I have learned a new word- it is one that I needed to know a long time ago since love to eat them all the time. Charcuterie- the art of making sausage and other cured or preserved meats. I have such admiration for charcuterie and those who get to dabble in it often. I love to combine sausages, salamis, pepperonis with olives, cheese, refreshing fruits and vegetables such as cucumbers, grapes, kumquats and berries. And then I LOVE to put is all together on a wood cutting board in which I am the proud owner of at least a dozen... Continue reading

With every Swanky Graffiti order I include a small decal as my token of your appreciation. I have several hand drawn hearts and one of them will for sure be in your package. Below are some examples of how you could use yours. Other fun places could be on your computer, the back of your smart phone, applicances, mirrors, dressers or other furniture. Have fun with it! Continue reading

You got your decal! Ya! Now to decide where you would like to put it. The best places are mostly smooth and not gritty or dusty. I am going to show you how to adhere it to wood and turn it into a sign keepsake that you can do in very little time. Scaps of wood that I have laying around- these are approximately 6x6 for a 5x5 decal. Supplies needed: Wood, decal, foam paint brush, sandpaper,acrylic paint, sealer, painters tape, sawtooth hanger. Your decal could come in any shape- if needed you could cut around it so you can... Continue reading

Or it may just be European style, but I can't be positive... Back in America, we paid all over our bills online and we still do for the most part. But here, they pay bills differently since they are very anti- credit card. You get a little bill in the mail that looks like this. Of course it is in German, so if you don't completely understand it, you must take the time to translate it. I must do this with this particular bill because I have no idea what it is about and they want approximately $90 from me.... Continue reading

This year we got to attend twice! The first round was during the day with the kids and the second round was a weekend evening, just Keith and I and we stayed the night in Munich. Love fest season. We really only took pictures the first time around. A big camera is a lot to take care of in this type of environment. We hopped a train with every other fest attender and really, this should be considered the pre-party. Though we did not partake, Bridger was surrounded by happy Germans. (sometimes I just hate my fancy camera and someday... Continue reading

For Labor Day Weekend we decided very last second to spend it in Austria, the land of Alps, yodeling, Sound of Music and beauty. It was a delightful good time and and the weather was very reasonable. It seems typical that every time we try to go to the alps- the clouds move in so we can't see the tops of the mountains. We got lucky this weekend. We took the train all the way there which was really nice. Keith is a horrific driver and always tries to kill us on the Autobahn. So we usually spend a few... Continue reading

I have been complimented way too many times on my Edamame that I feel I must inform the world that there is NO reason to BOIL them to death! It is completely unnecessary and really makes what could be very appealing not so quite delightful. Boiled vegetables is almost never the answer. So here is my Edamame where I DON"T follow the directions on the package! First, buy the dumb frozen bags of them. If you are like us, buy 3 at a time because one is never enough. When you get a craving, heat up a pan with a... Continue reading

These are things that caught my fancy while on Vay-cay. They could be either cute or weird, just depends on you. I thought this scented toilet paper I found in Croatia was super cute and weird! The 2 scents were peach and lavender which are grown locally. And low lovely would it be to have your rear end smell of fruit and flowers? Beer- in 2.5 liter plastics bottles. They sell just as they would Pepsi in the States. I hate 2 liter bottles of just about everything because it goes flat so quickly and I will never know about... Continue reading

This is starting to turn into a travel blog.... I am not really digging that because we do so much more. I am totally going to be better about adding other things here. But in the meantime, we did travel for 2 weeks in July to Croatia and Slovenia. Our goals were to go someplace warm and to do a whole lot of nothing. Typically we are very busy on vacation, but this time we did a lot of laying around in the sun, reading, visiting with each other and new friends. We also wanted to visit a location that... Continue reading

No apologies from me for being away for so long! I hate when other people do that on their blogs. Fact is, I need a break every once in a while and I have a life. This is one of the first things that always goes when I am busy. Though I am happy to report that I am busy HAVING FUN! I feel like I need to post a few more pics of the Greece trip because it just is not complete yet. And when I turn our European adventures into a family book, the kids will know I... Continue reading

Several months ago I put up a large chalkboard in my living room via vinyl because my head was nearly splitting with ideas of what to do with it. Then time go away from me! I want traveling, shopping, working, eating, reading, entertaining, etc. etc. Today I finally accomplished Idea #1 using my new, renter, military family, friendly chalkboard. Should I mention that my subject matter wasn't exactly thrilled with me. She just got done telling me I should be more OCD about the dishes in the sink. I explained I would happy in being OCD to make sure SHE... Continue reading

Munchen is such a fun city to visit and one that decided to keep their quaintness after the war. They voted to rebuilt their city to look just like it did before the bombs were dropped. I am going again this week but last week I went with Bridger's class to go hang out at an art museum and then visit the food market. The only art piece I was interested in is the one of a food market. This painting is 400 years old and I like to admire the variety of fruits and vegetables that was available. This... Continue reading

After 24 hours in Athens we headed to the yacht to start our adventure. It was pouring rain and somewhat chilly. The first night we stayed in the marina, planned our route, opened champagne to celebrate our upcoming adventure and had dinner on the pier. The next morning after breakfast, we were due to leave for the first little cove where we could hang out, sunbathe, swim, eat lunch, and relax. I had just showered and was on the deck hoping to blow dry my hair. Unfortunately within 30 minutes I was super sick and cold. I stayed that way... Continue reading

In the last few years I have come to a realization that has changed the course of my life a tad bit. I don't know why it took me this long to discover it and if you are much younger than me, I hope you realize it sooner. So here it is........... Things don't make you happy, so trying to acquire a house and garage full of them will make you happy for about 12 minutes- but I find that experiences, memories, and the family and friends to share them with will bring you happiness for years to come. With... Continue reading

Oh man, it was the best. I might even say it rivals Italian food (downright beats northern Italian food for sure). All the tastes of Greece really made the trip for me because I now have memories that I can bring home and recreate. One thing you should pick up right away while visiting there is that lemon can be squeezed on just about everything and it is absolutely delightful. We had lemon on our greek salads, beans, stuffed grape leaves, lentils, steak and fried potatoes! Just can't go wrong! The lemons trees were bountiful on every island we visited.... Continue reading

Greece was a fairly enjoyable adventure. I will say that I had something else in mind about how the trip would turn out versus what really happened. Live and learn. But with that being said, the kids had a great time even though the weather turned out to be chilly. And Keith read 3 books that week, so after a particularly demanding work schedule, he was completely relaxed. Upon our arrival to Athens, we surprised the kids with a Segway tour of the acropolis. They already thought it was the best vacation ever. We went all over the ruins of... Continue reading

It is difficult to contain oneself when you know that you only have so much time in Europe and you don't have to pay to ship your belongings back to the US. One must plan to make a lot of purchases while still have money to travel and not go into the hole. It is a process!! Thus far, I have acquired 2 sets of dish ware. One Polish which the collection is not quite finished and one Italian. I don't think that collection is quite finished either. I really have my eye on a set of french cookware, but... Continue reading

It has been a goal of mine in moving to Europe to collect dishes and cookware that I would love to use for the rest of my life. All the finer kitchenware that exists is made in Europe and then shipped to the US and prices jacked up to 10 times the amount that you can buy directly from the source. Nove would be a fine example of where you can buy Williams Sonoma, Tiffany, and Vietri dishes for a tenth of the price. I have been once and it only whetted my appetite so we made the easy 6... Continue reading

My offspring are finally starting to fly successfully from the nest..... Bridger made honor roll for the first time and we were all thrilled for him and his accomplishments. When I think about the journey we have made together over the years, it chokes me up that we have come this far. Just to recap for dramatic effect, Bridger has struggled with school since day one. His first elementry school convince me that he needed medication in order to learn. Then I spent thousands at Sylan Learning Center because they promised me the world. What a complete waste of money!... Continue reading

Heart stopping because I just got done cooking 2 pounds of bacon for the kids and considered cooking another pound of sausage to go along with it! One of their favorite things is a great home cooked breakfast where I don't ration out the meat. And some pancakes to go along side the bacon. They are going to be so excited when they wake up today! (No school either! How exciting) Some other suprises.... I hearted them! One boy style on girl style!! And of course, just a tiny bit of candy. I just can't resist the cute chocolate creatures... Continue reading

Country Living Magazine Love the mix of modern with the not so modern. I have aquired several of these pizza boards and cutting boards to pretty much store away until I return to the US. I have bought many dough bowls but have kept none of them for myself. That is about to change!! Love how they are displayed above the window on a shelf Continue reading

So my previous post! Ridiculous! But was completely my state of mind so I am not changing a thing! To include the misspellings. So when I have my Blog Book made, I will read it just laugh hysterically. That is the way I roll.....sometimes. So, last year was supposedly the worst winter here as far as cold and snowfall. My German neighbors told me so. So now that my back is killing me because all the shoveling I have done, I asked my neighbors once again about their statement last year. And they corrected themselves. THIS YEAR is the WORST... Continue reading

I am the last person on earth to be sentimental over a house! I have lived in so many over my last 36 years that I find it odd that I am so attached to this one. When I see this house every emotion across the spectrum comes up in me! I have had many splendid times in this house, but I have also been at the deepest depth of despair. And the interesting thing is it involved all the same characters from my highest to my lowest moments. I have always had someone to share my wide arrange of... Continue reading

A couple of weeks ago I bought Keith his Christmas present and I think it is pretty great also! It is called a riddling Rack and it hails from France. It holds a 120 bottles of wine because that is Keith's obsession, but in France I believe it was meant for champagne. It is absolutely beautiful and just needs a little TLC to clean it up. Unfortunately will have to spend its time in Germany in our basement because we don't have the room but someday it will sing with all it glory for everyone to appreciate! Years ago in... Continue reading