Weekly Wisdom

Every once in a while, take off your life and rest.

The Saturday Update

This week was my first full work week and it was really good.  It was very busy and I am exhausted but the school is great, colleagues and pupils are nice and although the commute is long, I'm even enjoying that.  I've been reading a lot and after five long weeks at home, it's been nice to be out and about with actual people!

The routine of it all worked well.  Both kids were back in daycare this week and enjoyed it.  We had various appointments and playdates too and we managed to fit it all in.  The housework has been left to the weekend but we've got two weeks off now and we'll find a routine when we get back to work again.

Looking forward to a quiet weekend staying warm.  We've got the fire going again and as I said, we need to sort some things out around the house.  We're preparing for my Dad arriving next week and a trip to the in-laws' for a wedding next weekend.

I also need to get back on track with eating better but I have managed to hit my steps target every day this week - another good thing about the commute!  So far, Autumn is good.

Links!

This makes me feel positive about the way things are changing.

Between the book I am currently reading and this post, I am coming to love Japanese culture.

This really spoke to me this week.

Is it just me, or is this weird!?

Sewing project inspiration.

Made me miss my siblings, although they could never come up with something this good.

That Autumn inspiration.

And some Autumn crafting inspiration.

September Goal Review

Here's how the month went:

• Plant some vegetables in the garden - not yet.
• Keep up the videos - done!
• Start my new job! - done!!!
• Lose weight - no, but I didn't gain either.
• Family day trip- done!
• Learn to play backgammon - done!

40 things - Fly a Kite

This weekend I took the kids out and we flew a kite. It was the perfect windy day for it and we had some good fun.

Apart from a vague recollection of having done this as a little kid, I had no idea of how to actually fly a kite.

We had bought one a few years ago and never used it. It was very easy to assemble and then I let Isabella run wild.

Joshua got to help me hold the handle for ten seconds and watch his sister, and was surprisingly happy with that.

We had a little mishap at the end when she let go and the kite got stuck in a tree but we managed to get it back down again - just have to untangle it for next time.

The funniest bit was Isabella asking me why she didn't fly even though she ran so fast, bless her.

Recipe: Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients:

• One bag of frozen cauliflower
• Two onions
• Two cloves of garlic
• Oil
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1.5l stock
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• 1 handfull of parsley
• Seasoning to taste

Instructions:
1. Chop and brown the onion and garlic.  Add the cumin followed by the cauliflower.
2. Add the stock and simmer for twenty minutes.
3. Season to taste and puree the soup.

Optional: brown some bacon to sprinkle over the top with the parsley.

Make it Monday - Autumn Bucket List

This weekend I picked up this freebie from Jenna at Cheerfully Given.  I loved the colours and this year, autumn really holds a lot of promise for me so I was excited to jump on this bandwagon.

The goals fit in with a lot of my plans for this season and I was excited to get the first item ticked off straight away - more on that this week.

Weekly Wisdom

Children are not a distraction from more important work.  They are the most important work.

The Saturday Update

FINALLY, I can share with you that I started my new job this week!  There were more highs and lows and tears and smiles but I finally signed the contract on Thursday and had my first day at school yesterday.  I've got a bit of catching up and settling in to do but so far I love it.  The kids are nice, especially my German course, and so are the colleagues.  Really happy about this new stage.

In other news, the kids have been off all week.  Joshua has Hand-Foot-Mouth as it is going round at nursery.  He's slept more and needed more cuddles but otherwise he's done really well.  They had a couple of trips out - Bremen for my contract and a walk to the lake with Nico while I worked.

Isabella had a good dentist visit and a friend's birthday party this week.  Her behaviour has been up and down but I think it was improved for us having a bit more family time.  It was nice to have that before finally getting back to work and I'm really looking forward to more of the same in the holidays.

Autumn is definitely here and I'm feeling the change of seasons in many ways.  I'll be sharing more on that this week.  For now, it's a quiet weekend for us before a full work week.

Links!

Brilliant comments on parenting.

Badass Disney princesses!

I still love this series.

A sweet baby sewing project.

Three mindset changes.

Small talk.

Still love this.

We need these.

Conkers

Last week I used the new trailer with the kids for the first time to talk the kids conker collecting.

It really takes me back to my childhood when we used to try and knock conkers out of the tree in the park, long before they were ready so that we could play conkers.

The game is unkown here and the popularity of conkers among children correspondingly low. I've only really seen people collect them for decoration which is much more popular here.

I'm planning on using some of our swag for decorations both at home, and at upcoming Gonis presentations but today we used some for a bit of family craft time which proved fun for us all.

We made some little animals, here are some pictures, if you'd like to see.

Currently...

...enjoying extra cuddles with the poorly kids.
...gearing up for my new job.
...chipping away at the garden.
...getting back into reading.
...mulling over some ideas for Christmas crafts.
...looking forward to Dad's visit in October.
...preparing for hibernation in the colder weather.
...reconnecting with friends.

Carrot and Ginger Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 kilo carrots, chopped
• 750ml vegetable stock
• Garlic to taste, crushed
• Ginger, grated
• Seasoning

Instructions:
1. Brown the onions. Add thee carrots, garlic and ginger.
2. Pour the stock over and simmer.
3. Use a hand blender to get a soupy consistency.
4. Season to taste and serve.

Make it Monday - Fimo Experiments

 Last week I found the inspiration through my Gonis colleagues and Pinterest to crack out the Fimo that Nico bought me for my birthday, and have a little play.

The mushrooms were my first make. They're a good luck charm here in Germany and I'm not sure what to do with them yet but I will find something.

The heart is for a necklace for Isabella, using my Gonis stamp.

The octopus is my favourite and I need to find somewhere for it. I'd like to do more of these.

The bee was just something to try but I need to work on colour combinations. This one is going to the kids as a pencil topper.

Hoping to try more modeling for Christmas.

Weekly Wisdom

Your stomach is not a rubbish bin.

The Saturday Update

It's been another long week here, there's light at the end of the tunnel but it's been a whole month of waiting around now.

At the weekend we went to a little theme park which the kids loved, and then a flea market on Sunday.

Then the wave of illnesses struck. Apart from Isabella, we've all been under the weather and off track in general. Hoping things pick up next month.

I did get round to some crafting - lots of crochet and some Fimo modelling. I also took the kids out to find conkers for some autumn decoration.

Today we're helping out in the garden at Kindergarten and getting ready for a new week.

Links!

Love this.  I'm so excited for Autumn.

Funny photos.

Binge watching this right now.

These may help to cut down on litter.

Made me laugh.

You're doing a great job.

Happy crying.

Deep questions!

Family Fun

We watched this at the weekend and absolutely loved it!

Reading Review

The Mirror World - Gavin Extence

I came across this in Scarborough. It tells the story of a women suffering from manic depression. It's fiction and there were some funny and sweet moments, as well as a good ending but parts were also a bit depressing too.

The Saint meets the tiger - Leslie Charteris

From the huge 200+ book collection, I finally dug out the very first Saint novel. I do like the stories in this series and this one really kept me guessing but the language and how it's written are a real challenge and it took me much longer than it should have to wade through this.

Turning Thirty - Mike Gayle

Another from the 200+, I really enjoyed this one. It's fairly modern and follows Matt on the approach to his 30th birthday as he evaluates his life. 

There were lots of good characters, fun moments and twists. I'd like to read more from this author.

Recipe: Burgers

Ingredients:

• 550g minced beef
• 2 eggs
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• Seasoning
• Bread, ketchup, cheese slices

Instructions:
1. Combine the mince, eggs, onion, sauce and garlic in a bowl and form six large patties.
2. Bake in the oven at 200 for 30 minutes.
3. Serve with the bread, ketchup and cheese to taste!

Make it Monday - Glass Tea Light Holders

Recently I have been experimenting with different products and techniques on glass to make these centrepieces for my Gonis presentations.

Three of them are made with a product called Frost. One is completely covered using a sponge and for two I used stencils - the flower and the brown squirrel. This is one of my favourite products and I'm looking forward to experimenting more with it.

The pink squirrel was a new spin on the candle holders I made last Christmas in that it's relief paste mixed with colour.

On the glass that is completely frosted, we stamped it with colour and added a few pearl drops to decorate.

All of the glasses are recycled from baby food. I think they add a lovely touch to table decorations.

Weekly Wisdom

Your body hears everything your mind says, be positive!

The Saturday Update

It's been another quiet week here without work but hopefully there's been some progress on that front so that I can start soon.

I've been catching up on my sport, tidying and cleaning in the house, working on the garden and spending some quality time with the kids.

We had an important meeting for kindergarten which went well. I did another Gonis party which also went well.

Yesterday, I took Isabella to visit her old nursery which was lovely. We had a nice breakfast out afterwards and then played Playmobil. We also watched and loved the new Peter Rabbit film on DVD.

Today we are going out with the kids and crossing our fingers for good weather.

Links!

Sweet!

Related.

I wish I could do this.

Cool / creepy photos.

Hope I'll be needing these soon.

Lol.

Interesting marriage advice.

Funny coworkers (no.5!).

40 things - learn to play backgammon

The advantage of having a bit more time on my hands right now, is that I remembered my forty things list and managed to tick one off much quicker than I thought.

I've learned games as part of my goals before - chess, poker,...  This was by far the easiest, which I didn't expect.  Chess I can still play because I learned it as a child, poker I forget the different hands every time.  With backgammon, I think it will be something that will stay with me, especially if I keep up the practice.

First, I read through the guide on wikipedia and then I downloaded a free app and got practising.  Hopefully, Nico will try a game with me at some point.  I really enjoy trying these more traditional, thinking games, and the colder seasons are coming where we will have more time for something like this.

September Goals

Here's what I hope to achieve this month:

• Plant some vegetables in the garden
• Keep up the videos
• Start my new job!
• Lose weight
• Family day trip
• Learn to play backgammon

Recipe: Paleo Plum Cake

Ingredients:

• 80g ground hazlenuts
• 80g rice flour
• 60g ground almonds
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp hot water
• 30g coconut oil
• 500g plums
• Cinnamon

Instructions:
1. Combine the dry ingredients with the egg, water and oil.  Mix to a dough, rest for ten minutes in the fridge.
2. Roll out the dough, reserving a third of the mixture. Prick the base and blind bake for ten minutes at 180.
3. Cut the plums in half and remove the stones.  Lay the with the cut side up on the pastry base.  Crumble the reaining third over the top and sprinkle with cinnamon.
4. Bake for a further 35 minutes at 180.

Make it Monday - Sign

Last week I made this sign for our kitchen using some of my Gonis products.  

It is on an MDF board which I painted with two coats of the yellow paint. 

Then I used a flexi-template and relief paste to add the saying on the front.

While it took three days to finish (each coat had to dry overnight), it was easy and I look forward to trying more projects like this.

Weekly Wisdom

Smooth seas do not make great sailors.

The Saturday Update

Another week of chasing officials around has gotten me nowhere on the work front. It feels like one step forward, two steps back right now. Here's hoping for more progress next week.

The kids have had a good week. We had a playdate on Monday and got to know a new family. Isabella had a birthday party yesterday too. 

I couldn't walk for three days after the pound workshop last Sunday and missed all my classes with one appointment or another. I'm hoping to get back on course next week.

I did my third Gonis party on Thursday so I've been crafting a bit to prepare for that. I've also gotten a bit done in the garden.

Tomorrow is the autumn market in Leeste and we're visiting that.