Happy Easter Weekend!

Here are a few more vintage Easter postcards for your viewing pleasure!  I hope that you are all having a fantastic weekend! Don & I are off for an FRG Easter Party...  Do you & your family have any special Easter traditions?!

No Le Creuset For Me . . .

Well, *sigh* this morning I checked The Bright Side Project to see who won my Le Creuset French Oven...& it wasn't me.  I didn't win.  BUT...

They allow winners one week to claim their prize, & if that time goes by, others can "swoop", or grab the prize for their own!  I'm hoping the Le Creuset isn't claimed!  :)

I've heard from some of you that you really like The Bright Side Project -- how can you not?!  I think I've entered myself to win almost every item that's been posted.  I'm bound to win something, right?!  Or maybe one of you will win!

Happy Thursday to you all!  I'm about to go shower & get dressed so that I can head to Post & have lunch with my sweetie!  I think that we're going to a little place on Post that serves German food.  It's really good!  And run by only one German woman, which is amazing!

♥,
Amanda

If You Like Giveaways . . .

Then you will love this blog that I just found: The Bright Side Project. Every single day, the post an item {or a few!} that is up for grabs.  All that you have to do is answer a quick question that has something to do with the giveaway item.  Easy, right?!  And they are giving away some really awesome things!  Here are a few of my favorites from the past few days...

Personalized Calling Cards from Dingbat Press 

Beauty Products from Hard Candy

A French Oven From Le Creuset {please let me win this, please please please!}

There are many many more giveaways still open, so go check it out!  Who knows...maybe you'll win!  And if you do, will you share?!  :)  Or at least let me know what you won!

Super Bowl Midnight

Super Bowl Sunday. More like Super Bowl Midnight for us!  And we didn't quite make it...

Don was in the field Saturday & didn't get home until about 2:30am.  We slept in Sunday morning & were lazy around the house just playing with the dogs, watching TV, & me doing a bit of cleaning!  But even so, our chances for staying awake to watch the game, which aired at midnight here, were slim to none.  But we did it!  To an extent...  Watching Prison Break {our new show} & playing Wii kept us from sleeping, but when the game started up & we were snuggled in the oversized chair together...well, let's just say that when I woke up, Don was asleep!  So off to bed we went around 1:30.  Oh well...  It was kinda fun falling asleep together in our big cozy chair :)

What did you do for the Super Bowl?!  And what were the good commercials?  On the Armed Forces Network here, they cannot broadcast the commercials...so we missed all that!

Let's Say Thanks

I was looking through some friends' pages on Facebook just now & stumbled upon some information about a website called Let's Say Thanks, & I just had to share it!

At this website, you can choose a card design that you like, enter a message plus your name & hometown, click send, & Xerox will print the card & send it to a soldier who is serving overseas!  This only takes a minute & would bring such a smile to whoever receives it!  What a fabulous idea!

Sometimes, I think we are so appreciative of what our soldiers do for us that it's hard to think of the right way to say Thank You.  But it is amazing how BIG of an impact even a small thing can have.  A Thank You card, a book, a box of cookies...

So head over to Let's Say Thanks . Com & send a card to a soldier.  It only takes a minute but its impact will last much longer than that!

4 1/2 Hours & They're STILL Here!

hey" being two Hausmeisters who are here to fix our radiators!  I had no idea that the problem was this bad!

So, now that the weather is turning cold, we have started to need heat in the house.  Come to find out the radiators on the second floor (where the bedrooms are, of course!) do not work at all!  Yesterday, I called to schedule a time for them to be looked at.  Eight a.m. this morning, the Hausmeister arrived.  It is now 12:40 & not only did he call a colleague to come help him, but they are still hard at work!  And a word that I have been frequently hearing them say is kaputt!  Not good...

Layla & Lucius, poor doggies, have been in their kennels since 8!  And it turns out that the heat controls are behind a panel in the wall of their dog room!  At this point, they doing even care anymore that there are two strange men in the room with them.  It's been that long.

So here I sit in my Under Armour workout pants & sweatshirt (my "temporary" outfit since I thought I'd be showered & dressed by at least 9!), puppies crying once in a while for me to please let them out, two German men going up & down my stairs, & still...kaputt.

But at least I have someone to fix my radiators!  At least I have Layla & Lucius to "protect" me & make sure that I'm alright having these men in the house!  At least we have heat!  And now that it's been almost 5 hours, I'm hoping the worst is behind us :)

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On another completely different topic, I noticed on Facebook that a friend of mine posted a "Status Cloud", similar to the "Label Cloud" I have here on the blog that shows the different topics I have posted about.  {I have it under the header "Post Topics", though.  Makes more sense than it being a "cloud"!}  The larger the word, the more frequently it has been used!  Same with the "Status Cloud".  Kinda neat!  Out of curiosity about what words I have used most over the entirety of my Facebook "life", I decided to generate one of my own, based on all of the statuses I have ever posted.  Here is what was created:

Sounds like me, doesn't it?  :)

BOO!

oo!  Happy Halloween, everyone!  I hope that you all have a very fun & spooky day!  I'm not big on Halloween myself (I look forward to Thanksgiving & Christmas much more!), but I like seeing the little kiddos dressed up & looking cute!  Especially the babies in their tiny costumes!  That's what I look forward to :)  But with that said, I hope that each one of you enjoys your favorite parts about Halloween, whatever they may be!  What are you dressing up as this year?  Maybe it will give Don & I some last minute inspiration :)

{Out-Of-Print, But Oh So Cute!}

I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library. - Jorge Luis Borge

As I was perusing one of my favorite sites just now, AbeBooks.com, I found a neat category of books that they are featuring: Out-Of-Print Cookbooks.  They have compiled the top ten books of this type that have been sold on their site, & I am lovin' the covers of some of them!  How fun!  And many of these cookbooks can be purchased for quite a low price.  How tempting to buy them just for their fun, vintage feel!  Wouldn't they look cute beside my other cookbooks?!

Just one more reason why I love old books!  They have so much personality, don't you think?!

God's Day

Recently, I was re-reading one of my very favorite books, Mrs. Mike, the story of Katherine Mary Flannigan, a young girl from Boston who moved to the Canadian wilderness to live with her Uncle & ended up falling in love with Sergeant Mike Flannigan of the Canadian Mounted Police.  Together, they experienced the hardships & adventures of life, & the story truly made me fall in love with reading!  My Mom introduced me to this book when I was probably in Middle School, if not younger, & I've loved it ever since.  It's an old book, with a copyright date of 1947, which adds to its charm!  Last Christmas, my Mom surprised me with my very own copy, from 1947 & all.  I was so excited!  (Side note!  If you're looking for old books, out of print books, rare books, any kind of book, check out AbeBooks.com.  It's fantastic!  This is where my Mom was able to find my Mrs. Mike!)  But back to the story...

So, recently I have been reading this book again.  It's a bit like comfort food, a piece of home in this foreign country.  But the other day, I found something there that I hadn't seen before!  As I laid in bed, reading to take my mind off things, two pieces of paper fell out of the back of the book.  On one piece, which I could tell was old because it was yellowed, there were notes written in a woman's handwriting.  The other paper had a typed message on it entitled "God's Day."  I think that I got goosebumps!  With all that was on my mind at the time & all that I seemed to be worrying about, this literally falls into my lap out of a book from the '40s!  And the message is wonderful...

God's Day

"There are two days in the week upon which & about which I never worry -- two carefree days kept sacredly free from fear & apprehension.  One of these days is Yesterday.  Yesterday, with its cares & frets & pains & aches, all its faults, its mistakes & blunders, has passed forever beyond my recall.  It was mine; it is God's.

The other day that I do not worry about is Tomorrow.  Tomorrow, with all its possible adversities, its burdens, its perils, its large promise & performance, its failures & mistakes, is s far beyond my mastery as its dead sister, Yesterday.  Tomorrow is God's day; it will be mine.  There is left, then, for myself but one day in the week -- Today.  Any person can fight the battles of today.  Any woman can carry the burdens of just one day; any man can resist the temptation of today.  It is only when we willfully add the burdens of these two awful eternities -- Yesterday & Tomorrow -- such burdens as only the Mighty God can sustain -- that we break down.

It isn't the experience of Today that drives people mad.  It is the remorse of what happened Yesterday & fear of what Tomorrow might bring.  These are God's Days ... Leave them to Him."

How wonderful is that!  And how true!  And to me, familiar, as I remember my incredible Mom sharing a very similar thought with me when I was young, & worried about something...  She told me God has already been to Tomorrow.  He has walked there already, He has seen what is to come, He knows just what it will bring; Tomorrow is not unknown to everyone :)  And by trusting in God, who knows all of our Tomorrows, we are trusting in Him who can perfectly lead us through each day of our life.  I think about this often, & cling to it when I worry.  And my Mom too!

So, thank you to the woman who slipped the thoughts of "God's Day" into her copy of Mrs. Mike long ago.  It fell into my lap when I needed to be reminded of it the most.  Thank you to my wonderful & brilliant Mom who has shared comforting thoughts with me since I was so young.  And thank you, God, for carrying my Yesterdays & my Tomorrows for me!

Mmm... Hello, October!

Mmm, my thoughts exactly!  (Except for me, add some of the beautiful Fall leaves in too!  I've been collecting them from around the neighborhood :)  Then, I press them flat in one of my big cookbooks!  I'm making a collage on the wall by our front door :)  Aren't I silly?!)  Thank you to the fabulous Mary over @ ItsPrettyGood.com for this photo!  I always love her work!

Well, Don wasn't able to come home last night until about 8pm!  But I must say, I did a fabulous job with dinner!  It was so yummy!  It isn't easy prepping for dinner when you aren't sure when you'll actually be eating!  But my pasta wasn't sticky, the meatballs were nice & warm.... Mmm.  That takes practice!  Especially for an 8:15 dinner :)

Thanks to the two lovely ladies who have commented on the new blog layout!  Love you both!  And not just because you leave comments :)  I like this layout too!  And once we get closer to Christmas, you know I'll be changing it again!

Happy Friday, everyone!  Enjoy your day, & have a fabulous weekend!  ♥  ♥  ♥

PS ~ I love blogging!  I hope you love reading!  Or else...this is just kinda an online journal!  Still love blogging :)

Layla Can Catch!! And Pumpkins :)

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First off, what do you think of the new look of the blog?!  Anyone who knows me knows that I love baking, so the cupcake is fitting for that reason as well as because it is sweet...like our life together :)  Cheesy?!  Yes, but true!  Let me know how you like this new look!  I may change it again, we'll see...but I love these colors!

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So, ever since Layla came home with us, we've tried once in a while to get her to catch her treats.  No luck.  Until today!  Previously, we had been doing this with little treats; today I used halves of Milkbones...  And VOILA!  She can catch!  I praised her again & again, & she looked at me like, "It's no big deal!  So I can catch!  Psh!" as though she'd been able to do it all along!  What a gal :)

As I write this, I'm waiting for my hunny to get home.  He wasn't home last night because they were in the field shooting...and it's 7:30 & still no hunny!  I'm making Spaghetti with Meatballs & Garlic Bread for dinner.  The meatballs are made, the sauce is made, the bread is ready to put into the oven....  As soon as Don calls, in goes the pasta, etc!  I'm ready!  I've even cleaned up the house, lit candles, fluffed pillows...  Is he home yet?!

I received this email from my Uncle today, & I thought it was cute!  What a neat comparison between pumpkins & what God does for us; a combination that seems strange, but the similarities really are neat to think about!

Being a Christian is like being a pumpkin. God lifts you up, takes you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. He opens you up, touches you deep inside and scoops out all the yucky stuff-- including the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside you to shine for all the world to see. This was passed on to me from another pumpkin. Now, it is your turn to pass it to a pumpkin. I liked this enough to send it to all the pumpkins in my patch. Happy Fall!"

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This edit added on October 2 @ 3:30pm...
I found this quote just now & found it perfect for my talk about prepping dinner!  Cute!

"There is no spectacle on earth more appealing than that of a beautiful woman in the act of cooking dinner for someone she loves." ~Thomas Wolfe

Crazy Music That Germans Love! Had To Share...

So, German radio is quite interesting.  They play a TON of what we listen to in the States, mixed with an interesting variety of old American music ranging from the 50's to the 80's (they LOVE the 80's!), & more.  But then.....then, there is the music I've never heard of that they love here.  These songs I'm posting are on the radio all the time & they crack me up!  But sadly...I hear them so often that now I'm beginning to sing along!  Ah!  See what you think!

Jungle Drum by Emiliana Torrini

Stadt by Cassandra Steen, featuring Adel Tawil
(I actually like this song!)

We're Golden by Mika
(This is ridiculous!  On the radio ALL THE TIME!)

And the classic...

Hooked on a Feeling by David Hasselhoff!!
(This explains German music videos perfectly!!)

Ah!  I can't find the one song that I really wanted to post!  I will keep looking.  But this is just a glimpse into what we hear around here other than American music!  Interesting, huh?! 

Great Danes Are So Sweet!

Found this video on You Tube that shows perfectly just how sweet Layla is, even when she's trying to sleep!  Watch this kitten snuggle around the Great Dane, chew on her ears, paw at her face, & the Great Dane does nothing!  What sweeties they are :)

In other news, sorry that I haven't updated recently!  Don's parents are here still, & we are having such a nice visit!  Our travels have been so lovely, & our time together has been wonderful!  I will post more about it all when I get the chance!

Love to you all!

Go Pokes!!!

My Oklahoma State Cowboys are set to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated's College Football Issue, & I couldn't be more excited!  We're placed at #7 to start off the season, & of course, I'm here in Germany without any way to watch even one game!  :(  But I will stay updated some other way, I assure you!

GO COWBOYS!!!

Check out the OSU Alumni Association article here!

 

Man, do I miss Stillwater!  My brother is back there for the fall semester, & I asked if he could send me a copy of the magazine.  And maybe a postcard too...  I'm going through OSU withdrawal, apparently!  I told him that I wish I could meet him at the Union for lunch, or hang out reading in the Library, or eat at the local popular restaurants (Joe's, Hideaway, etc!!).  I've even had dreams of being back there!  Funny how that works now that I'm on the other side of the world.  I think I'll go curl up under my OSU blanket now :)

We're Getting A Mini Cooper S!

Don & I have ordered our Mini Cooper S!!!!!!  I'm so excited!  I've been wanting one for a long time, especially since we decided to come to Germany.  What a cute car for Europe!  And practical too!  Going over little bridges, squeezing through tight one-way cobblestone streets & underneath arches!  Perfect!

We went test-driving on Saturday, & obviously we liked it :)  We drove the regular Mini first, which was very nice.  But as soon as Don put his foot to the gas pedal in the Mini Cooper S, we were SOLD!  It was the Sport for us!  That baby has speeeeeed!  Can't wait to drive it on the Autobahn!

We had been thinking about the Mini for so long that we knew what we wanted.  The very cool British man at the dealership who was helping us suggested looking at currently available Minis in the area to see if we could find any that fit what we were looking for.  There were more convertibles than anything, unfortunately.  But he stumbled upon a chili red Mini that is to be made next week, & it has no VIN number or anything!  He called his boss & they decided it must be for a showroom car or something, not for a customer.  They told us if we could decide that day, they would put in our order on this car & hopefully it will be made for us instead of for a showroom!  And so *fingers crossed* we put in our choices for color, etc. & are hoping that we will get this car!  The other way would be to wait at least 2 months for it to be made for us as a 2010 model.  If the first option will work, we should have our Mini around the 1st week of September!

The Mini Cooper S that we ordered will look like the one in the picture above: British Racing Green with white bonnet stripes, white mirror caps, & a white roof!  The salesman, a Brit, was very happy with our choice as this is the traditional style for the British-made Mini Cooper :)  Here is a photo of a 1977 Mini Cooper with the British Racing Green & white details that ours will have.  Classic, huh?!  I am so excited to have our own!

Don is so good to me :)  And I've assured him that he can take the Mini whenever he'd like to drive it -- we will share it like everything else!  But Layla will have to stay in our old BMW...  Although, I have quite the image of her in our Mini, head out the sunroof, ears blowing in the German wind!  You know it'd be cute!!

New Neighbors | Pink Butter Cupcakes

There are about four or five empty government townhouses on our street, waiting to be filled with new neighbors.  And today, we have a big moving van in the street unloading for one of those houses!  (I can't believe it's been almost two months since we were doing that!)  I'm reminded of the sweet neighbors who came to our house to introduce themselves shortly after we arrived, & so I'm thinking Don & I will have to do the same for the new family!

As I was thinking about this & glancing at some of my new favorite blogs, I found the perfect thing to fit my thoughts (& cravings, perhaps!):

From It's Pretty Good .Com

How cute is that?!  ♥

Life In The German Countryside

What a beautiful day here in Auerbach!  I've been working in the yard, doing laundry, cleaning, prepping dinner.....  a.k.a. counting down the minutes until Don will be home from another busy day of work :)  He has had so much to do this week because they are getting ready to do some training in the field starting next week.  We live close to the Graffenwoehr training area (which is apparently the largest in all of Europe & is used by all NATO countries for military training), so I should be able to hear the artillery while Don is in the field -- something I have enjoyed since living at Fort Sill!  :)


Took some pictures recently of the yard (see my new blue hydrangeas?!), along with a few of one of the neighborhood cats.  Don has named him Boots.  Or Mittens if it's a girl!  There are many stray cats in the area, but we see Boots most often.  He even almost came in through the back door one day!  Layla was upstairs asleep, or else that never would have happened!  She isn't fond of the cats.  I think she's scared of them!  She barks & barks, & Boots just stands there staring at her, head held high, knowing that Layla won't jump the fence.

One day, however, during one of our lovely German downpours, I spied Boots across the pathway behind our house, snug as a bug nestled underneath the hedge, fast asleep.  I'm not much of a cat person, but he did look awfully cute there as the rain came pouring down.  I decided to take pictures from the kitchen.  Not close enough.  As I opened the door to creep outside, Layla bolted around me & gave Boots such a scare!!  He quickly backed up further into the hedge, but had nowhere to go!  His back raised up, his hair stood on end, & I saved him from big mean Layla by taking her inside :)  Although she's many times his size, I'm pretty sure Layla was just as scared as Boots!

A Good Start To The Weekend ♥

It's 3:30 & I've already accomplished a lot today!  Done some gardening, cleaned the house, took Layla to the Park & also for a nice walk, cleaned the kitchen, talked to my wonderful brother on Skype, wrote a letter to a friend...  It feels good to get things done!  And now I can get things done since I'm finally feeling better!  There's something about finally getting over being sick that gives me a lot of energy & optimism about doing things :)

Two of Don's friends from West Point will be visiting this weekend, which is going to be a lot of fun!  That's part of the reason that I did so much cleaning!  Now the house looks & smells good, & I'm about to make some of Lauren's Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars for everyone!  Including myself :)

The weather here lately has been rainy & overcast for the most part.  We've had big thunder & lightning storms the past few nights!  But today, it was hot!  And I wish that Germans had air conditioning!  I don't understand why they go without it!  I need to get some more fans...or install screens on the doors & windows that don't already have them so that they can stay open without letting all the bugs in :)  Oh, the little things!

Hope that you all have a fabulous weekend!

ItsPrettyGood.Com

Great Dane Training!

Long before we got Layla, I stumbled upon a blog called "The Adventures of Kaya and Luna" created by an Austrailian woman who is a pet phographer.  She & her husband have (well, one passed away recently...) two Great Danes that are basically the focus of the blog, & I love seeing them!  Now that Don & I have a Dane of our own, it will be fun to see what good pictures we come up with!

Recently, there was a video on the blog showing the training of their current Dane, Luna.  So cute!  After watching it, Layla & I did some training of our own!  Practice makes perfect!  She's very good at sitting, laying down, & shaking, as well as going to her bed!  We're really practicing "Stay" right now, though!  She's getting better!

Here's the video!  Maybe I just like it because we have a Dane girl of our own now, but I thought some of you might get a kick out of it!  I'll post a video of our own someday soon, I bet!

Back From Chicago!

Quick update just to let everyone know that we are safely back from Chicago!  We got in about 1pm yesterday after a very long trip!  Especially for me; I only slept for about 45 minutes on the plane ride from Chicago to Dusseldorf, & another 45 from Dusseldorf to Nuremberg.  Don, on the other hand, slep almost the entire first flight!  But that's ok, he's the one who had to go to work this morning, so I'm glad he got the rest!  :)

It's so nice to be back.  There is something about coming back to a new home for the first time that really makes it feel like home!  Home in Germany!

I'll post pictures soon, but here's one fun one of Don & I on the bus after the ceremony with Gerry & Amy & the rest of the wedding party.  We had a great time!!