For centuries, the fleur-de-lys (lily flower) has been the royal emblem of the French monarchy. It is, in fact, a religious symbol. As such, it reinforced the reigns of French kings as divine. The three petals of the fleur-de-lys represent the Trinity. The fleur-de-lys is also a symbol of the Virgin Mary.

You'll see fleur-de-lys symbols in French castles, on Quebec's flag, around New Orleans, and in fashion and home decor. How 'bout seeing them dangling from your ears?  I just stumbled upon a giveaway for a beautiful pair of fleur-de-lys earrings from Beads by Evelyn.

Want to enter to win?  I do!  Simply click this link of "The Not So Blog" blog and follow the directions.  The giveaway ends le 8 septembre, 23h59.  (Sept. 8 at 11:59 p.m.)

Bonne chance tout le monde!

Did you play "Rock, Paper, Scissors" when you were a kid? I did. Still do, as a matter of fact :-)

I did a little research and found all sort of variations in French. Here are just a few:

En France:

Pierre - Feuille - Ciseaux

Papier - Caillou - Ciseaux

Au Québec:

Roche - Papier - Ciseaux

En Belgique:

Pierre - Papier - Ciseaux

En Suisse:

Feuille - Caillou - Ciseaux

To start the game, players pound a fist into their palm. In English, I usually just say, "One, Two, Three!" before revealing rock, paper, or scissors. Just the other day, I learned that a bilingual amie of mine does this cool French chant instead:

Un, deux, trois, fleur

Un, deux, trois, lys

Un, deux, trois, fleur-de-lys!

Speaking of fleur-de-lys . . .

A few weeks ago, I wrote to you about a fantastic giveaway for a pair of fleur-de-lys earrings. I didn't win. Zut! In case you were not the lucky winner either, I wanted to share with you the huge selection of fleur-de-lys jewelry available at Amazon.com. When you purchase here, you help support this free site.

des bijoux - jewelry

un collier - necklace

des boucles d'oreille - earrings

un bracelet - bracelet

un anneau/une bague - ring

Photo Credit: by ctechs at http://www.sxc.hu/photo/933320