It can be cold in San Antonio

Friday was a busy day. With packing up for three rugrats, my stuff - I let Leland get his own as long as there are clean items available and cleaning house. We were leaving for the weekend down south in the evening, but I knew the end of the weekend our landlords were planning on stopping by to say Hi. Of course, they want to check on their house. At my return I found out that are selling the house. Mmmm. 

I can't believe it was so freaking cold we actualling used gloves and mittens.

- Alamo Park -

We left, got to know a weird way to get to Sutherland Springs/Stockdale (tja - Mud) and an easy way to get back thanks to Danyelle. Had a great time in San Antonio with Danyelle playing tourists.

We might have to keep the tradition up to go to the Alamo every January after we are truly stuck in TX now.

- Alamo Park -

It was time to take a local on a sight seeing tour. We love the park around the Alamo and strolling along the Riverwalk. All by feet, no car required. Okay, by riverboat, too, for the kids sake or ours. lol.

- Riverwalk -

We stopped for lunch right here because the kids were starving and it was yummy, just don't ask me how the restaurant was called. Why we picked it? Because I refused to go inside the loud and noisy Rainforest something cafe when we are actually at the Riverwalk as last time. I am neither crazy about the food nor about the noise level, so we quickly passed that one and came across this one with the balcony on the second floor to sit outside in the sun, blankets provided - remember we still wore gloves an hour earlier. LOL. But this is Texas right. And being on the second floor stopped Soren from running or falling into the river.

- All three make an aweful face even the got to sot and food and drinks!!!

And she be fool proof for pictures by now!!! -

We even found our way easily into downtown just not out of the mall there. How many women have that probably? Help was required.

- Riverwalk -

We did explore the Hemisphere Park with its old buildings and an awesome climbing area. The kids had a blast. 

- Hemphisphere Park -

When we left we got to see Cinderella's carriage and the girls we all excited and got to bed the horse, too. But is it not supposed to be white?

More pictures you can see in my facebook album right here.

Read more...

Being MIA and some Common Sense

It has been a while since words or pictures found a way on our blog.

Well,

we were busy.

First and then gone.

And now just stressed and busy. There is a lot going on.

A few thing stay the same. my little get away is still my sewing machine and I sneak a fw minutes in the last two days  to get some work done for the two swaps crazy me sign up. But as they are secret I can't show any of them yet. But soon.

Chiara is sick and home the second day in a row. Living of crackers and snuggles, mainly Soren's. On his little couch he is sharing with he not so easily and easily on the big couch.

Soren is still Soren. He is still not really talking. A little babble here and there. Lots of screaming and screeching. We have to work with him and also do speech therapy "homework".

So.

Picture of a Sheep

Me: Bah

Soren: Bah

Picture of a Bay

Me: Bay

Soren: Bay

Picture of a Bee

Me: Bee

Soren: ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzz

Read more...

one day in january in texas

Read more...

Amerikaner - ready to eat

They are truly favorites in this house and a family recipe since even I can remember. The recipe is out of my mom's handwritten cookbook she wrote down in cooking school before my time - don't even think about asking when that might have been.

You can find them in the  German bakeries with a sugar and chochlate glaze half white half black. We make them a little smaller as there, just because it is fun to get seconds and the real ones are BIG almost as big as your hand and  we they come in all colors from white to black to pink and yellow and green and blue with and without sprinkles and clown faces and bear faces. We already had it ALL. They still taste YUMMY.

RECIPE

Amerikaner

125 g butter

175 g sugar

1 package vanilla sugar

3 eggs

lemon peel

1 pinch salt

500 g flour

1 package  backing powder (3 tsp)

250 ml milk

1Tbl rum

Heat the oven at 310 degrees. Mix all the ingredients. Just take the a tablespoon and dab a spoonful of dough on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake about 10 minutes until the edge is gold yellow.

Read more...

I have a dream

written by Chiara - 7- first grader

for my community!

My dream for my community is to be happy!

for my community!

My dream for my community is all the soldiers to come home safely and see their families.

for my country!

My dream for my country is no aliens to come.

for the world!

My dream for the world is to stay clean!

Read more...

Spacehip Backpack

I have this adorable fabric since a few months in my blue Schrank which is filled from top to bottom with fabric, but not so much boys fabric. So when I came across this one I could not resist to get some for Soren, but for what?

So today I went into the garage where now my blue Schrank is placed since we moved into this rental at freezing temperatures - 21 degress F, at that in freaking TEXAS. But at least the Schrank and fabric is organized by now.

The fabric was sitting out next to me even I knew I wanted to make him now a backpack from yesterdays prototype with a little bit finetuning in the sewing department. But I got sidetracked with worked on an UFO which is always good to do, a burned out light bulb of my sewing machine - it is truly weird sewing in the dark - and car shopping/looking.

But dinner didn't get done until this little backpack was done.

Read more...

Toddler Backpack - Prototype

Since before Christmas  I wanted to make a backpack for Soren, because he LOVES bags. He always finds a bag to drag around and pretty often wants to take a bag with him when we leave the house and grabs the nearest one he can find which  most of the time is PINK. Leland has a problem with ALL THE PINK and his boy.  And I, I was taking pictures. LOL.

Pst ... don't tell Leland I posted this again.

Proud as can be.

So I was looking for a matter and found one, cut up one of Daddy's old uniforms and got started, but I did not like the pattern. I didn't even sew one stitch. Then two days ago I finally had an idea about a simple backpack similiar to the pink/purple - here we go again - Dora backpack Chiara had once. I finally figured out how to make it and started on a prototype. I am not a prototype person, I want usable results right away, but here I had no choice because it needs to perfect at the end - at least as good or as cute as possible.

Here it is.

Now further suggestions are :

to shorten it for Soren a little and add velcro as a closure

use a contrast color for the flap

use applique for example his name

if i use uniforms as material I have old name tags from dad

Bella already wants one bigger

with a front pocket added

perhaps a big button as closure

Read more...

A TINY little New Year's Gift

The girls have Sunday school on Wednesday night. Yes, we still call it Sunday school, because I just can't remember the other name for it. They want to bring a New Year's gift for their teachers. I have to admit we didn't manage the xmas presents for them, because I thought there was another class left. So we switched to HAPPY NEW YEAR's Gifts. It's always nice to get a little something. I have two girls in two classes, but there are five teachers and teacher's helpers for a maximum of 12 kids. The should seriously keep that ratio up in school.

We made TIN CAN presents. BIG ones, small ones and tiny ones. It depended on the size of tin cans I stacked up in my pantry. Even I had this idea for longer in mind I usually didn't get the ones with the snap lids one. They are more pricey - usually. I also invested in a safety can opener which we truly love by now, it just doesn't cut the top of the lid, but also keeps Soren's hands safe from being cut because he has his hands everywhere especially where they are not supposed to be.

When I used snap lid cans for cooking I opened them with the safety can opener from the bottom, so the top would stay intact. Washed them out well and just stored them.

Bella picked her "New Year's" scrap paper with fireworks on and some flowery one and we cut a strip wide enough to fit from the top to the bottom off the can and long enough to wrap around. I glued one side of the paper on the the can, wrapped it around, let it overlap a little and glued it down.

With the left over paper we cut out circles to fit on the lid (right now the bottom of the open can) to cover up the prints or just for decorations. We only left a little opening to be able to slide it in under the snap and glued it down.

Then came the sweet part. We filled it up with candy. This time, because I might use it for wrapping up other things, too, with enough tissue paper to keep them safe inside.

I added glue on the edge of the cut off lid, trying to make sure none was sticking on the bottom and pressed it back on the can. Turned it upside down and added a regular can, filled, heavy, on top to keep some weight on it while it was drying.

From the last scraps of paper we cut out labels and attached them with some ribbon.

I am no scrapbook person, I try ones a while, but I am sure you can come up with more ideas for decorations. This was Bella's and my first try, now we need to collect cans again.

                                                                                             

Read more...

gone in 3 minutes - apple chips

somehow this post published in front of my eyes without even having words yet - totally empty - but it pretty much fits to the empty bowl standing right here. EMPTY. totally empty. nothing left. all gone  and that within minutes. BUT they were good.

Back to the beginning. LOL.

I keep adding recipes here, because for once at the end of the year I have a collection of our favorite family recipes of the year. If I try to put them in a folder in the house in will disappear in nirvana, I know that for sure or I have to keep digging out links and books and magazines and just don't find them again. At then end I still can print them out all at once to keep if I should decide.

Soren and I brought a a bag of apples home today in addition to all the ones we already have because of course there is no apple tree in this yard here. We really want an apple tree. Someday perhaps in our own yard if it actually would grow in the heat here.

We decided to make apple chips. The ones we bought the day before as snack were so overloaded with sugar that we made them ourselves today. We cut the apples in rings, loaded them onto the dehydrator sprinkled them with cinnamon and very little bit of sugar/splenda. And then it took hours. SIX to be exact.

Six hours later we had these. And Soren was right next to me. Sampling.

It took us 20 minutes to get the apples ready (includes little hands in between), 6 hours to wait and about three minutes to eat them up. Is it really worth it???

Well, the next batch is in the making, because the girls didn't even get one single one. Mmmm. They were already in bed. And they are yummy.

 And it's really fun to peak through the rings, too!

Read more...

If you don't know what to do today take a look

 I got to go this morning so just click and enjoy.

Read more...