Market Day

1st thought before the market blog. This is Luna's new favorite spot...the couch cushions. Because we don't have a couch in the apartment yet, we put the cushions on the floor. Luna loves to sit and nap on them- I think she knows that when the couch comes she won't be able to be on the cushions anymore, so she is enjoying as much time as she can on those cushions! Also, do you see Luna's face? That is the face she made when I asked her, "Can you smile for grandma & grandpa?" She looked at me as if to say, "Don't kid around with me...am I really going to see grandma & grandpa?!?!"

2nd thought before I start my market blog, I thought I'd send a picture of the Baby Smidt belly. Here is the belly at 26.5 weeks. Getting bigger! Baby Smidt is moving around a ton and making it much harder for me to bend over. I can't bend over to put on my shoes anymore! I have to put my foot on a chair on something...oh my...and I have a long ways to go :)

Wednesday is market day in our neighborhood. Actually, I can get to a market most days of the week, but they are a little farther away. The Wednesday market is only about a 5 minute walk away. This “little” market is actually very impressive; there are fruits, veggies, cheeses, fish, readymade chicken, quiches, plants, flowers, and even a few mattresses here and there! Luna always comes with me, which is a nice opportunity for her to get out and see a lot of different people. She is very popular…people will stop and pet her and talk to me about her (in French…I usually have no idea what they are saying, but I just nod and smile.). She does like to find things to eat on the ground though, so I have to walk her kinda close or she goes home with a lot of weirdness in her stomach. “Marketing” has been great- a bit nerve racking because I have to use French and a lot of charades, but I usually leave feeling successful. One of my biggest challenges has been figuring out how much a Kilo is. Pretty much everything is bought in kilos and I didn’t really have any idea how much a kilo was when I first went to market. Later I discovered that 1 kilo is approx. 2.2 lbs., but even knowing that hasn’t helped me that much. How much berries is 2lbs of berries? How long will 2lbs of bananas last? Is 2lbs of cheese too much?? I’m still working all that out… The market is different than I expected in that it is not “self-serve.” You wait in line and when it is your turn, you tell the owner what you want and he chooses it, weighs it, and bags it for you. I have to do this in French, but once again, with LOTS of pointing and charades.

1. Returning with market goodies. Notice my sweet market tote?? I definately feel more European now.

2. The cheese stand.

3. Fruit & Veggie stand.

4. The fruit & veggie stand I went to this week- lots of choices!