This Was Harder Than I Thought It Would Be

Getting back in this blog was hard.  Remembering phone numbers from years ago is not fun.  :)  2015 was hard...that is why I didn't blog much.  I spent half of the year being angry and the other half sad.  My husband had a really hard job and it spilled over into family life.  My son left for college an ocean away.  We found out we wouldn't get to stay in Germany and would have to go back to the States.  We didn't get a choice of where we were living.  We moved in February of this year.  It was hard...we left behind an awesome city, a great school for Billy, even better people (including neighbors that we only had for a few weeks) and a country we love.  We are back in the States...Texas.  El Paso was not good to me the first month....I was sick for most of it.  We got all our stuff early and it all came within a week and a half period.  Our car even came early...which was nice.  We got a tiny vacation in Dallas.  I'm still unpacking....but all the boxes are gone.  Which is a first for me.  :)  I unknowingly broke my camera on the flight over...so new pictures might not happen for awhile.  :(  I am hoping to start blogging again.  Just thought I would pop in and see if I could.  :) 

Playmobil 2015

 The stars aligned on Wednesday....people were off work and out of school, the sun was shining, no large crowds.  We had a great day at Playmobil Fun Park.  The food was good...our favorite hot dog stand was closed, but the pizza more than made up for it.  :)  We bought more toys.  It was the perfect way to spend our 20th Anniversary.

Wow....I really suck

I've been away for a really long time.  My Husband was holding a position for four months that sucked donkey dick.  He was here, but he wasn't.  We had maybe a good three and half hours of "family time" during the week (if we were lucky and less if we weren't- which was quite often) and had to squeeze everything else into two days.  It was draining for the whole family.  We didn't get to do hardly anything....he needed to be near.  It really sucked....I said that though.  He happily gave that slot up a few weeks ago and went back to his normal job.  My oldest had to go to the States to take a placement test and register for classes....he starts college in the Fall.....that sucks even more.  Yes, I've cried quite a bit.  Loser that I am.  We did get a quick trip in one Saturday to a Zoo....we were trying to work our way back into "Car adventures" for the wee one.  I cannot work the GPS to save my life...instead of the Nuremburg Zoo I had us going towards the Munich Zoo.  We figured it out and I thought I had fixed it (while Hubby had to take a work call) and I screwed the pooch yet again.  We ended up at the Augsburg Zoo.  It actually turned out to be a good thing.  We really didn't enjoy it when we went last year (seeing the place you lived for 2 years bull-dozed does that to a girl).  So this time we enjoyed it.  I got to see the Baboon mating season...randy little monkeys.  That was some crazy shit.  We have started to garden again....we had to wait for the Germans to put the flowers out for sale.  All our window boxes are up and planted....I took a photo (I need to download it first) or two....we've got more pots to fill.  I participated in the Sewing Swap and I need to take photos of that...I'm really behind.  I've been destashing and cleaning (family is coming soon and bringing my baby back with them).  Spring is here...happy, happy.  Hopefully, I can keep up my blog a tad better (no promises...you all know I suck). :)

Sewing Swap

Since I'm such a crap ass blogger...only two people wanted to swap with me and one of them is my sister (who only said she would, because she is my sister).  So I'll have to join a swap and I got the notice for this one.  There are still spots (hint to Terri and Wendy).   :)                                                        

http://faeriedustdreams-michelle.blogspot.de/2015/01/you-are-invited-to-sewing-swap.html

Ostentation

I was looking at the calendar and thinking, "Holy crap" .....it has been almost two years since we arrived in Germany.  My shop has been shut down for that long.  No, I'm not re-opening anytime soon....I'm enjoying our time here in Germany.  My Sister and our Father have been hard at work getting their shop up and running.  They've had a few setbacks.....health issues, a butt load of travel, work and enjoying retirement.  The shop is fully stocked now...they have a little bit of everything....handmade, vintage and craft supplies.  If you could pop in and take a look around we would all appreciate it.  Thanks.  

https://www.etsy.com/shop/wendyhue

I Was A Busy Bee

Boy...the life of an army wife is crazy sometimes.  Right after my last post.....life got crazy and didn't slow down until Monday.  There was a potluck, a very special lunch, DFAC meals, a unit Holiday party, cookies to bake for soldiers, many visits to Christmas Markets (wee one's first one), a Coffee, an Open House, a Craft Day, visits to Staff Duty/CQs to drop off baked goods, Thanksgiving, Christmas. and New Year's fireworks.  Add to that two different work schedules that didn't always sync up and a way too long Christmas break.  I was busy...but it was a good busy.  I made ornaments for my Husband's Christmas tree and then they got moved over to Squadron...their tree was naked.  I made a garland to cover his naked tree.  I made Silver Bella houses for ornaments and as gifts.  It was nice making things again.

So I was thinking....because I'm so excited to be all happy and creative again (long, dry spell....sucked) I thought I would put out feelers.  How would some of you like to join a swap??  I was thinking of a charm swap......I haven't done one of those in a long time.  I was thinking a bee theme, maybe??  What do you think??  No more than 20 swappers.....I'll be lucky to get two people (due to the long drought of blog posts).  I thought I'd throw it out there and see if anybody is still out there and wants to create fun shit.  Happy New Year!

P.S.  Yes, I used that picture before...I needed one with a bee.  :)  I'm not perfect.

Long time, no blogging

Let's see...October 9th was the last blog post....oy.  I went to Cheb (Czech Republic) and went thrifting with the girls here in town a couple of times.  We had a craft day and I taught them how to make mini paper bag albums with tags...Halloween theme.....yes, using up the crafty crap.  No pictures....I suck.  We went to Lego Land, a pumpkin patch and the Munich Zoo.  Did some Army wife stuff.  Celebrated two birthdays.  We just had another craft day on Wednesday and still no pictures.  I taught them how to make bunting.....they used burlap...I hate burlap. Ugh.  We made fabric charms and I left them all with supplies to make sunflowers out of coffee filters (which I had dyed ahead of time).  I didn't get around to making a bunting until today.....I cut out the pieces yesterday and made it today.....no sew.....fabric glue and a glue gun.  I realized that I had given everyone the toweling for the middle of the sunflowers, so I dyed more coffee filters and made rose/peony looking flowers instead.  I made 21 one flowers and want to make more.  I spent my entire 7 1/2 hours of free time crafting.....it was awesome.  I haven't done that in forever.  I need to do it more often.  :)

Floh Markt Treasures

July's goods....fake food for 2 euro and box of buttons for 3 euro,

6 September- box of stuff in top picture for 20 euro and that lovely pile of vintage American crafty crap was 3/1 euro and I bought 20 euros worth.  He threw in extras, because I spent so much.  I would've asked for the price for the whole big box.....but there were two German ladies digging along side me.  

20 September- My son was a doll and bought me a box of handkerchiefs for 6 euro.  It turned out to be 33 hankies.  The ones in the front are kiddie hankies..too cute.

Last weekend-  I got this adorable doll cabinet for 8 euro.  I am working on removing the stickers.....I've been using peanut butter.....it seems to be working (a little).  Goo be gone would probably work better. :) 

Kallmunz

I go on adventures with a fellow mil-spouse here in Germany (or at least we try to once a week).  Today was my day to chose and I chose Kallmunz.  I had read about it on another mil-spouse blog:  http://milligfunk.com/exploring-kallmunz-castle-ruins/   It sounded like a good day trip.  We climbed up those stairs to get to the ruins and walked back the long way (which ended by that sign).  We walked around the town for a little bit and then ate at the Trattoria.  It was really good pizza and I ate half of it in about five minutes.  

Random flower shot

I figured one easy way to blog is to post random photos.  They will all be photos I took while on my blog vacation.  :)  I like this one because of the bee.  

Best Zoo Food

Back in June (during block leave) we took the boys to the Nuernberg Zoo.  We got the currywurst, a schnitzel sandwich, bratwurst mit saurkraut and pommes frites.  Best zoo food ever.  The zoo was pretty nice, too.  :)

http://tiergarten.nuernberg.de/en/home.html

The Tiniest Mushroom

This mushroom was actually in some moss in my potted rose.  I can't believe how small it was....you know me I love mushrooms.  

A Journal of Nature's Blessing Swap

There they are....my contribution to the swap.  http://karlascottage.typepad.com/  Nothing to fancy or foofy....I figured the ladies who get the pages might want to foof them up themselves.  :)

I am a slug

  

A big, fat, slimy slug.  The last few months have been crazy and have sucked the life from me.  Between Army wife obligations, my oldest graduating from HS, Summer School, two work schedules to juggle and real school starting....I was just not in a blogging kind of mood.  I'll try better.  

So March wasn't a total wash

So I got a few things done.  I finished painting and glittering these eggs (there are actually two sets of the colored eggs).  I painted the insides gold after seeing someone else do it.  

I had two more sets of three eggs and decided to paint those gold (inside and out).  I sent them all into wee one's class for Easter.  I was going to decorate them with ribbons, lace and millinery flowers, but decided against it.  

I want to thank "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2" for inspiring wee one to pick out sardines at the German grocery store on Saturday.  He tried a couple bites of fish and three eyeballs...very proud (tiny bit revolted).  I love the pickles in the movie (so cute) and love the way Chester V talks and uses his hands while talking (very funny).  Speaking of movies, I watched some in March:  Frozen (Anna was a selfish bitch and I know I'm one of the last people on the planet to have seen it...just watched it Sunday night), "Black Swan" (that is some kind of cray-cray), "Hitchcock" (I have never seen "Psycho"...I know, I know), "Houseboat" (I haven't seen that one in forever...still like it) and re-watched "From Russia With Love" (Wee One loved it).  I read some books (I'm on a roll):

The American Way of Eating by TracieMcMillan

Eggs in a Casket by Laura Childs

The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley

Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen

How To Eat a Small Country by Amy Finley

We have played way too much Wii Mini-Golf, I made some more chocolate cupcakes (I want to perfect that recipe), we bought a meat slicer (and have used it once...we got it for $8 at the thrift store), started getting the backyard ready for spring (finally have enough window boxes for the whole fence), started sewing the last baby bunting, worked on taxes, tried looking online for a ball gown (sizes suck ass nowadays), made a mammogram appointment and all that other mundane crap (laundry, dishes- you get the idea)....so March was not a wash at all.  I may not have blogged much, but I got a lot done.  Here are two more links for the frosting recipes I used on the chocolate cupcakes.

 http://beyondfrosting.com/2013/10/08/reeses-peanut-butter-cup-frosting/

http://centercutcook.com/oreo-cupcakes-with-cookies-cream-frosting/