We're BACK!!

Well we are now back at home, althought it is a day late. Our flight home on Sunday night {9pm} ended up being cancelled!! We started to board the plane and then they had everyone get off the plane and we sat around and were not told a thing. It wasn't until about 11:30 they officially told us our flight was cancelled and they were not sure what they would do about it. It was 1am when we were told they would put us {everyone on the flight} all up at the airport hotel and that we would leave sometime on Monday ~ well the we finally left at 1pm this afternoon so we are home.

Will post more tomorrow!

Guten Tag {Hello}

Greetings from Germany. We have been here almost a week and today is the first time we have had internet access! We have traveled 1300 miles and have had a great time. We started the week in the Triberg, which is in the Black Forest Region of the country, home to Black Forest cake and cuckoo clocks. We walked up a huge hill and viewed the tallest waterfall in the country. We did not get to the top as fog was overtaking the walk and we were tired. Unfortunately, we never did eat any Black Forest cake BUT we did get a cuckoo clock {here it is, Tim and the kids were quite taken by this one}

We then ventured over to Fussen, which is in the Bavarian Alps, and what beautiful scenery! We stayed in a quaint hotel in the middle of the village and used it as our center point for the two days we were in the area. Here we had fabulous traditional German food - pork, sauerkraut, potato dumplings and BEER.

We visited Neuschwanstein Castle which was the inspiration for Walt Disney when creating his catles at the Disney Parks. We can see why he used this location WOW is all I can say about it.

We then left the Alps and headed back up north to Wolfsburg and the Volkswagen Plant and their entertainment facility called Autostadt. On the way to Wolfsburg Tim discovered his 'need for speed'. He enjoyed driving on the Autobahn at speed of up to 190Km per hour {approximately 120 MPH} even at this speed we were being passed as if we were standing still. We head home tomorrow so we will post more then.

Auf Wiedersehen! {goodbye} more when we get back.

Free To Good Home

I have an almost 7 year old girl who is FREE to whomever wants her {not really} but boy is she moody! She is off school today as her half term break has started and she woke up on the WRONG side of the bed. She is just hateful today ~ according to her " we don't have any good food in the house, I just don't appreciate what she is trying to tell me, I need my listening ears checked" and that is just the start of it. She has gotten better as the day has gone on but geez! I am not looking forward to when she gets older if she is this moody already.

On a more positive note, I just finished watching this weeks episode of Survivor and I am really liking this season - the challenges and twists are so good. If you are in the US you can see it for FREE on CBS and if outside of the US you can purchase the episodes via iTunes {worth the money, in my opinion}

Sting is back

Sting has released a new album, 'Songs From the Labyrinth', and I am not quite sure what I think of it. I have always liked his music but this one is just a bit beyond my comfort zone. I have not purchased the album yet as the previews I've listend to on itunes just aren't to my liking. {I think Tim will really enjoy it} The entire album is of songs from Elizabethan composer John Dowland, performed solely by voice and lute. {what is a lute anyway?} 'Songs From The Labyrinth' has topped the Classical Album charts in the USA, UK, France and Germany in its first week of release, and has entered the main UK album chart at #24 and the US Billboard chart at #37. In addition, the album is #11 on Billboard's Internet Chart and top of both the Amazon and Barnes Nobles best seller charts ~ so there are people out there who do like it. I really want to like this but it may take some time.

And He SCORES!!

Andrew had a rugby match today so I spent the afternoon outside in the fresh air. They won the match by a score of 19-17. Andrew scored their first points and I was able to get a picture of it {ok, a not so good picture when you can barely tell it is him, but trust me it is...the arrow is pointing to him}. I am starting to understand the game a bit more and it is kind of fun to watch. I am posting a few of the photos from the match. Yes, I take the camera with me everywhere it seems these days. I just love digital ~ I think I delete 80% of what I take but that is the beauty of digital.

Busy...Busy....

I have decided to have a 'booth' at the Christmas Fair at Maggie's school in November. I have been busy making sample products to have on display. My plan is to have the projects completed and then the materials needed to make that project in a kit including directions. I have not added photos to the projects yet as they are being printed so I will show you the works in progress and then again when they are completed.

• Photos 1 & 2: tabbed board book, I took the plane chipboard book and covered it with patterned papers. I will then finish it with photos, ribbons and other accents.
• Photo 3: Explosion box similar to the one I showed before but in a Christmas theme
• Photo 4: Decorated paint can

I think my favorite is the paint can packaging ~ they are SO easy and fun to do. Maggie and I made one for her friends birthday this past weekend {We used it as the gift 'wrapping'}

Dull and Damp Day

Well today has been a typical English day where we live. The temperature was not too bad but it was humid and foggy. It is days like this you want to stay in your pj's and sit on the sofa and do nothing {at least that is what I wanted to do}.

So what is one to do when the weather is so dull??? GO SHOPPING

I needed a pair of wellingtons{waterproof boots} to wear outside this winter and when things are wet and I found THESE boots ~They are CROCS too!! Of course I could not go with a boring color so I went with the organge, lime green was sold out and I want them NOW so I couldn't wait. The CROCS craze is just hitting Britain now and everyone cannot get enough of them, I seem to be seeing them all over the place now. It is interesting to see how long fads or trends in the US take to hit the UK and vice versa.

I feel pretty...oh so pretty!

Maggie decided that for her birthday this year she wanted a make up table. Rather than get a cheap plastic one I was on a mission to find her something she would not a) break or b) grow out of in 6 months. I was able to find this fabulous one at a local resale shop. {The finish, in its original state, looks much better in the picture than in real life} Princess Maggie decided that she wanted it to be PINK {imagine that} Due to its size we really could not hide it {so she get's an early present} while refinishing it so she was able to help with the process. It is now completed and is in her bedroom and I think she is quite pleased with it...what do you think?

It's A Girl!!

We are proud to introduce the newest member of our family "Millie". Isn't she just the cutest thing you have ever seen? We had final approval on Friday and went and selected this cutie today! I had actually seen her earlier in the week when I met with the breeder {yep, no pound dog for us this time} and had a look at the pups as well as the mother and father. She is an English Springer Spaniel and we will be picking her up on October 30th. We are very excited to have a dog in the family again...check out the look in Maggies's eyes ~ she thought it was wrong for anyone but HER to be holding Millie while we were visiting today :-)

Just in....

We have something in the works at the moment and I am just dying to share it with you all. We have not told anyone about this until now....NO I won't give any hints but I will tell you ALL about it tomorrow once it is sorted out and we have final confirmation. It involves our whole family and it is something good. { at least we think it is} Should I start a poll to see what your guesses are? Just tell us what you think in the comments section.

Sad State of Music

Ok...while taking Maggie to school this morning the people on the radio were talking about this song and the video and they were laughing and making fun of it. I thought, incorrectly mind you, that they were kidding and making the whole thing up. WELLLLLLLL.......it is true...the HOFF {as he is lovingly called} has the #3 song on the UK charts this week. What is the world coming to?

Sunrise This Morning ~

Every morning you are handed 24 golden hours. They are one of the few things in this world that you get free of charge. If you had all the money in the world, you couldn't buy an extra hour. What will you do with this priceless treasure? ~Author Unknown

A new Do!

Went and had my hair cut this morning (no color, back to my natural) ~ it was getting too long and looking awful. 3 inches off later I ended up with a graduated bob. You can get a general idea of how it looks in the photo...kind of hard to take a photo of yourself. Also, no front photo as that would have meant putting on makeup and I couldn't be bothered with it.

OK...kids are home from school and here is their report on the new do;

• Maggie "eww...that is TOO young looking" {what does she know about looking young?}
• Chris " Um...your hair looks like a coconut shell" {hmmm, who asked him anyway}
• Andrew " It is better than it looked before!" {so, was it BAD??}

So...I am not really sure how they feel exactly about the haircut :-)

Weather wise it is a nice fall day. It is a bit humid as the winds are from the Mediterranean but I am not complaining.

More Random Facts

As not much has been going on here, except for the usual laundry and other meaningless tasks, here are more random facts.

Gibraltar is the only place in Europe were you can find wild monkeys.{unless you count my kids}

More people in China speak English than in the United States.

Strawberries have more vitamin c than oranges.

Pigs can run a mile in 7 ½ minutes.

The average person laughs 13 times a day.

Every time you lick a stamp, you're consuming 1/10 of a calorie.{get licking}

"Underground" is the only word in the English language that begins and ends with the letters "und."

Most productive day of the workweek: Tuesday.

Nothing New

Not much to report on today so I leave you with this funny video ~ at least I thought it was :-)

Hi!!

Just another Saturday here at our house. The kids had open days at their schools so they were gone for a few hours. Tim and I took advantage of the time and did a little bit of shopping. He was on a mission to find a pumpkin to carve for Halloween....well after some searching we were able find one, a little one! {Obviously, they aren't into pumpkin carving yet}

Tonight on the BBC a new drama series Robin Hood began and althought this is not the type of show I would usually watch I really enjoyed it. It will be interesting to see if it can keep my attention in further episodes. As it is Saturday,

I will still watch X Factor tonight too! They are at the final selections and those who have been picked for the live performances will be shown tonight.....yeah! No more of the silly audition phase...let the competition begin.

Goodnight Moon

It is getting dark earlier and earlier each day another sign that fall and winter are just around the corner. The moon is so bright tonight ~ you can't really tell but you get the general idea. Since I am talking about the moon here are some moon fun facts for you {in case you go on Jeopardy or Who Wants To Be A Millionaire}

• 225,745 miles from Earth
• radius is 1,080 miles
• The moon is not round, but egg shaped with the large end pointed towards earth
• 12 men have walked on its surface
• Only about 59 percent of the moon's surface is visible to us here on earth

Anything for a FRIEND!!

So after my nonsense post about the oil tank Diana asked if I was going to do a scrapbook page or make cupcakes in honor of the occassion. Well..........ask and you shall receive :-)

I decided to make Peanut Butter Brownie Cupcakes ...YUMMMM! They are chocolate brownies with peanut butter chips and then topped off with peanut butter frosting and best part a peanut butter cup piece. {not a diet food by any means}

Frosting Recipe:

3/4 cup peanut butter

1 cup confectioners sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup softened butter

4 T milk {if needed} to thin frosting

Mix all together and frost.

What a great suggestion Diana ; the kids thank you too!

Who cares about that??

I am posting these photos as Christopher told me ' no one really cares about the oil tank being replaced except YOU!!' Well, he is correct but I am going to do this to annoy him. It seems that is what I do best these days ~ annoy and embarrass the kids!!


Anyway, we did have the oil {actually kerosene} tank replaced. The last time we got the heating fuel the delivery people told me the tank should be condemned and needs to be replaced - what? How am I supposed to take of this? I don't know who to call......after a few calls it was taken care of and has only taken almost 6 months to get fixed. The tank that was replaced was most likely the original and really did need to be addressed. When Tim removed the fence that was around it, he discover that it had a leak. The coolest thing is that the level meter is actually in the house so we {Tim} doesn't need to go outside to see how much fuel we have left!! So I have ordered new fuel[ 1500 Litres at the cost of $836.00 OUCH!] we won't need to order more until January.

Things about FALL ~

As I am sitting here this cool, crisp morning it has me thinking of those things about being in the states [in the fall] that I miss.


Going to the apple orchard to pick apples and pumpkins. I am sure there is something similar to be found around here but it is not the same.

Celebrating Halloween...we always had so much fun carving out the pumpkins and spending too much time thinking about costumes for the kids. PLUS, the added bonus of all the candy in the house to choose from. YES, it is done here but no where near the extent as in the US. In the time we've been here the kids have not dressed up or gone trick or treating; we have had not trick or treaters to the house either. {I don't think the kids miss it, but I do!}

CLOSE FRIENDS.....with so many changes going on in their lives I get to hear about it later on from others or brief notes. It is just not the same as being there. The time difference really stinks! Don't worry I do have 'friends' here but it is not the same...I am not forming the bonds I normally would as I know I will be leaving.

Candy Corn and Peanuts ~ They don't have candy corn so I can't make this treat. Actually, one of the guys who works in Tim's group is in Columbus at the moment...wonder if he will pick some up for me?? Of course he will.....{note to self, have Tim ask him to bring some back}

Touchdown Browns!!

I know the Browns are not having the best of seasons (1-3) but the victory over the Raiders is worthy of celebrating. Now it is impossible for them NOT to have won at least one game this season :-) Unfortunately, we did not get to watch the game as they showed the Baltimore Ravens game instead ~ needless to say, we didn't watch it!

Cleveland Browns tight end Kellen Winslow is congratulated by Cleveland Browns tight end Steve Heiden (82) after Winslow scored against the Oakland Raiders in the third quarter of their NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 1, 2006 in Oakland, Calif. The Browns defeated the Raiders 24-21.

(AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)