The Saturday Update

It started as a slow week here, getting a big project finished up but has ended in a mad rush of preparing to go away and finishing up the month on a high.

I had parents' evening for Joshua's nursery which had me excited and nervous in equal measure. His start date is coming up way too fast.

I had a lovely girls night that went on very late. It was so good to catch up with good friends and my wonderful hubby put the kids to bed for a third night this week.

Yesterday was baby swimming and a mad rush of jobs - washing, cleaning, shopping, packing...

...I'm still finishing up this morning but hopefully it will all be worth it when we get back to nature and enjoy some quality family time! Roll on hols!

Links!

Love this kind of inspiration.

What a crazy food story.

Great news for feminists.

I would love to visit this.

Some good tips for a different declutter.

Interior decor tips.

A future craft project.

For when the diet is over.

September Goals Review

Well, September was a successful month here!

• Make a dress - done!
• Start a calligraphy course - done!
• Two new recipes (healthier eating) - done!
• Two letters - done!
• Finish my photography course - done!

Clothes Party

As I mentioned, we were at a kids clothes party at the weekend. A friend of a friend sews children's clothes and sells them in a shop in Bremen as well as online. She also offers these parties on weekends and evenings.

This was the second one I have been to. At the first I bought a top and trousers for Isabella. This time I got her a hooded jacket and skirt, and Joshua trousers, slippers and a hat, all for 48 Euros.

Now I am planning my own party for November. I'm going to invite all the mums I know from different groups and hope to get a few of them together.

It's nice to feel like we're really putting roots down and building up contacts through the children.

Recipe: Salmon Fish Cakes

Ingredients:

• 300g salmon
• 1 small onion
• Chives
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1tbsp mustard
• 1tbsp lemon juice
• 1 large egg
• Pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Combine the ingredients in a bowl.

2. Form into five patties and fry for about ten minutes each side over a medium heat.

Make it Monday - Pompom!

Today I made my first pompom using the pompom maker from my knitting course.

It's one of four I need to finish up a bigger project I'm hoping to share here soon.

I found an online tutorial through google and got to work. I'm so pleased with the finished pompom, much better than the one I made using my hand.

Looking forward to piecing the final project together.

Weekly Wisdom

Be a girl with a mind,

a woman with attitude,

and a lady with class.

The Saturday Update

It's been a really busy week here. It started with World Children's Day on Sunday.

On Monday Isabella had her taster day at Kindergarten and both kids loved it. We're both excited for her to start next month. I also went to a drums alive class - it's rapidly becoming my favourite.

We had brunch with the yoga mums on Tuesday - always a lovely catch up.

Wednesday was quieter, getting some jobs done at home. In the evening I had parents' evening which was exciting.

Isabella had a playdate on Thursday and we stayed for dinner. The weather was glorious.

Yesterday we cycled to baby swim in the sunshine and in the afternoon we had a child's birthday party.

Today I'm at two more parties - clothes for the kids and make up in the afternoon. Sunday will be a day of rest!

Links!

So pleased for my friend and her business.

And my cousin who's doing some fab things in baking.

Fun with photo shop.

Recently discovered this amazing lady and her Ted talks.

This looks perfect for an autumn evening.

A modern take on Disney princesses.

This is our life right now.

Some help in finding the right self-help for you.

World Children's Day

20th September is World Children's Day. Here in Germany, they make quite a big deal of it.

Our local area plans a range of events for children. We've taken Isabella to the children's theater at the local high school twice and we'll be doing it again in October.

On Sunday, for World Children's Day they planned all sorts at the mill in Südweyhe. We were there right on time in glorious sunshine. It started with a play which was fun. It was 50 minutes long but Isabella did well with concentrating.

The mill itself is a museum so Nico and Isabella had a look while I waited with Joshua. There were games and toys, food and drink, badge making, a rally and face painting. Isabella had her face done with pink glitter as a princess. Later there was a magic show and a musical performance. Unlike the usual Sunday theaters, this was free (except the food and drink).

We saw lots of people we know - the youth volunteer from nursery, a child from nursery with her dad, Nico's colleague, my friends from post-natal fitness, mums and kids from kindergarten and even mums from other kids events like the theater and library.

It was a lovely morning and a great way to celebrate the kids. Joshua even stayed awake the whole time!

My Great Grandmother

Recently I've been delving into my family history again and, as those of you following my 40 things list may have noticed, lately my Mum and I have made some real progress.

As long as anyone in our family can remember, there has been a big mystery about my great-grandmother - Isabella Allan. We knew she came from up towards Jarrow and left her family there to move to Yorkshire in the twenties. There she met my great-grandfather and started another family.

We never knew why she moved or what happened until recently. With the help of my Dad's cousin who is a semi-professional genealogist, we have found some long lost cousins - the descendents of the children Isabella left up north.

Here's what we can piece together. She married Joseph Patterson at the age of seventeen and had two sons. Joseph went of to fight in World War One. When he came home on leave he discovered that Isabella was having an affair resulting in a third pregnancy. He took their two sons to live with his parents and returned to war where he was killed in Belgium.

Isabella gave her third son up for adoption but he did make contact later in life.

The next years are still a bit of a mystery but at some point she moved to Thorner and once settled, sent for her fourth (!) son to join her.

In Thorner she met my Great-Grandfather Willie and had three children with him before she passed away in the late 1950s.

It is a story full of scandal and shame and we've certainly had mixed feelings while learning all of this but I do believe it's the right time for this to come out. We're so over the moon to find that we have more cousins and that Isabella's older sons had good lives despite the tragic start.

I don't judge Isabella for what she did. We will never know why she had an affair but she was young and alone with two children in very unstable times. I never knew her so I can't say what kind of person she was. Plus, if she hadn't had this background, I wouldn't be here! Families and family histories are full of this kind of 'scandal'.

I'm so glad we finally know more about her and now we can start to look further back too.

Recipe: Albondigas (Spanish meatballs)

Ingredients:

• 500g beef mince
• 2 eggs
• 2 onions
• 2 cloves garlic
• Seasoning
• Coriander
• Cumin
• Fennel
• Olive oil
• Tomato puree
• Chopped tomatoes
• Rice to serve

Instructions:

1. Combine the mince, eggs, 1 onion, garlic, seasoning and herbs in a bowl. Form into balls and fry in the oil for about ten minutes

2. Fry the second onion with the tomato puree until brown. Add the chopped tomatoes and simmer for ten minutes.

3. Pour the sauce over the meatballs and cook for a further ten minutes.

4. Serve with the rice.

Make it Monday - Creative Lettering Quote

Last week I started my new calligraphy course and this was the first exercise. Lettering is quite an individual thing and I usually consider my projects something that looks very childish but I took my time with this and I really like the finished piece.

I'm going to put it up in the hobby room to keep me inspired.

Weekly Wisdom

Let's do what we love, and do lots of it!

The Saturday Update

We've had a very quiet week here. It was a quiet weekend. Nico was home sick all week but is on the mend now. It was a week of little jobs at home, sticking to my new health routines and keeping the kids busy.

There was a playdate, library visit and baby swimming.

The weather was rubbish at the start of the week so we were a bit stir crazy and Isabella's discovering Disney - so far Peter Pan is the only one that doesn't make her cry! Little softy.

I've been doing more family history, picked up my crossstitch after months, and did more C1 revision.

We'll see a change of pace this week with Skype calls, World Children's Day, Kindergarten visit, parents' evening, brunch... all as well as the routine stuff!

Links!

Beautiful family photography project.

Kookie hooks.

What a career!?

Some telling bucket lists.

What a eulogy.

Good to remember.

Help in letting it go.

Researching this right now.

Exercise

In August I started a new fitness routine. The dance school where Isabella had a trial offers a programme for adults. For under 30 Euros a month I can visit two classes per week. (For ten Euros more I could take part in unlimited classes but I can't fit in more than two because of the kids at the moment.) The system is very flexible. If I can't make one class, I can choose another one in the week. This is perfect for me at the moment.

So far, I've tried three classes: zumba, hot iron and drums alive.

Previously I'd only done Zumba at home with a DVD. It's difficult to keep up at times as most of the others have been going for longer but I'm getting there!

Hot iron is a session with weights. I didn't expect to enjoy this one but it is a nice change of pace from the other courses. I ache for days after but I feel good for it.

Drums alive is the course I visit if I've missed one of the others. It's a fun course and combines drumming on a fitness ball with different disciplines. The one I took part in was step-aerobics which brought back memories. In this class, we built up new routines which made me feel more capable and engaged my brain too!

I'm feeling really good after workouts and losing weight. I'm looking forward to seeing how the next few weeks go.

Currently...

...binge-watching the I.T. crowd.
...loving my routine and quality time with the kids.
...feeling great thanks to my new workout routine.
...looking forward to our family holiday.
...enjoying hobbies old and new.
...drinking hot milk with honey and nutmeg.
...reading like a machine.
...filling up my calendar for the next few weeks.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:

• 300g beef stewing meat
• 2 cups stock
• 2 cloves garlic
• Seasoning
• Italian herbs (oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme, marjoram, basil)
• 1 carton of mushrooms (ca. 250g)
• 3tbsp Worcester sauce
• 1tbsp mustard
• 1 cup sour cream
• 200g cream cheese
• 4tbsp starch or flour in a glass of water
• 300g pasta (cooked)

Instructions:

1. Add all of the ingredients on the list up to mustard, to the crock pot and cook on low for eight hours, stirring occasionally.

2. Add the sour cream, cheese and starch to thicken. Turn the crock pot to high and cook for a further thirty minutes.

3. Stir in the pasta and serve.

Make it Monday - Stylish top

I recently made this top for my Mum's birthday. I found the instructions in Mollie Makes and thought it would be suitable for work or social.

I chose a black and white fabric with a nice pattern as it will go with lots.

And she liked it! It needs a small alteration but that's almost to be expected without fittings in between.

New techniques for me include using bias binding and making teeny tiny hems.

This is the first top I've made for an adult and I really enjoyed it. I'm now working on a dress.

Weekly Wisdom

Keep going, keep going, keep going.

The Saturday Update

We've had a fairly slow week here. It started off busy when I took the kids to the autumn street market here in town on Sunday. Isabella loved the bouncy castle and carousel.

On Monday we had two doctor appointments, breakfast out and coffee with one of my mummy groups. I was exhausted but so were the kids and they had one of their joint naps which gave me some peace.

Apart from that it's been the usual routine here, cooking, cleaning, washing and crafting. I did a lot of family history research, got some gardening done, Isabella had a play date and I went to two fitness classes.

We missed baby swim yesterday due to poorly kids and bad weather but it was nice to stay in and relax with the fire on.

We're having a quiet weekend to be followed by another routine week with another playdate and trip to the library!

Links!

A Christmas quilt!

Or an autumnal knitting project first?

A kooky photography project.

Some nice seasonal recipes here too.

Cute!

Moving article about living with autism.

Not sure about the accuracy of these.

Could have used this earlier.

Reading Review

Death of a Blue Movie Star - Jeffrey Deaver

This was among a collection of over two hundred books I picked up for free on the classifieds.

It's not really what I expected from this author but I think it came before his more well known novels.

It's a good, easy read, crime novel following a wannabe film producer who is tracking down a serial killer. It has the usual mix of suspense, twists, and interesting characters.

Tom Brown's School Days - Thomas Hughes

Another of my children's classics, this one took a long time to get into. It follows (as the title suggests), Tom Brown's adventures during his school years.

There are some good parts - tales of fights and friendships and some terrible bits - a much too long description of an early rugby game.

The book is basically written as a 'Guide to Life' for Victorian schoolboys so I was never going to be 100% happy with the read but it wasn't all bad and I'm glad it's off the list.

Talk before Sleep - Elizabeth Berg

Another of the 200+ collection, this book was a much more feminine read. It follows the heartbreaking story of a woman supporting her best friend through the final stages of terminal cancer. It looks back on their open and honest friendship.

I devoured it in three sittings and loved it despite the depressing content. It was a story of true friends, I'm glad I came across it.

September Goals

Here's what I want to do this month:

• Make a dress
• Start a calligraphy course
• Two new recipes (healthier eating)
• Two letters
• Finish my photography course

Recipe: Naan Bread

Ingredients:

• 450g flour
• 1tsp sugar
• 5g salt
• 7g dry yeast
• 2tbsp olive oil
• 350g plain yoghurt
• Butter

Instructions:

1. Combine all of the ingredients except the butter into a dough and rest for 30 mins.

2. Roll out the dough into individual naans and let rest in a warmed oven for another 30 mins.

3. Spread the butter on and bake at 180℃ for 30 mins, spraying regularly with water.

Make it Monday - Knitted Cushion Cover

 This week I finally finished the second and final ongoing project from my knitting course - a cushion cover to match the patchwork blanket. I love it!

I've been knitting a piece each week. They are all different but look fab together.

Once the pieces were sewn together, I crocheted three borders and sewed them together, inserting the cushion before sewing up the final side.

That is my knitting course complete. Now I should have time to go back and try a few of the bigger projects.

Weekly Wisdom

I'd like to see the beauty in this new me so that I can learn to love her.

The Saturday Update

We had an unusual and very fast week.

As planned, we went to the theatre on Sunday which was good family entertainment. Looking forward to more from the culture department this season.

On Monday we drove Nico to work so he could try cycling home, which he has enjoyed all week. We did an early shop. When I took Isabella to dance class this time she didn't enjoy it and doesn't want to go again.

We had brunch with the yoga mums on Tuesday before driving up to my in-laws for a couple of nights. The brunch was lovely - it's so crazy seeing how fast the babies are growing.

Our visit with family was lovely, though we missed Nico. The kids were the centre of attention and loved it.

Yesterday was spent running erands and getting chores done after baby swim with more to finish up today before I take Isabella to her friend's birthday party this afternoon. Hopefully a somewhat quieter week coming up!

Links!

Questions about dying.

May have to try this next.

Practical furniture app.

Always look for the helpers.

Love this travel idea.

What a fab 100 day project.

Some good marriage tips.

Success!