Saturday, May 7, 2011

GREAT morning at the ball park today!  The sun was shining, Adam made a couple of really smart plays, and his team won by one point in the last inning.  Super exciting!

Friday, May 6, 2011

I snapped this photo of Lukie watching a little movie after I had sat and stared at him for about 15 minutes, having one of those Mom Moments when I can't believe how perfect and adorable my child is and how much I love him.  For me, these always happen when they aren't making any noise or messes.

I think this Mom Moment was also brought on by the Mother's Day card he gave me after school today:
 I especially like the part where he rats me out for "letting" him make his own sandwiches and cereal for breakfast and dinner. 

At least he likes me.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

We call this meal "Stone Soup" because that is Lukie's favorite bedtime story, and we are trying to convince him to like this veggie soup.  It hasn't worked.

However, it is my favorite dinner for three reasons:  1) It is very easy to make, 2) I make it in my crockpot, so it is perfect for evenings when I have limited time to make dinner, and 3) It tastes really good.  So, whether or not Luke can be convinced, we have this every couple of weeks or so.  And, it is especially good with a crusty roll from the bakery.

Here is the recipe if you are interested:

1 lb. ground beef, browned with 1 chopped medium onion

1 liter of vegetable juice (V8) (about 4 cups)

2 cups chicken or beef broth

4 carrots, chopped

4 potatoes, diced (I don't peel)

1 14 oz can corn

1 14.5 oz can green beans

1 zucchini, sliced (again, don't peel)

garlic powder to taste

salt and pepper to taste

pinch of ginger

Toss it all in the crockpot and simmer for 7-8 hours on low or 5-6 hours on high.  It is even better the next day, so keep the left-overs!

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

There are no words - seriously, no words - to describe how much I love Amazon.  I hate to shop in general.  The whole wandering around and browsing makes me want to yawn just thinking about it.  And it is only worse here in Germany because I can't read the signs telling me what the different sections are or what is in each aisle.  So I have to wander up and down each aisle looking for the one item I came in to buy.  Torture!

But, then I found amazon.de (oh, the emotion!).  Yes, it is all in German, but at home on my computer I can just open another window with google translate and I am good to go.  We are Amazon Prime customers (brag, I know), so the two-day shipping is free.  The beauty of amazon.de is that Germany is such a small country that most things arrive the next day.  So, whenever I need something, I simply order it, and it shows up on my doorstep lickity-split.  All I have to do is smile at the nice deliveryman, sign my name, utter a quick "Danke" and I have whatever I need.  Beautiful!

This is the Amazon pile that arrived today.  Jessica is going on a five-day hike for her school trip next week, so she needed some gear.  Thanks again, Amazon!

(Oops.  I mean Danke schön!)

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

I know, I know.  There are WAY too many pictures of flowers on my blog.  I'm trying to stop...but...

...how can I not post a photo of this pink, flowery bush?  It makes me smile every time I approach my house.

Monday, May 2, 2011

No, this is not the Amazon jungle.  This is my driveway.  

Something about the sunshine and spring weather has made the neighbor's tree go wild, and it is spilling over greatly into our space.  In order to get in the driver's side, I have to thrash my way through the branches, covering myself with dusty, polleny stuff.  And those spindly branches below are a rose bush - don't even get me started on the thorns.

I think I need a machete!

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Today, Silvia arrived - a cute, cute young woman from Italy who will be staying with us this month while she learns German.  She is trying to finish her university degree in Foreign Literature, so she needs to learn German in order to complete the German reading requirements (killer major, eh?).  Silvia contacted the church here looking for a member family with a room to spare, so we offered her the guest room and bathroom in our basement.  It's not fancy, but it's free.  

When she came, she brought us some food from the town in Italy she is from.  I don't remember the name, but it is a tiny town near the beach in southern Italy, in the heel of the boot.  Since she is still new here, I didn't want to get in her face with my camera, so I just took a photo of the sweet food she brought.  

Maybe once she's been here a while I will get a picture of the actual person.  For now, you'll just have to take my word for it that she is here.