The Saturday Update

This week has flown by again.  We got the decorations up last weekend and I'm almost back up to date on the to-do lists.  

Work was normal Monday to Wednesday with our big meeting on Tuesday.  Things feel a little bit more festive there too.  It's really nice to feel part of a team there.

I stopped cycling this week.  I am being extra careful this Winter and the weather has dropped to such an extent that it is only a matter of time until it gets icy and dangerous on the bike.  Speaking of the weather, we were hit quite heavily by the gales that have been making their way through Europe so I was glad not to be on the bike.  School closed early on Thursday and lessons were cancelled on Friday.  It started snowing yesterday too so it was especially festive here.

I caught up with family on the phone and continued planning our trip back to England to see as many people as possible while we are back.  I'm really looking forward to it all.  Just two more weeks of work!  And they will be very festive with a visit from Mum and Doug, a colleague outing to the xmas market and taking some classes for a special xmas meeting.

Next week, I hope to catch up on my reading and get the flat in order for our visitors on Thursday.  Have a good one!

More Christmas Decorations!

 Following on from our tree, we decorated the whole flat last weekend and here are some more shots of our decorations.

 This is my new purchase for the year.  I love it!

 One thing about being part of a German family now - they buy us lovely gifts for different seasons (Christmas, Easter...) and we save them for the year after so it is like Christmas when we decorate and get to open all the new things we forgot about.  This Santa is one of them.  I love it.

Of course, out come the candles and the smoker man for the insence.  I love the smells of Christmas as well as how the flat looks.  We're feeling festive around here!

Christmas Decorations

At the weekend, we got all our Christmas decorations up and now that the cards are all sents and the presents are all bought, the stress is off and it's time to really enjoy it.  I love this season.  I love how cozy the flat feels with twinkling lights and lots of red everywhere.  As you can see, I'm not the only one enjoying it.  I'll share some more later this week.  Also, looking forward to several planned trips to the Christmas markets!!

Recipe: Courgette Bake

Ingredients:

• 3 courgettes
• 1 small pack of diced bacon
• 1 onion
• 1 clove garlic
• Salt, pepper, parsley
• 175g creme fraiche
• 4 slices of (gluten free) bread
• Grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. Chop the onion and brown it with the garlic and bacon in a pan. 
2. Chop and add the courgettes for five minutes when the rest is almost done.  Season to taste.
3. Stir through the creme fraiche and transfer the ingredients to a baking dish.
4. Cover with a layer of chopped bread and grate parmesan over the top. Drizzle some olive oil over.
5. Bake in the oven on 200 for about 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and browned.

Project Life - Week 34

This week was very quiet on the photo front again but I did miss a couple of big birthdays in England this week and my stepdad sent me some photos of the celebrations so I included them and I'm really pleased with the results.

It's not something I would do every week but it just fit this week.  Next week will be back in Bremen with the start of the Christmas celebrations.

Craft Corner: Origami Christmas Tree

This was the first of my Christmas projects this year.  Last week, I popped into Idee for some paper and found the perfect green and white combination for these trees.

I finished the first one in half an hour.  The last bit is a bit fiddly but otherwise it is very straight forward and I am really pleased with the results.

You can find the instructions here.

December Goals