raindrops are falling on my head

we had an awesome weather today. it was raining buckets. pouring down.

i am not kidding. i loved it.

i love rainy days in texas.

my front door was open all day until we left. soren didn't go further as the front steps because it was too wet with no shoes from top to bottom. lol. the air, the gras, it just smelled good. it sounded good.

i didn't like the headache and migrane that is bugging me since almost two weeks daily and partially I am blaming the weather, but i have to ignore that fact.

so eventually this morning we switched from pjs into clothes to head outside and of course it stopped raining. so where is the fun when you finally can let your toddler use his beloved umbrella? so we waited and waited a little longer and it started again and drizzle. soren put his rain boots on. i found my slip on shoes. it's not cold and my feet would get wet anyway. i was just grabbing my camera and it's raining a little more.

first soren wasn't so sure if it was okay to go outside but then he started walking happily with the umbrella holding on tight and it started pouring down again. i snapped a few pictures, rescued the camera to the dry spot inside the house and we went for a walk in the rain.

it was fun. we got wet. we found every puddle. every mailbox. i am sure every driver thought we are crazy, but soren had a blast. at the neighbor's house the puddle was almost as deep as his rainboots high and as he got out of it i did hear the water squeaking inside his boots.

button factory REOPENED

Do you remember the first set of handmade buttons? The weekend before this during Soren's nap time I got the the box with my supplies of Fimo and tools out and also the pasta/Fimo machine. The girls got big eyes because they didn't see it before and of course were excited to help making buttons and they had fun and were really good.



After placing them all on the cookie sheet they were really curious how they turn out being baked in the oven. And we did have to give them a second turn in the oven. I do not why, I followed directions and then I forgot them in there. BUT they survived. lol.

Didn't they turn out neat? Most of them are even round. Really round.

Each one cut out by hand.

I didn't say every one was round.



Now we should perhabs find a purpose for the buttons beside being collected in the button jar.

I like them in the button jar.

dusted off

Sometime before Easter I picked out some fabric from my stack for a small tablerunner with some chicks. Just a small project because I didn't touch my sewing machine for a long time. I started by tracing the pattern, but that was IT. And Easter passed with not one stitch sewn.

So now I actually started and got a little further with the first Easter project for 2010 and I had a really early start. LOL. It's not done yet, but eventually it might, hopefully before Easter.



On Friday, I made a trip to Austin with a long shopping list mainly for JoAnns. But I did not really need anything. I was curious about the new store that opened and wanted to stroll through the outlet around the corner there, but didn't really need anything. The shopping list I forgot at home 45 minutes north - had all the items for Karin and my mom listed which we found but one and we will pack everything from ruler to fabric and personally deliver it in Germany.

After picking a cart full of fabric for OTHER people I couldn't resist I brought these home for myself. I just loved the brown with the blue leaves print and the blue flower print.



And you won't believe it. The first strips are already cut and even sewn together as blocks. I switch my design idea for already ten times and probably will keep doing it till the end, but I plan on keeping it simple. It does not need to be too busy this time.

So now I can add two more UFOs to my stack.

wednesday morning

- 6.18 am -

I could write a lot about how I do not really like getting up at 6 am, neither at 6.30. I like sleeping a little bit longer even I have several alarms going off all morning long and forget to turn them off mostly on the weekends, too, if not one of the kids is playing alarm clock anyway. I still would love to sleep in someday.

But one thing I love is being out early with the camera. It hardly ever happens. But the few times we leave early on roadtrips I do enjoy and this morning we just stepped out the front door for a moment right after getting up to catch this view. Priceless.

chiara's missing flute or missing logic

backstory

there are screeching sounds of flutes floating through the house - did I say floating probably more screaming through the house.

the girls discovered the flute they got from oma a long while ago and are practising again since yesterday.

but soren now loves the flute, too.

we have three kids and two flutes in the house.

this morning

isabell and chiara wanted to practise their flutes.

isabell had hers in her hand.

i heard soren playing one (chiara's flute).

chiara is looking all over the place for her flute.

i know where chiara's flute is even without searching. lol

April 17th, 1998

- Downtown Wuerzburg -

A long time ago we didn't have a digital camera, neither a photograph hired to take pictures, but in an album is a small collection of wedding pictures friends and family took when we got married in downtown Wuerzburg, Germany, 11 years ago from today. Adding another another four years by summer, we are together for 15 years. That is a long time. Today is our anniversary, another one we spend apart.

Perhabs for our next anniversary we are able to have dinner for two, just the two of us, even if it is on the just on the patio after the kids are in bed asleep.

Did Easter really sneak up on us?

Or was it just Soren and his little fingers who sneaked UP and INTO the Easter Bread?


The two of us were up before the girls and I sat both of the Easter breads I made the night before on the table to decide which one is for breakfast and which one to take to that lunch. Soren brough a "dull" knife, spoon and one of his bowl to table for me and I took all back and just handed him a banana. I guess it was enough for him. But he seem to like it, because he ate quite a bit more at breakfast, little sneak.

We actually just made it on time to church and the down pour stopped just on time so that the easter egg hunt could take place . All kids were in different groups, so The only one I followed was Soren. I wanted to pick up all the eggs before the hunt started but as soon as they could it was too much comotion for him. He had no clue what to do. LOL. But the basket they gave him was way too big for him to carry and he did not want any help, so it was not an easy handling collecting all kids with him and getting back to the car.

This is not really the my first choice of Easter Picture, lol, but there are not many with all three and it's a quite typical one for the day with Soren.

frohe ostern - happy easter

It is past midnight, the second Easter Bread is baking in the oven and it smells good, but my kitchen is a mess and I am not cleaning it tonight anymore. I am just waiting for the bread to be done. So believe me that I am glad we have no guests coming over tomorrow for brunch, lunch or dinner but are actually going. Don't get me wrong, we were NOT lazy today. We were really busy, the house is pretty clean, lots of loads of laundry got done and even almost all the yard got weeded and fertilized until a sudden shower of rain came.

No matter what. The kids are sleeping, the easter eggs are filled with candy and animals crackers (sorry Soren, Mama is going to exchange most of the candy eggs for you - you are already crazy enough) and the Easter Bread is almost done.

Happy Easter

horses, no bunnies today

The camera was with us all day long. But tucked away in the diaper bag until the evening. Until were out at the arena. There it finally got it out. It was worth taken pictures on a beautiful evening outside, when the sun set, with horses around and the kids happy running around or munching on cookies.

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Soren found a new friend. - May we introduce Ms. Texas to you? - He patted her carefully first while she was munching gras. Then he climbed on her. Just sat on her contently. Never scared. Holding on. Patting her. Grinning from one ear to the other.

Then he decided he wants to get down. Pat her again. And back up. Laying on her. She didn't even feel bothered. He sat on her again. Patting her some more. Until we could leave. He is in heaven on the back of a horse. Of course Heidi likes that.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY - For Daddy & Karola, too.

~ Birthday Wishes ~

Happy birthday, Leland.

A big birthday hug to you we send with lots of love.

Though many miles keep us apart.

Please know on this and everyday

in our heart you never are far away.

Daddy, are you hiding inside your boots?

Karola, wir wuneschen Dir Alles Liebe und Gute zu Deinem Geburtstag.

EGGs or GAGAGLIs

I was asking myself if I really wanted to do it again. If I was really sure that using acylic paints with the kids is a good idea? Just think of all the prep and finding of all the supplies, the clean up, the mess and where all the paint will be stuck on. But right after Easter last year I stopped at the Hobby Lobby which I never used to visit very often - you read carefully - I changed my habit - I go once a while now - lol - and got a box full of Easter crafts for just a few dollars, mark that off, because Leland paid for these with the giftcard I got from him, so I didn't pay anything. And that box was moved from the old house to here and store up in the attic for month so we had to use its contents. And we did.



Soren was right there from the beginning til almost the end painting one, two, three big papermache eggs with a little help. And he was so serious. He hardly smiled. My silly boy was concentrating so hard that he had no time to be silly.



All three kids were busy. The girls too busy to bicker and Soren too busy to put his fingers in his mouth - almost if you look close.

So now we have a pile of painted rabbit boxes and eggs. No really how I intended them to look, but sometimes I am able to let go and let them just do what they want. Just sometimes. And I got to intervene a little with Soren. But the girls are copycats anyway.

We don't have all the pastell or bright colored dotted and striped eggs, but one with Soren's handprint. He kept painting his hand so we had to use it, it was all his idea!

The girls were still painting while Soren already soaked in the tub to get off all the paint from top to bottom. He already wore outgrown clothes so we don't have to scrub so much off.

He is already back to his usually silly self and trying to dump water on the edge of the tub thinking I don't see him.