And now, someone else is enjoying my newly redecorated master bedroom.  So, as much as I love the beautiful window in our bedroom, there is just something missing.  Maybe it's the white walls?  Or the curtains that don't match my bedding?  Or the rug that doesn't match my pillows?  I don't know.  It's just missing something.  So, here it is...my uninspired master bedroom.  I'll get there.  I'm just not there yet.

How many pictures can I fit on that dresser?...that's too many. 

Now on to food.  My whole life, I've eaten Belgian food.  My mom has some great Belgian dishes and during the holidays, we always have some more Belgian food to look forward to.  Our friend Anna makes these great cookies with a cookie press.  I recall them always being wrapped in foil.  Anyhow, I found them at the grocery store today.  I always take a snack for the kids in the car after school, and this was today's snack.  And you know what...they taste EXACTLY like Anna's cookies.  I was so excited!  I should wrap the leftovers in foil for good measure.

Again, at Christmas, my grandpa has always given us dry sausage.  It is an acquired taste, but I love it, and so does Chris.  Ironically, it was always wrapped in foil too.  Huh?!  Well, on my trip to the grocery store today, I picked this up for some tasting.  I'm pretty sure this is dry sausage.  I admit that I haven't tried it yet.  I'm a little nervous.  It is rather strange looking, but it looks just like Grandpa's sausage.  Neither of these goodies are on my new diet...go figure.

And finally, I found hot dogs....in a can.  That's all I can find.  But, the kids thought they were amazing.  According to Thomas, they taste just like the kind at the ballpark.  Well, I'll be darned...who knew...and they're cheap!  Good thing, because they ate the whole can at dinner.  Oh my fat grams!  Good thing they are young, and Thomas never stops moving. 

That's it for food.  School is keeping the kids VERY busy.  At this rate, they'll be able to skip two grades when they come home.  It is so stinkin' hard!!!  But, I know they'll get used to it...at least I hope because the whining and crying is causing me a breakdown.  Phew!!!

Until next time,

Wendy

Willpower

 I let my friend, Amy talk me into this program.  Powerhour Bootcamp, and it's really awesome!  It is just what the picture says...it's a bootcamp.  Each class, we do different workouts involving weights, running, pushups, planks, etc.  It's a great workout, very challenging, and exactly what I love.  I do miss Gold's Gym!  But, there is the eating portion of it.  It's basically The Zone Diet.  I get it...it's easy...but when I know I am on a "diet" I am a complete and total failure.  I started the diet three days ago (might I add that I am down 8 lbs  since Christmas...before starting this bootcamp.)  But now, I have eaten more in those three days than I've eaten since I got here.  I'll get weighed next Thursday, and I am totally prepared for weight gain, more inches, and a very serious lecture from Dan and Angela.  They are the instructors.  Not nearly as harsh as Bob or Jillian, but I'm prepared for the discussion they will most certainly have with me.  Ugh!  

Part of the problem is...THIS!

I swear it talks to me.  Oh, how I LOVE it.  I had never tasted it before coming to Belgium, and I probably should have kept it that way.  See the scrape marks on the side of the jar.  Yep, that's from me just eating it straight from the jar with a spoon.  I'm beyond pathetic.  Wish me luck on the "diet".  I can do this...I will have the willpower and see it as more of a lifestyle change than a diet.  After all, I paid for it!  I shall try. :)

Until next time,

Wendy