happy early birthday to me

Look who is home...

canine thoughts

As if I didn't think it was funny enough on its own watching Bear try to figure out what is that "weird bouncy creature," I now have an internal monologue to accompany it.

(source)

If you haven't checked out Texts From Dog yet, you're definitely missing out.  You'll never look at your dog the same way again.

holy gatsby

Have you seen this trailer yet!?

Fitzgerald, Art Deco, Carey Mulligan, the Roaring 20s, Tobey McGuire, HOVA, Yeezy, Jack White and Baz Luhrmann?  How can this NOT be epic? Hopefully it will all offset Leonardo DiCaprio being cast as Gatsby, which I am totally not feeling.  I think it will be like Boardwalk Empire, but on steroids. And I'm okay with that.

Come on Christmas!

I Love

absolutely everything on this tumblr.

(source)

Props to these ladies for trying to bring back an age of beauty, etiquette and everything elegant.

A Bathroom for Guidos

We have an interesting half bath in the new house.

This just makes me want to fistpump upon entering.  The best part: to the right of this picture you see a toilet.  Next to that toilet is a designated urinal.  Just took the classiness up a notch.

Back from the Dead

I've got a lot of  'splaining to do.  It's been a busy few months - getting back to Germany from the states, running around Bavaria with Misa (and her hubs) from Park & Belmont, and then playing webmaster filling in for a friend at her job while she vacationed.

Oh, and did I mention we're moving again?

The 40 minute drive is killing our budget and I can only imagine the damage it will do once Mr. Bama gets back (which will happen in a matter of weeks!!!).  That being the case, I sucked it up and started looking for a new home to move to that was less than 20 mins from his work.  After the terrible time we had trying to find a house this time last year, I was just dreading the whole process.  Every house I found either was against having pets, housing Americans or was already rented out. It seemed like it was to be a repeat from last year.

And then by total divine intervention, we stumbled upon this beauty:

This house doesn't look like much, but trust me, it's wonderful.  A bit smaller than where we're living now, but it has two huge things:

number one:

A HUGE yard.  The building on a left is the outdoor kitchen for
  outdoor entertaining.  Yup we have 2 kitchens

number two:

this kitchen is amazing and has everything.

Also not shown in the pictures: the laundry chute and the CENTRAL vacuum.  What WHAT!?  Yup you heard it right. We do NOT deserve this house, but it actually found us (a friend of a friend needed someone to rent it...) The style of the house is a little too "Italianate" for me, as I like things a bit more simple and streamlined, but beggars cannot be choosers in the German real estate game.  I feel like my life has been a bit Househunters International of late, but at least I can look forward to moving into this place come July.

Oh July, how crazy and insane of a month you will be.  Since we've already been moved by Mr. Bama's "company"once, we'll have to do the move ourselves.  Did I also mention how much I HATE moving? I may have mentioned it here and here. So not only will I be planning the company-wide Barbecue come the last weekend of June, but we'll also be doing a self-move that the first weekend of July, mere weeks after Mr. Bama is back from being away for a year.  Then a week or so later, we're packing up and going on a Eastern Mediterranean cruise, for relaxation.  We will most definitely need the relaxation by this point. Phew - I'm exhausted after just typing all of that! There's actually much more I haven't even touched on coming down the pipe, so stay tuned for one heck of a ride...

I'm back, but that's not the point of this post.

This is:

(photo court of agrarian by Williams-Sonoma, found here)

Williams-Sonoma recently launched their new DIY home horticulturist and farmer line.  It's official, getting your hands dirty and growing your own stuff is now chic. This agrarian line allows you to order a mushroom growing kit,  purchase canning supplies, even buy yourself a W-S approved chicken coop for your back yard (that is, unless you live in Virginia Beach, VA).  My mom's reply when she saw this in the most recent W-S catalogue was "What?  This is like depression-era tech"  No mom, it's recession-era tech, and it's very "in" right now.

Anyways,  the thing that really gets me excited about this new line are three words: DIY Kombucha Kit.

While in the states (more on that later) I drank a whole bottle of kombucha almost every day I was home.  I knew my precious time w/ my favorite fermented drink was numbered, so I made sure not one bottle went to waste.  I even emailed GT Dave's to inquire about overseas sales (No dice.)  I began to accept that the rest of my stay in germany would be yummy and healthy Kombucha free.

Now, this changes everything.

GOODNESS I hope they ship here...

NOLA on my mind

On Wednesday I returned from a week long "vacation for my soul" in NOLA -  intentionally missing the crowds of Mardi Gras, while still getting the happy-go-lucky vibe of the Carnivale season.  Rather than write a long summery, I figured I'd just let my instagram photos sum up the week.

the skyline so bright

I adore everything in this hotel

my fave: a French 75 in the Sazerac Bar

newly renovated Carousel Bar in the Hotel Monteleone

best roast beef po-boys in NOLA, hands down

baby's got a new pair of pink shoes.

Valentine's Day at the Saturn Bar in the Bywater

I miss this everyday Uptown street vista

happiness is...

finally finding the wine I've been coveting for the past 9 months after it being sold out at 5 different stores

I almost hugged the stock guy at Farm Fresh when he replied "oh yeah, we've got plenty in stock."

It's the simple things...

a list of things

image via  

Bear and I are heading back to the States for a few months this weekend - after some recent events, I realized how much we needed to be back there to be with family and give my soul a much needed rest.  While driving to meet some friends the other day, I got really excited about some things that I had missed from home in the almost 9 months since moving to Germany. Namely:

• Kombucha
• stores open on Sunday
• a yard for Bear
• Television + movies in English
• being able to watch YouTube (darn you GEMA)
• lack of a 19% VAT tax
• not having to drive 40 mins to see friends
• going shopping 
• T.J.Maxx & Target
• free Wi-Fi!
• having a reliable car
• family
• being able to read labels in stores
• not having to check conversion rates (instantly followed by a feeling of depression)

But then I realized there's a lot I'm also going to miss

• not having to worry if your food has GMOs in it
• not having to worry if your meat has growth hormones and antibiotics in it
• alcohol not having a negative connotation 
• the autobahn and lack of a speed limit (my lead foot will miss this the most)
• the ice cream, coffee and baked goods
• taking Bear into restaurants / clothing stores / etc. and no one being afraid of him
• feeling enjoyment in the smallest things: i.e.: while I may not being able to read labels in stores, I am sure as heck able to sing along with Justin Timberlake or Lady Gaga playing on the speakers in perfect English.  Small victories.

I've been frustrated a lot with our situation of late, mainly because the distance (from friends here, from family in the states and from my husband 3,00 miles the other direction) has made life pretty boring.  We're ready to go home, and I can't wait. 

remember when...

I went on vacation?  I mentioned a little something about it here.  Well, here's a little recap over at the Trashy Diva blog.  Enjoy!

yup, the vacation indeed involves a camel

what a vacation sounds like

While watching Portlandia for the first time this weekend (and drinking hot toddies, all in the name of cold care) I couldn't help but wonder who is behind the awesomely awesome song for the opening credits. Well I did a little research and I came up with Ernest Greene

image via thesoundmedium

He's more than a guy who looks like a frat boy from an SEC school.  He's the mastermind behind Washed Out, a chill wave project that's been featured in Adult Swim, and of course, Portlandia.  Interestingly enough, he's kind of a success story for the recent economic situation - He's my age and when he found himself with a college degree, unemployed and living at home with his parents, he decided to pursue his true passion for music.  He set up a studio in his bedroom and posted his recordings on his Myspace page (didn't think anyone still had one of those...).  Fast forward to 2012, when he's signed to a record label and released an album this past July.  And I thank you, Wikipedia, for all of that information.

Listen to the full version of the Portlandia opening theme ("Feel It All Around") here 

To listen to more of Washed Out's music, go here

In my opinion, if Washed Out's music were an image, this would be it:

view of Maspalomas from our Balinese sunbed in the Canary Islands.  Bliss

Could be why his stuff has been on a constant loop round this house as of late... it's grey and cold out and his music makes me think of blue skies, a warm breeze, sand, sun and my hubs not being 3,000 miles away.

feel better 2012

There has kind of been a lull in posting recently, because well, not much has been going on of late.  Germany's been a bit dreary (think lots of grey and lots of damp-ness. And no, not in the form of snow.)  Christmas was a low-key event, where I mozy-ed downstairs at 10am, made my coffee, sat on the couch, opened  my one gift (this fantastic book), sat on the couch to read said gift, and then went and got ready for dinner at a friend's house that night.  New Year's was almost an exact carbon copy - where last year hubs and I traipsed around The Roosevelt Hotel and then watched the fireworks from Jackson Square, this year I took my life in my hands and drove to Würzburg for dinner and watching the fireworks from the bridge.  No, I didn't get any pictures, because:

• my old-school iPhone 3G is in no way up for the challenge of trying to take pictures of fireworks,
• I lost the battery charger to my real camera and have been too lazy to shell out $50 (!) for a new one.  
• the smoke and haze for the self fired-fireworks makes it nearly impossible to see anything.  Germans are given 24 hours to set off fireworks legally and wow they go crazy.   

My friend Charlie took the lone picture from the night:

2012 from the bridge in Wurzburg.  Thanks Charlie

So after ringing in the new year, I made the trek to Frankfurt to collect my dad for his visit to Germany. But of course, the gross and cold weather really hindered our plans to do much sightseeing.  So essentially, for my dad, Germany consisted of lots of Pilsner, a migraine, 30 degree temps with just rain, an afternoon of snow that didn't stick and lots of rumpsteak, potatoes and schnitzel.  Now, he's back in the US and I'm fighting a terrible cold with strong hot toddies, episodes of Portlandia (how have I never seen that show before!?) and hot soup.  Thank heavens me and the Bear are off to the US at the end of this month, so we need to hang in there until then.  Just like my cold, I hope 2012 gets better soon.

with merriment and cheer

and a Happy New Year too!

let it snow

On Tuesday we had our first real German snow of 2011. yes, it was less than 3 inches cumulative, but that's still something to this southern girl.

view from my bedroom

Das Bear on our little balcony playing in the snow for the
first time since last Christmas

Naturally, Bear and I decided to take a little stroll around our block...

clean and simple potato and leek soup

As a pre-Christmas / post-Thanksgiving gift, my mom bought me the Clean Eating 2 cookbook along with the "Clean Eating: Classic Comfort Foods" special edition magazine.  The recipes are absolutely amazing and I'm planning on working my way through each of them in coming months.  Since its been snowing here a bit lately, its been perfect soup and stew weather - and since I also have a huge bag of potatoes lying around (don't ask...) I decided to dive in and whip up some potato and leek soup to last me a few chilly nights!

my cornucopia of ingredients with the strategically
placed original recipe in the background.

Potato & Leek Soup with Cheddar Topping (via  "Clean Eating: Classic Comfort Foods")
serves: 6 | Hands on time: 10 mins | Total Time: 30 mins
 Ingredients:

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 3 lrg leeks, white and light green parts only, rinsed and finely sliced into semicircles
• pinch each of sea salt & fresh ground blk pepper
• 3 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (veggie broth works too, for our vegetarian friends)
• 2 cups low-fat milk
• pinch ground nutmeg or allspice
• 1/2 cup grated low-fat sharp cheddar cheese

Method:

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high.  Add leeks, salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until very soft - about 5 mins.

Add potatoes, and broth and bring to a boil.    Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes simmer, 8 to 10 mins.

Using a ladle or a large spoon, carefully remove 2 cups soup and transfer to an upright blender; puree til smooth, about 2 minutes.

its so pretty and bright green

Return puree to saucepan and then add cheese and stir until cheese melts.  

Ladle into serving bowls, dividing evenly.  You can garnish with some Italian parsley and/or additional nutmeg.  

I had a hearty loaf of Volkorn (whole wheat) Baguette lying around, so I used that to accompany my soup.  The outcome?  It's not as thick or creamy as I've had in the past, but thats kind of what made it great.  It's really light tasting, but also pretty filling.  All-in-all I would have to rate this a 3 on a scale of  1-10, with 1 being "pop-in-microwave-and-watch-easy" and 10 being "lock-yourself-in-the-kitchen-w/ a-bottle-of-wine-because-you-ain't-going-anywhere-for-a-few-hours" easy.

if you do decide to make this, please comment below and let us know how it turns out!

do you know what it means to miss whole foods?

Goodness I miss this store... if you've ever visited the uptown New Orleans location and their teeeny tiny parking lot, you get it.



"I've been on edge since they took Kombucha off the shelf."  Gosh I miss Kombucha...

happy travels...

The view from our hotel room... Any guesses? Hint: Sangria con Cava

pardon the dust + how to make a street car roll

I've been away, I know.  It's hard to really have an excuse for being post-less for so long other than I've really been trying to chase the "I really miss my hubs" blues by keeping busy.  I've been volunteering at the local military base in their marketing office.  In short, it's been amazing.  I work with a wonderful group of inspiring people who challenge me every day and really encourage me to flex my creative muscles in the world of graphics and design.  Govt cutbacks have made it so that no actual paying position is available for what I do, but I am forever hopeful and I'm expanding my portfolio while I'm at it.  I'm just hoping that the snowy German winters and Bruno's lack of 4x4 capabilities don't force me to hibernate from Dec - March.  I do appreciate you all staying tuned and still reading... this blog has been great to come to when I just need an outlet.

So in an effort to make up for m y lack of blog - presence, I'd figure that I'd share a tutorial on a project that I've had in my mind for about a year and I have FINALLY produced.  I saw a post on Abbey Goes Design Scouting  ages ago and while in NOLA I desperately wanted to make my own street car roll for the St. Charles Avenue streetcar line.  Well, it never happened, mainly because we didn't have any place to put it even if I did make it.  But the idea stuck in my mind because, well, aren't they just fantastic?

I will have a house that looks like this someday -- in my dreams
image via living livelier

Fast forward to Germany and my humongous home full of blank walls.  Needing something to cover a wall in our dining room, I decided it was time for the streetcar roll to finally be made.  So I whipped up a 36" x 60" image on inDesign, exported it as a .pdf and then  went over to rasterbator and uploaded the image.  It broke my image into a number of different pieces of 8.5 x 11 sized pieces of paper

16 pieces of paper (and 2 black ink cartridges) later I had my full image, but what to arrange it on so I could hang it?  Enter number of USPS boxes I had hoarded in my office.

boxes, meet box cutter:

now to assemble my images on the makeshift backing to create a large poster

a roll of double sided tape later and voila! NOLA "street car" roll complete!

I kind of went crazy with this "create a huge poster w/ 8.5x11 sized pieces of paper" method in a number of other places in the house, which I'll share sometime in the future.  Since I have no idea what our next place will be like size-wise, I am refusing to spend a ton of money on decorating, but I hate bare walls. So this is my solution.  So far so good!

Do you have any other simple decorating tips that have helped you outfit your house without busting the bank? 

Book Bonanza

Hi all,

fantastic Mr. Bama bought me a Kindle for our 2 year anniversary and I have read more books in the 2ish weeks since then than I have in the past 2 years.

exhibit a)

via amazon.com

Dear Liz Lemon - the chill-ness and humor about how you've dealt with everyday things is refreshing.  I don't agree with you in everyday politics, etc, but goodness you make me laugh.  Thanks!

exhibit b)

via amazon.com

I caught myself often looking at Bear in a new light while reading this book.  A dog's vision of his point in life through number of different  reincarnations (cats may have nine lives, but pups have lives until they find the meaning of life).  Make sure you read past life #1 -  I almost closed the book and decided I was done after how sad I was with that chapter in Buddy/Bailey/Ellie/Bear(!)'s life.  The rest of the book makes up for it - a definite must for dog lovers.

exhibit c)

What an extraordinary book - I had seen it on the shelves in airports mostly and wondered, but never bought.  Finally, I purchased the e-book and I'm so pleased that I did -  1 day - 2 people - 20 years.  It's a little long and takes a bit to get into the gist of the book, but David Nicholls does a wonderful job telling the story of how two people's lives weave together.  Great, lovely, heart-wrenching read.  And joy!  It is now a movie, being released in August (I didn't know when I read the book that Anne Hathaway would be in the movie - but after seeing the trailer - she totally is Emma in the novel... beautifully cast).  Here's the trailer below:

So now I'm onto my next read -- and I'm at a loss.  Any ideas?  Have you any suggestions of what I should choose as my next book to purchase with my awesome anniversary gift? Many Thanks n advance, dear readers!