Deutsch Dienstag: The Crazy American Lady

Since I can't yet get pictures to my blog, you'll just have to imagine this one. 

The Germans in my village are thinking that I am a little crazy, I am sure of it.  We have had a lot of snow the past couple of weeks.  (More this year in December than all of last winter.)  I was out shoveling the walks early in the morning when I remembered that nobody seems to shovel at the Kindergarten.  So, while I was taking Noah to school, I packed along my shovel.  Since I was walking with a shovel I figured that I'd shovel the walks to the school.  By the time that I got to the school I see a parent watching me.  He said to me, in German of course, "Did you just shovel all the way here?"  *or something to that effect*  You should have seen his dumbfounded face when I said, "Ja."  He then shook his head, laughed a little and left.  I didn't think it was too crazy until I noticed several of the Kindergarten's neighbors standing on their driveways just watching me.  I kept smiling and shoveling, then shoveled my way home. 

I figure that if being one of the only Americans in a village isn't enough to get the people talking about you,  just do something crazy...like service.

Blog Help Needed

Bloggy friends...everytime I try to upload a picture it complains about me taking up too much Picaso space and my free 1G is done.  What do I do?  I don't even really understand what it is taking about.  Can you help me?

Bitche, France

The French have a way with names... 

 

 

It is pronounced Beach in French. 

In all honesty I had to go to this city because I laughed at the French everytime I thought about it.  On our tour of the Citadel, the English (as in The English) speaker pronounced it like you would have thought, so I guess it could be called either one.

 

The city is small and doesn't really have much else, but this massive Citadel tops the hill above the city.

 

 

Another view of the Bitche Citadel.

 

Touring the Citadel

 

 

 



 

Always posing for the pictures!

Noah and Anya.  This was a neat entrance tunnel that echoed really well.  Much to the dismay of all who came after us.

It doesn't matter which country we are in or fabulous site we are at, Noah and Jag are always on the hunt for bugs and rocks.  Always.  Stand up and look around boys.

Touring the underground living areas of the Citadel.  They had all the resourced that they needed for living and staying put underground.  There was a video tour of the underground that took at least an hour.  In true French/European fashion it contained a handful of unnecessary and questionable parts.  For the most part it was interesting. 

Overlooking the city of Bitche.

Playing on a cannon of course.

 

Beware! My Break is Over!

**I have been taking a blogging break just because I have been busy and lazy at the same time.  I have a gazillion posts that need to get out before Christmas...just because I can't post Christmas without first being caught up. The posts that follow are from November because my break has been really long.   I have to get things documented in case one day I figure out what to do with this journal of a blog. 

 

So, it is either "Your Welcome" or "Sorry" and here come the posts.

Deutsch Dienstag-St. Martin

St. Martin's Day was this past week.  St. Martin was a good man who helped the poor.  On this day the children act out a part of St. Martin's story.  They sing songs about him and they go on a night walk while carrying paper lanterns that they have made. 

 

Noah was involved in the fest for our village.  It was held at his Kindergarten and the oldest kids acted out the story and sang songs.  He was the best Star 1 ever!

 

Sterne 1

Getting ready for the play.  St. Martin is the little boy in the black hat.

 

 

 

We watched the play, listened to the songs, walked around for an hour with the laterns, and then enjoyed a fire and big pretzels. There was quite a large village turnout.  It was a great experience.  I love seeing Noah interact in German because he doesn't always speak for us at home. 

This is Noah saying his Star 1 part because it was too hard to hear him when he was actually doing the play.

Deutsch Dienstag- Wedding Rings and Luxembourg

The German wear their wedding rings on the ring finger of their right hand.  It seems strange.  Darin said that they do the same thing in Russia. 


Speaking of wedding.  Darin and I celebrated our 17th year together in Luxembourg, Luxembourg.  The boys had a day off of school and so we left Davis in charge and went to explore one of the prettiest places around.  Luxembourg is only about 1.5 hrs. from our home.  We wondered, we shopped, we ate quiche lorraine and creme brulee, and we got lost in the rain.  It was completely wonderful and perfect.

14 years ago we went to Hawaii for our anniversary.  We got a fantastic deal and we were accompanied by Darin's entire family and a friend.  The friend flew over with a buddy pass and didn't have a room, so he stayed in ours.  It wasn't an anniversary.  It was a great trip to beautiful Hawaii, so I really couldn't complain.  However, Darin has "counted" that for our anniversary for the last 14 years!  Here we are surrounded by people who fly off to Tuscany or a weekend in Paris for their anniversary, so Darin decided that it was time to step it up and stop counting Hawaii!  (I'd like to thank my friends!)

On our way home from Luxembourg he reminded me, as I was talking about our fabulous day, that it would always be downhill from here.  Once again, my man is a romantic.  I know we won't always have Luxembourg to run away to, but for this year I am glad we took advantage of it. 

Inside the confessional.  Luxembourg's Notre Dame Cathedral.

It is always about the food.  Yummy and warm.

Burning the sugar on the creme brulee.

Some of the most beautiful desserts around.

Halloween 2012-Time to make my mom proud

My mom is always the best when it comes to Halloween and somewhere along the road I became a Halloween disappointment.  It probably has something to do with the fact that I have had all 5 kids wear the same costumes over and over.  The little lion (which she bought and probably regrets) has been worn for 9 Halloweens.  The years in which my kids didn't have to be the lion, sweet grandma came to the rescue and made them something new.  Which we then put on another kid the following year.  The boys don't wear costumes to school.  It is dark when they go trick (or trunk)-or-treating.  And usually a coat is covering them.  Really?  Why would I make a big deal?  They really only wear them for 2 hours one night. 

 

Now if there were a reason to be out in a costume, such as a party, then it would be necessary to have an awesome costume.  Especially if there were a costume contest...gotta win!  I am my mother's daughter!

Davis was invited to a Halloween party with a costume contest attached.  I needed easy and clever, but I wouldn't have time to beg my mom to help out.  So we went with easy, but awesome.  He won "Most original."

 

Clark Kent

I made the superman symbol out of scraps of foam.

The mean old witch!  This is another grandma made costume.  It was originally made for Bailee.

Pirate.  Grandma made for Jag one year.

Harry.  Grandma made for Davis and perfect now that Jag is Potter obsessed.

Last minute, as we walk out the door, recycled costume.

On the night of our ward Trunk-or-Treat Davis had a soccer game.  Darin saddly attended and I did the festivities with the other kids.
 

The vampire cookies that we made to send to Noah's kindergarten.  Halloween really isn't a German holiday, but we enjoy sharing some of our holidays with them.

On Halloween night we stayed home, invited friends over, and made donuts.  Because really isn't Halloween about homemade donuts!