Tuesday, June 30

This was my best picture of the Browns helmet - she was telling Daddy about the spider web in her room that she wanted him to get, lol - so serious...

(The inside of the Browns top is fish again - I think that fabric is so festive for the summer for Brenna - thanks mom)

Can you tell how much Brenna loves her dog - I love this pic - as Brenna says now "That's a keeper" (for anyone who hasn't watched Bolt - this is Brenna's new favorite line)

Hello All!!

I can't believe it is the last day of June and Brenna and I will be back in the US in less than 30 days :-) I had a busy evening yesterday of sewing and made Brenna 3 new tops for the summer (I'm not sure why I suddenly have the urge to sew - but at least I am using up some of my stash of sewing stuff). I tried out two new embroideries - the football helmet (sorry the picture isn't the best - Brenna doesn't like holding still, lol), but I think it is an awesome likeness to the Browns football helmet :-) (and I was finally able to get something very girly with Browns on it). The second was another funky flower - I really love those designs - Brenna has them on three things now - her pillowcase, her pillowcase dress (the irony), and now her new blue flowered shirt. Two of the shirts match shorts that my mom made while she was here, but also seem like they will go with other skirts that we have here as well. The Browns shirt and the Blue shirt (with flowers) are both completely reversible right now and are worn by tying together in the back (they are plenty roomy on Brenna right now - I think she will be able to wear these for awhile, lol). I think I have the best fit on the bear top, but that was after my frustrations of tearing out stitches (sometimes my mind doesn't meet with reality and at midnight my mind doesn't function as well as it should). I had the adventure of trying to get Brenna in each shirt today and asking her nicely (I mean bribe Brenna....) to put on each top and take a picture. The blue shirt was the first worn today (and her least cooperative time for pictures) - but she went to the store in it and the cashier said it was very stylish :-)

Brenna and I played doctor with all her animals this afternoon - it is amazing how much she loves her stuffed animals right now (I'm sure I didn't influence her at all, lol). She has went the last two days with no accidents (on the potty :-) She is still gaining confidence with the underware - not to sure about not having accidents in them - but hopefully we will be over that hurdle soon.

Well, I'm being called in to clean up Brenna's clothes...

Take Care!

Sunday, June 28

Brenna's new summer dress that I made yesterday - can you see all the colorful fish?? (Maybe it was a good thing that she didn't want to wear it to the zoo today - the pelicans were out in full force, lol). If anyone wants the link to the pattern, let me know - it was a really easy dress to make :-)

"synchronized swimming" above and below at the zoo

Mom - this picture of the flamingos is for you - it was better than the ones I had earlier :-)

Dustin's "daddy badge" of the day :-)

Look at her little legs go :o)

Hello All!!!

Hope all is well out there :-) Happy birthday wishes go out to Rusty today - hope you have a great day! We ended up just going to the zoo today - Brenna loved it (so I think it was a winner of a choice). We did the boat ride first - the pelicans were very "friendly" again (I think I could have touched them had a reached my hand out), but they were entertaining (they performed some synchronized swimming for us).

The partly cloudy skies are great on these warm days so far - at least they are keeping our apartment from getting too hot. Justice and I made it out for our long walks today - he is in much better shape now than before. He is shedding like crazy - I think he is finally going to shed most of his undercoat.

Brenna didn't want to wear her dress today :-( She was more interested in a tank top today - I guess you win some and lose some - but she did look at the picture and say it was a princess dress, so maybe she will come around... (I was the mean mom who forced her to get measured in it and then wouldn't let her take it off until I had at least one picture - bad mommy).

Well, I think that is about it for today! Take Care!

Saturday, June 27 (Post 2)

Well, I had to add the pictures of one of the projects I worked on today. I made Brenna 2 new dresses today - the first shown here is a pillowcase dress. It isn't my best work (which is why you don't get to see the back), but after making my 2nd dress - I think I know all the things I would do differently. I was my normal self when making the dress and cut first and then tried to figure out how to fix what I started, lol. The dress started as a halter style, but ended up with the top straps made into a criss cross so that the back didn't droop so much. It looks like she has a bustle in the back as that is where all the extra fabric from the pillow case ended up, lol. But, it is really soft - hope it will stay that way after washing over here, lol. Hopefully, Brenna will like my 2nd dress as well as the 1st (I think it turned out really cute - sorry no hints, you will just have to wait until tomorrow). Brenna picked out the embroideries for the 1st dress - and they are really cute and nice and bright. Can you tell that she thinks she is a princess when she puts on a new dress??? (I have to say - I can't believe how her arm bends in the 2nd picture - I think maybe she is double jointed or something??)

Saturday, June 27

Hello All!!!

Hope all is well out there. I can't believe I missed my posting yesterday - by the time it was bedtime, I forgot that I had a funny video to share :-) I love the way she says Baden-Baden, so of course I had to video her saying it (even though the zoo is not in Baden-Baden). You can of course see that Justice didn't want to be left out, but maybe Brenna has a future in TV (although she wasn't sure where the microphone needed to be, lol). She made it through the whole ABC song (although she had to be promted to keep going - she did do it all on her own though).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oisi5SfEmPk

Yesterday, Brenna and I stayed inside mostly - it is warming up some here so I wasn't feeling too energetic in our warmer apartment (it isn't hot yet, but it doesn't take much to feel like you are baking in the attic apartment). (Which, no baking/cooking will be done until the weather cools off - leftovers, microwave meals, and cold sandwiches here we come, lol).
Brenna loved dressing up her knew doll and just playing around the house. We are hoping to do finger painting today, although we will see what happens. No plans for today as they are calling for rain, but we are hoping for a fun outing tomorrow (haven't decided where yet - maybe one of the castles :-)

Take Care!

Thursday, June 25

Hello All!!!

Hope all is well out there. Brenna got a surprise package today - she was so excited (I put it on video for the folks that sent the package - I will get it to you soon) and loved all the items. She received several new summer outfits (just in time as the weather is going to warm up over the next several days) and a new doll that she really loves (she played with it all evening and she made the cut to be in her room at nap time - no small feat for her, lol). She wore the outfit today with Ariel on it, but she can't wait until tomorrow when she will either wear the princess or the other ice cream cone outfit - can't wait to see which one she picks (and if she will model it for us all??).

Dustin had another long work day (and Brenna had to go to bed before he got home - although, I may go to bed before he gets home too, lol - it is almost 10 and I need to walk Justice in the morning...) At least part of it was for dinner out with his work group, hope that went well. Brenna and I had a "lazy" day today - German class this morning (which I am really not doing the best at right now - must study harder here, although who knows how many more classes I will actually be able to have), then we walked to the stores, played some in her room, played with her new doll (she has got to wear all of her outfits now and all of her shoes - can't wait to see how long before the dog ends up eating one of those...), walked the dog, and walked back to the store (for supper ingredients). Brenna asked for waffles for supper, so we bought the packaged ones here (they are very sugared, but she loves them) and I added some whipped cream on top (I think this is the first time she remembers having the stuff (and the real stuff too - no cool whip here) and she loved it). I tried to eat healthy and had a weight watchers soup but broke down and shared one waffle with Brenna (o.k. - I was trying to make up for my ice cream snack today - I got a little carried away there, but we did walk Justice twice today). I made my favorite cold oatmeal cereal from my childhood today - our small taste tests (for Brenna and I) seemed to be good - hope it tastes good tomorrow (we exchanged some of the ingredients for what is easy to find over here).

Brenna has been doing great on the potty, but doesn't want to wear her underware after having a couple small accidents in them. Hopefully, we can convince her to change over soon - I can't imagine on these hot days that a pull-up is better than cotton underware. Well, I think that about covers our day (other than the really boring lazy parts in between - I was such a bad mom today...).
Take Care!

Wednesday, June 24

Hello All!!

Hope all is well. It has been pretty quiet around here with Dustin traveling, but he is home this evening (yeah - unfortunetly he had a lousy day - I don't realize until he has a evening where he wants to be left alone how much Brenna and I really, really want his company - good thing his lousy days (and lousy moods) are few and far between - which is no easy feat with his stressful role I'm sure). We had leftover meatloaf from yesterday - I'm pretty sure I flavored with way too much onion soup mix (but one packet just didn't seem like enough) - still tastes really good - but very oniony (is that even a word??).

Brenna and I had her last day of kinder group today :-( They stop meeting for the summer (July and August - when the schools are shut down as well) and Brenna starts Kindergarten in the fall (how scary is that). She had fun as they painted and then she played in the kitchen there. We, of course, had to have chicken and fries for lunch (I am going to try to not walk that way on Wednesday when I don't have too, lol) - although Brenna doesn't seem like she wanted the fries as much today as she wanted the chicken... go figure...

Brenna spread out all her toys in the living room today and called it her garden - it was quite something to look at, but I was glad that she helped clean it all up before nap time. We also got her microphone out and did interviews - she did really well with and I tried to get some on video (but the dog thought he should be videoed instead). I had to video how she says Baden-Baden - it comes out more like Bogen-Bogen. We played that we were riding the train to Paris, Baden-Baden, and the zoo. Amazing that at her age she has riden the public bus in our town, riden trains to Paris and the zoo, and flown to different countries (she will see more countries by the time she is 4 than I had seen by the time I was 20, lol).

Well, I must get my homework and studying done :-) Take Care!

Tuesday, June 23

Most days - Brenna has stopped wearing pants, but she is finally in underware :-) I think the picture of the meat below is funny - Brenna did not want to be in the picture (can you tell she wouldn't even look at the camera), but I had to take a picture of the meat with elephant pictures on it.

Hello All!!

Hope all is well out there. We had a quiet day yesterday - German class in the morning and then inside all day (it was a rainy day here, but we did get a lucky break when we had to take the dog for his walk). Brenna took her knew pinwheel on her walk today - that was a good purchase (thanks for finding them Karen - she had so much fun with you - she is already pretend playing with you here at home, lol). We made a beautiful batch of scrambled pancakes for supper with a strawberry sauce (I couldn't believe that Brenna wouldn't try the strawberry sauce - she will only eat the strawberries when they are fresh right now...). Dustin had a late day and then had to run off to the airport, I know that Brenna was pretty bummed about that - hopefully he will get some time this week when he is home to spend with her.

Brenna is doing pretty well with her underware - just one accident in the last few days (and then she knew that she had to use the potty, but thought she had time to brush her teeth first - oops). Brenna and I invented a new game for her yesterday - rolled her up in a blanket (since the weather was cooler, it was possible to do this :0) and then put "toppings" on her burrito, lol. I love all the toppings she wants on (although I don't know if she actually knows what a burrito is either, lol) - coconut, peas, beans, carrots, pizza. Brenna had me get rolled up to (although the small blankets are much easier on that small little body, lol) and put toppings on me as well. She has also been enjoying getting all her stuffed animals out and playing with them (but only a select few get to stay out for naptime - all of her dogs - she has 4 and one turtle - who behaves like a dog most days, lol). The chosen few also have to be in the living room with her all day - I love the armful of stuffed animals she brings out in the morning - too funny.

Our neighbor's hydrangea bushes are in full bloom - I think they look so pretty (and they looked so pretty when they were getting ready to bloom). Brenna and I plan to go to the local store today - I can't believe we ran out of 3 oils that we have in the house on the same day - what is the chances of that happening??? (Renee - I love my pampered chef sprayers - those were a great idea over here :-)

Well, I need to get busy! Take Care!

Sunday, June 21

Hello All!!! Happy Father's Day!!!

Happy father's day out there (sorry, no cards went out - somehow this holiday just snuck up on me...) We are having a quiet day in today - I made some sopapillos this morning for breakfast for Dustin for father's day (he had already bought a computer bag for his gift).

We ran some errands yesterday and are working on cleaning today. Dustin needs some downtime before his next trip (although he flies out tomorrow for England and then Turkey next week) - hope he has some relaxing time this weekend. Brenna is loving the smell of mowed grass around here (a lot of people let the grass grow high so we don't have the smell all the time) - the last time one of the neighbors mowed their grass she asked what the smell was - then proceeded to say "sugar, I think..." (I would take that to mean she liked the smell, lol). Justice and I have been working on getting some long walks since Dustin is home - I think I am sore and stiff after these every day - am I that old already?, lol!! (It helps when Brenna and I do our yoga - she isn't as interested in it since my mom left, bummer...) I love that I can walk up the hills here and sometimes run down to the bottom - isn't that the best part of hills (although there was a time I would run up and down the hill - not lately though - unless I can teach Justice how to pull me all the way to the top of the hills, lol). We forgot to go the kindergarden open house yesterday, oops - it completely slipped my mind until about 15 minutes before it was over (but Dustin wasn't feeling the best yesterday anyways).

I can't believe in about 4 weeks Brenna and I are back in the US for 4 weeks (I think both 4 week times will fly by!!)

Well, I think that is about it for today! Take Care!!

Friday, June 19

Hello All!!

Hope all is well out there. We had a busy day here yesterday (and a tired one too - I spent way too much time in the sun yesterday). My german class was cancelled in the morning, but it gave me a chance to sit down and study - which I think I may have needed more (if I could just study for 1 hour each day I would be doing much better). I let Brenna sleep in and then we headed off to the pool again :-) At least Brenna loves riding the bus - I have trouble with my patience in waiting, which will be discussed later on... Brenna and I bought her a pair of flip-flops like mine - her feet are so wide she may have a hard time wearing them well, but I think she will at least enjoy putting them on in the house. She loves playing in the water at the pool which Dustin said is a huge improvement from last year - we played in the warm water inside and then went outside as well. Brenna and Karen (who may be Brenna's new best friend since she shared all her fries with her - bummer she is going back to the states so soon) found a snail close by - and you can imagine Brenna's excitement to play and "pet" the little guy. We enjoyed eating lunch outside - Brenna thinks that is so, so cool. She likes playing with Joy and Kora Lily (another American family over here), but gets a little anxious when the baby cries - she really likes to mother and wants to help if she can. After the pool, we planned on riding the bus home - it was getting way past Brenna's nap time and I could tell she was getting really tired. It was amazing how hot the weather was in the afternoon, and of course I forgot to take my hat for the sun. We waited at one of the stops for about 25 minutes and then decided to run to the store before the next bus came (of course about 5 minutes after we left the bus stop, a bus finally did come - don't get me wrong, the buses here run very timely, but I must have read the time wrong for the 1st bus that we were "waiting" for - if only I would have showed a little more patience I wouldn't have a new sandle tan line this morning...). So, we picked up a few items at the store and then walked to the next bus stop and at that point, Brenna was out. I debated whether to wake her and ride the bus (in which case I knew she wouldn't go back to sleep and would probably be crabby all afternoon) or just walk back... I decided to walk back - it really isn't that far (and I walk that distance all the time, right...) but with a filled backpack, stroller, and the hot sun I was soaked in sweat (and had a major headache) by the time we got back home (and it was about an hour walk from the store). Justice couldn't wait for us to be home and take him out - where is a dog walker when you need one?? but Brenna was a trouper and we walked him down to the park (and then back to the apartment to cool off and veg)... Love that Brenna wants to mother me too - I put a cool towel on my head to cool off after the walk and if I took it off, she came over and put it back on...We both got our baths in - Brenna decided to pour her cold water on me during my bath - boy did she think that was fun to spray the water in - but at least I was already too warm from our day travels. It stayed hot and sticky yesterday, but it is raining this morning and the weather should cool off today :-)

We are planning a trip into Baden-Baden this morning with friends and I really have to do some baking and cleaning before they come. Hope my Grandma Heath feels better soon - sorry to hear that she had some problems yesterday.

Take Care!

Wednesday, June 17

Hello All!!

Hope all is well out there. Brenna had an exciting day as we took the bus into town for the first time to go to the local pool (funny that their is a pool basically in my "backyard", but we went in town to do the one that was inside - in the summer). I should have planned better - I didn't look at the bus schedule until we had already missed the bus we should have taken into town, but it was all still o.k. - Brenna didn't mind as long as she was able to ride the bus and go to the pool (and have an ice cream snack afterwards). Brenna loved the pool - they had a small slide for the kids, some fountains, and other kid toys that she liked playing with and the water was only about 1 1/2 feet deep (and heated)...

Brenna was very tired after our morning adventures so she napped when we arrived back home and I worked on laundry (although the house work keeps piling up - where is my fairy godmother to help me on that one???) Our outdoor guest (we think it is a bat or bat family) continues to make a mess on the balcony - sucks with all the beautiful weather not to sit out there and enjoy it, but if they keep the bugs out of the apartment, maybe they are worth having around?? We are planning another trip to the pool tomorrow after German class. I'm sure Brenna will love riding the bus again and it will help the days pass faster with Dustin away. Our landlord gave us another large bowl of cherries today- not sure what I am going to make with them (and not looking forward to making a mess of my hands again - but hate to see them go to waste too). Brenna decided she had to ride her horse today - hope you enjoy our pictures from that :-)

Well, I need to go work on my homework and studying - Take Care!

Tuesday, June 16

Hello All!!

I've lost track of my days this week - how did this happen I wonder, I think it has to do with the number of days I have skipped blogging recently. It seems that whenever I miss my blog for several days, I become confused on what day of the week it is, lol (and how did it already get to be the middle of June???). I wasn't nearly as productive as I had hoped to be today - Brenna and I made a cherry crisp this morning (sorry it is the only picture today - but doesn't it look pretty?? way better than my hands after pitting all those cherries - what a mess) and then played around the apartment (I would think with all the sugar in that crisp I would have been flying around the apartment at 90 miles an hour, but no such luck...). I can't believe that I am on the only one in the house that would eat my crisp - Dustin and Brenna both turned their noses up at the cherries...hopefully the friends I shared some of the crisp with will enjoy it - I thought it was very yummy. We took a nice walk with the dog this afternoon - Brenna likes to think of the monument behind our house as the "Celebration" spot and we always have to sing our song, lol - but at least it gets her little legs moving up the hill.

We are supposed to go to the pool in the morning - I thought the bus would be the best option for Brenna - I think she will love taking it tomorrow morning. Hopefully, I will be able to drag myself out of bed for an early walk with Justice as we really enjoy our speedy walks alone in the morning (and it is helping keep my waistline in check). It is amazing how peaceful it is here :-)

Well, I think that is it for today!

Take Care!

Monday, June 15

Hello All!!

Can you believe that it is the middle of June already??? Our time is sure flying by!! The weather here has been very humid (muggy) and warm (but not unbearable) - it has been raining all evening so I'm hopeful that the weather will feel better tomorrow. At least the evenings continue to cool off which makes sleeping easier (especially with no fans or AC). I love Brenna's sense of style from yesterday - she had to wear her bathing suit all day (and we didn't go to the pool at all) - but at least it helped her stay somewhat cool with the warm weather. We put pants on her when we went into town, but she had to have them off once we got back home again.

We had German class this morning (boy do I need to spend more time studying - I know I keep saying that) and then an early lunch. Brenna loves boiled eggs - I think she had about 4 or 5 today (although she will only eat the egg white - I don't really blame her, that is the only part I eat on the boiled ones too). I killed the largest bee/hornet that I have ever seen this morning when he flew into our apartment - the guy was massive - I think he was as long as one of my fingers. Hopefully, I'm not tramatizing Brenna with that - she talked about it this morning with our German teacher and then my mom later on the phone....We went on a walk this afternoon with one of my german friends and her daughter and Brenna had a chance to play at the park some (although it was too wet for the slide, but at least she played on the swings). I can't believe how fast our time is going and that my little girl turns 3 very shortly. I pitted cherries after dinner today - what an task that is - my hands look very interesting after that task, lol. Our landlord gave us a large bowl of cherries from their tree - it is so nice how generous they have been to us.

No plans tomorrow except to maybe get some more cleaning done. Maybe I can get a couple embroideries that I have been planning done (and maybe I should put some planned time in to study???). Dustin leaves for his trip on Wednesday morning, but at least he is supposed to be home on Friday evening.

I think that is it for today! Take Care!

Sunday, June 14

Hello All!!

Hope all is well out there. I can't believe that this is my 200th post - how our time has flown by!!! I've been trying to come up with something special for this post - so hopefully you will enjoy it :-) I had planned to do some remodeling of the post pictures at the top, but I'm having a hard time parting with them - can you believe those pictures were taken almost a year ago??? I have added a few new blogs to the websites I follow and I also added a button for anyone who wants to add themselves as a follower (can you hear me begging for followers to add themselves - sometimes I feel alone out here in the blog world!).

Yesterday, we drove to Bodensee, a large lake that lies between Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The lake was beautiful and Brenna loved the ferry rides that we took. The top picture is the 2nd ferry that we rode - it was 3 stories and really, really nice. The water was very clear and really smooth - our weather was perfect as well - maybe low 80s or upper 70s. The lake was about a 2 1/2 hour drive - much of it through the very curvy roads in the Black Forest. I don't love riding in the back through all the curves - some were just like U-turns on any road in the US!! The towns we drove through were very picturesque, and we picked one out early to have supper at on the drive home. When we arrived at our destination, we hopped on a ferry very quickly and went to Constance (one of the towns on the lake). From there, we strolled over to Insel Mainau and then walked around there. We liked the island, but felt the price for entry (can you believe they can charge for the whole island??) was pretty steep. The island was extremely crowded - not something I loved, but what can you expect at the pretty tourist spot? Brenna slept through most of our tour of the Mainau, and woke up long enough for a tour of the Butterfly house and an ice cream treat and then we caught a 2nd ferry back to Meersburg where we had parked. Amazing how much more expensive our 2nd ferry ride was (double the cost of the 1st ferry), but it was a much nicer boat and we weren't willing to walk the minimum 40 minutes back around the island to the cheaper ferries. (Although after riding the second ferry, I was ready to stay on for the rest of the day - I think I could just spend the day on that boat, lol). It was really relaxing to just stroll and the sailboats looked beautiful on the water.

Today, we rode our bikes into town. Amazing that it is all downhill for the ride in, so I knew that it was going to be more challenging to come home. It wasn't too bad, other than the bug that I ate - yuck (there went the yummy flavor of the frozen yogurt from town...bummer). Brenna did well in her chariot that is pulled behind the bikes (lucky for me, Dustin pulled her). We worked on some cleaning - lots more to do - I am really far behind on that one!

Happy birthday goes out to my brother Ryan and my niece Sydney. We have been thinking about you and hope you have a great birthday weekend!!

My other thought is for our 200th post, I would put down things I am thankful for. I think about things I am thankful for very frequently over here and thought I would share some (maybe some will even make you laugh!!) (and I'm sure I'm going to miss some)

I'm thankful for the opportunity to travel and see a new part of the world. I'm thankful that my husband was given this opportunity for his job, and I'm thankful that he has a good job. I'm thankful that I am able to stay home with our daughter at this time in her life. I'm thankful to have our daughter in our lives. I'm thankful to have the husband that I have in my life - thankful that he lets me take him for granted (I don't mean too, really I don't), thankful that he lets me steal his pillow at night (he is way better at sharing than I am) and lets me hog the bed. I'm thankful that he is considerate of my feelings and is a great partner (hopefully that doesn't mean that I walk all over him...). I'm thankful for our families who have always supported us in the decisions we have made and struggles we have had. I'm thankful to have our wonderful families. I'm thankful that even though we miss each other, we are only as far as a phone call away (even though that makes hugging much harder). I'm thankful for the phone system and skype which makes keeping in touch with our families much easier. I'm thankful for the computer which helps make "seeing" the outside world and family possible. I'm thankful to have a dog to get me out walking most days - otherwise who knows how often I would go outside. I'm thankful to live in a beautiful town where the locals are friendly and stores are within walking distance. I'm thankful to be able to do lots of my hobbies here and that my husband supports me with them :-) (even though he hates all the stuff I collect to do them, lol). I'm thankful for the new friends we have made while living over here and thankful for the friends we still are able to stay in touch with in the US. I'm thankful that I am able to share my life via this blog - thankful that people are interested in reading about our lives and our travels. I'm thankful that our landlord is friendly and loves to share food and wine with us. I'm thankful that I don't have to hammer my furniture back together in the US (and I'm thankful when the couch I am sitting on doesn't crash to the floor like it did today). I am thankful my husband doesn't mind if I don't get all the housework done and is willing to help (even though I still grumble...). I am thankful he loves me. I am thankful that my daughter is here with me. I'm thankful for the candy aisles in Germany - thankful for the wonderful chocolate here...(even though my scale and jeans are not thankful). I am thankful that Brenna will behave for the promise of ice cream at the end of the tour. I am thankful that the Italian ice here is wonderful. I am thankful that Brenna loves coconut and cashews - at least I have someone to share it with. I am thankful for the new discoveries I get to make daily with Brenna. I am thankful for the opportunity to learn a new language (even though I am lousy at it - or I'm a lousy student...). I'm thankful that our german teacher loves Brenna and is very friendly. I'm thankful to have seen places that I only ever thought I would see in pictures. I am thankful that Brenna hugs me and gives me kisses. I am thankful that I must clean out the tub of toys before I can get in - I am thankful that Brenna has shown me how to play again. I am thankful for Brenna's imagination - I wish I could go back to that age. I am thankful for our families (that one is worth repeating). I am thankful for Dustin and Brenna. I feel so blessed for the things and people I have in my life.

Take Care!

Friday, June 12

Hello All!!!

Hope all is well out there. We had a pretty quiet day today - just bummed around the house (why do I have such guilt about lazy days here - I always feel like I should be cleaning up) and went out to a couple of stores. I'm waiting for evening to see if our bat comes out again - I'm posting earlier so I'm not just typing away unaware of something flying over my head...

Justice and I made it out for two nice walks today - hopefully I can take him on at least one tomorrow - we plan to go out traveling tomorrow, so we will see how that goes...

I made a very yummy dish yesterday from the TV show Cook Yourself Thin (yea for itunes having a free preview - it intrigued me to find the recipe on the Lifetime website) - it was called Eggplant stackers and was wonderful. It was the best eggplant dish I've eaten - almost took a picture of how pretty the stacks looked, but didn't get the camera out as I was more hungry than ambitious...Brenna wasn't willing to try it, hopefully it is just a stage she is going through...

Brenna has a new favorite movie with the new release of Bolt - she is in love with the movie and it is all she wants to watch right now.

Happy birthday to Taylor today - hope you have a great 2nd birthday - how the time has flown by!!!

Take Care!

Thursday, June 11

Hello All!!

Hope all is well out there. Special Happy Birthday greetings to Dustin's dad and my Aunt Kathy - hope you both have a great day. Today is a holiday in Germany, so Dustin had the day off. We thought about traveling during his time off, but with his trip to Czech Republic next week - I didn't want to force him to have a lot of time in the car before hand (not that he would have really minded). We ended up going to France this morning and did a little shopping (yeah - the stores there were open :-) - we purchased a new dish set for Brenna which she loves and also a new summer dress - the girl is all about being a princess!

We had a quiet afternoon - our evening turned eventful once Brenna was put to bed - we have a bat in our apartment. Not quite sure if he made it out of one of the windows that was open or decided to "stick around". Dustin was quite impressed at my ability to tune out everything when I am blogging - didn't even notice the little guy flying around - scary huh!!! I'm sure that I will shut the living room door tonight and not take my chances with him joining me in the bedroom. I took some video - not really that great - me laughing at our wonderful attempts to get the little guy out the windows.

Justice and I finally made it out for a walk around the neighborhood - lots of people were out with the holiday - so he a few extra people pet him today - he loves that.

Well, I think that is it for today. Take Care!

Tuesday, June 9

First picture is of the path that we generally take walking - love the side streets here because they are very quiet (which is good since there are not any sidewalks). Second picture is of the landlords wood out front - I think she really got a good picture here :-) Last picture was all of her subjects - can you see the crowns on some of the animals' heads??

Hello All!!

Hope all is well out there. I've been overly tired the last few days, so not too much going on here. I think I'm missing all the exercise I was getting when my mom was here - I must start getting up early to take the dog for a good walk, but the rainy mornings haven't been encouraging lately...(hope my new rain coat gets here soon...). I let Brenna control the camera for the last two days - hope you enjoy your glimpses in to the world according to Brenna. She has taken over 200 pictures in the last two days - can you tell she is my girl, lol :-)

We made corn dog muffins for dinner yesterday. Brenna just liked picking out the hot dogs the first day, but ate 2 1/2 muffins today for lunch. I was sure she would love them, but she would rather just have the hot dog... I thought they were pretty good (I think I ended up eating most of them...), but Dustin didn't like the corn in them and thought they could use some more hot dog... Oh well, you can't win them all, lol.

We had German class the last two days - there is a holiday on Thursday and then Dustin has a 4 day weekend :-) I'm starting to work on translating a book in German - hope that will help my language skills, but so far I am just finding it difficult to read.

Well, that is about it for today! Take Care!

Sunday, June 7

Hello All!!!

Hope all is well out there. We had a rainy day here in Germany - our poor planing resulted in walking the dog in the rain for both the morning and afternoon walk (at least we split it and I did get the lighter rain storm...although I was lucky that my sister called for the afternoon storm - thanks - it was really pouring!). Amazing how it went from sun to rain in just a few minutes for the afternoon downpour... My apartment is smelling a little like wet dog now, yuck...The weather forecast is calling for rain every day this week, what a bummer - but Dustin has a short work week, so that is something to look forward to :-) (Hope my new rain coat gets here soon - at least I can be stylish in the rain, lol).

Thanks to my family for calling for the party today - glad we got a chance to "attend" (sorry, I wasn't better prepared, at least Dustin didn't have a laptop to take to my bath - lol). We had to get out our left over frosting to help celebrate today - we just put ours on Butterkeks though (kind of like graham crackers).

I think my brain has been down that last few days - I've been trying to switch my schedule to wake up and take the dog for a walk before Dustin goes to work (not an easy feat for this non-morning person and my resulting grouchy moods have been bad for Brenna and I in the afternoons...). Brenna is continuing to do great on the potty - you go girl!!! I still can't get over how grown up she gets every day. She told me a story today, starting "Once upon at time..."

Love that Brenna takes after me in lots of way, lol - she had to "bust" Daddy at bedtime for eating peanut butter. When he tucked her in, she had to tell him "Daddy, you smell like peanut butter" (I used to bust him on this lots in the US, lol) - some smells are just too recognizable.

Well, I think that is it for today! Take Care!

Saturday, June 6

Brenna loved my new haircut in the picture above (this was an arm reach self portrait - good thing I have such long arms!- but didn't think that anyone could actually see how short it is - so I took the picture below with the webcam to show how short it is, lol - be kind, I don't have any make-up on, not even lip gloss, lol!

(I never know quiet where to look with the webcam thing...)

Hello All!!!

Hope all is well out there. Dustin and I both had our haircut this morning (mine for the first time over here - what a hair whimp am I - that, and I had finally found a great hairdresser in Ohio before we left - any one in Medina - go to Salon Roots - they are the best). O.k., now that I am done rambling about my hairdresser in Medina, the one here did a pretty decent job getting my hair to look like the picture (why is it that the haircut looked so much better on the person in the picture??) and it is now very short for the summer time. My hair was a mess of dead ends and old color, so it was good to get that all chopped off - I'm sure it was at least 4 inches...(on the front - it is longer than in the back).

Other than that, we went to the mall this morning and walked around - I ended up getting Brenna a snack of coconut chunks here (can you find those in the US - like thumb nail size chunks - like dried pineapple??) - she loved them!!! Poor Dustin doesn't know what he is missing!

Hope my grandparents have a great anniversary party tomorrow - sorry we are missing it :-) Congrats on all your years together.

Well, I must go out an walk the dog before it rains again! Hope everyone has a great day!

Take Care!

Friday, June 5

Hello All!!!

Hope all is well out there. We have had a pretty quiet last couple days - just getting back to our routine. Brenna and I played tent yesterday and today (build a "tent" with blankets and chairs - I think our tent yesterday was better than today, I could lay in yesterday's tent, lol), played with playdough today, and played doctor visit. I needed to clean today, but put that off until tomorrow - I'm sure the dog hair will still be here, lol! Although, the camera got put away, so no pictures from the last couple days, lol! I've been thinking about taking the camera on the walk with the dog - I love the flower that they have over here called foxglove (native over here) - I just think it is a cool looking flower. With mom going home, I'm going to have to send her pictures of flowers so she can help me identify them, lol!

I've been trying to wake up very early to take the dog for his walks in the morning - hopefully, I can keep that up as it is very good exercise for both of us. Going to be a bummer for all of us when Dustin travels out of town for the week in 2 weeks :-( At least we have a long weekend next weekend - 4 days :-) I took a walk with one of our German friends today - I must work more on speaking and listening - didn't feel very competent today with my language skills...

I'm scheduled to get my first German hair cut tomorrow - I think I'm just going to find a picture to take in and hope to come out looking somewhat like the picture - cross your fingers!! The place has a great play area for kids, but hopefully Dustin will be able to entertain Brenna for a morning - I know he is hoping to sleep-in somewhat.

Well, that is about it for today!
Take Care!

Wednesday, June 3

Hello All!!

Hope all is well out there. We drove my mom up to the airport today (boy, will Brenna and I be missing her in the upcoming days :-( on the bright side, we will be home in July for a month ourselves to visit family). Brenna isn't quite sure what to think of my mom leaving - she was very attached to her during her stay, so I'm sure I will hear for several days about where Gammy went off to...

Yesterday, we had a quiet day around the house - we baked English Muffin bread again (mom, sorry about the instructions the first time - I didn't write them, the recipe people did, lol) and it turned out very good (wish I had more people to share it with - hopefully, Dustin will help me out tonight - not sure why he "helped me out" with Brenna's Pringles though...oh yeah, "once you pop, you can't stop", right, lol - at least she didn't miss them yet). We made the embroidery above on an apron for my German teacher. She had a birthday the same week I did (she also got married a few days before - not sure what if anything a person should get for a German wedding over here?). I love these little egger embroideries (yes, Renee - I will get these done for you before coming home this summer, lol - I have forgotten which colors you picked out, but does it really matter so much now, lol).

Brenna and I are going to visit my German teacher this afternoon (I actually have the car - I don't think I have driven around here since before Christmas - how sad is that - shows how everything necessary for me is within walking distance or can be ordered online, lol - my parking job so far is lacking, but oh well...).

I think that is it so far today. We did manage to stop 3 times on the way to the airport for potty breaks for Brenna - I think she is going to have to get up earlier on the days we travel, lol - but at least she is going on the potty.

Take Care!

Monday, June 1

Our June cake with all the extra frosting from my birthday :-) - I played with my frosting tips for the first time and got to use my new birthday plates :-) Isn't that cake fun (and silly!)

Brenna and I couldn't wait to dig into the cake and ice cream - our photographers couldn't catch us in time before the picture, lol!

Brenna loving the squirrel in Triberg (where the highest waterfall in Germany is - also not far from the world's biggest cuckoo clock)

Brenna and mom decorating my birthday cake (we made two different ones - both were very tasty, but not quiet perfect - oh well!)

Hello All!!

Hope all is well out there :-) I had a great 30th birthday - how did that go by so quickly?? We had a few friends over for cake and ice cream (I should have invited more with all my cake and ice cream, but was afraid the apartment would be much too small). It was very nice to spend time with new friends over here (and they all brought wonderful gifts - very thoughtful of everyone!).

On Saturday, we drove to Freiburg on Saturday and then through the Black Forest. We all loved the very busy farmer's market in Freiburg - it was packed!! We couldn't believe that it is open Tuesday thru Saturday - great place to find fresh food and we enjoyed our sausage lunch there :-) We then drove to Triberg in the heart of the Black Forest (and major Cuckoo clock country!). We walked up to the highest waterfall and then around town. Brenna loved seeing all the clocks, but was getting tired by the end of the day (and all the time in the car).

Sunday, we went to the Karlsruhe zoo. We rode the train up and back - it was a great experience for Brenna and my mom. On the way to the zoo, we were on a newer train that had two levels - it was great but very full (we couldn't sit all together, but at least mom and Dustin could sit together). It was great weather for the zoo and we enjoyed strolling along with our German friends from over here and their 8 month old daughter :-) Brenna loves all the animals, but she wasn't to happy that one of the pelicans tried to eat her cup (I have to agree with Dustin that they were pretty scary - good thing a zookeeper was their to get it back!). Luckily we had a bag to put it in - nasty stuff inside that birds mouth, lol!! I think mom really enjoyed the rose garden - it was beautiful. The flowers are just at the prime right now and the weather was enjoyable to walk around the whole zoo - not too hot or cool. After seeing all of the animals, we took their boat ride around the park at the end - it was a great way to see their massive fish (kind of like carp in the US) and all the birds (who are always looking for a handout!). Brenna fell asleep on the 20 minute train ride home - but was really happy with her day at the zoo (and the playground there - which I'm going to say once again is just huge). The playground and sand was very messy on Sunday - someone turned the water on - luckily Dustin was a good dad and kept Brenna out of the worst of it (most parents just stripped the kids down and then took them home to hose off - what a mess! did I ever mention the aversion I have to a sandy mess - i think it started after college and dorm life with a sand volleyball court out back).

We've had a quiet day here at home today - Justice has been enjoying all his morning walks - he has grown to expect them from me (he likes to lead me in the direction that we walk every time I walk him...so I'm taking him in some other directions lately). We made the small cakelette today for the June family birthdays today - use up some more frosting before Dustin just eats it plain!

Well, I think that is about it (sorry we haven't posted for several days - I couldn't decide what pictures to post from each day after we waited so long, lol).

Take Care!