Archives for April 2011

Meet Ashley

April 28, 2011 filed under: blog stuff, crafts, Etsy, friends

Aaaand… here’s one more crafty lady that I’d like to introduce this month. Ashley and I did a little button swap in April to I am happy to showcase her on my blog today.

Name: Ashley
Blog Name/Link: After Nine To Five
Describe your blog in five words: Laughter. Food. Design. Photography. Crafts.
Describe your personality in three words: Risky. Compassionate. Creative.
Tell me something – anything!: I could spend all day and night on the beach by the ocean if I could.

I’m Ashley, owner of After Nine To Five – a blog about life, love, design, and food. I love to take risks and take on too much at once. I like to live life to the fullest and hope to die with no regrets. April is a HUGE month for me – I’m getting married and going out of the country for the first time! I’m excited to come back and share all of the photos we take kayaking, snorkeling, and hanging out on the beach.

My shop After Nine To Five Designs is filled with everything for the person that loves to travel. Jewelry, cards, headbands, and more. Coming in May 2011, After Nine To Five Designs will expand to cover more hobbies and interests that most people do outside of the daily nine to five grind.

blog | twitter | shop

Tell me this is normal…

April 26, 2011 filed under: I can't make this shit up

It’s Tuesday. We’re supposed to move into our new apartment in 5 days. I have yet to hear from the landlord about walk-through, key delivery and actual move-in day. To be quite frank…

I’M FREAKING OUT A LITTLE.

I don’t know if it is the European in me that just gets nervous about theses kind of last minute arrangements or if it is the fact that, even after having lived in this country for the better part of the last 8 years, I am still not used to the laid-back attitude of Americans in all kind of (im)possible situations.

FYI, moving in Germany is a three months long ordeal from the point of giving 90-day notice to renovating the new place and fixing up the old place to actually physically moving furniture, boxes and whole kitchens to the new apartment. You won’t be in and out of a place over a weekend. Just forget it.

Everybody keeps telling me that “things will sort themselves out”, but with a super-busy work schedule at work during the first week of May, let alone the fact that we have to be out of our current apartment by May, 6th (I believe), I really don’t have the nerves to just cross my fingers and hope for the best.

But I guess that is what I have to do, isn’t it?

Feeling in limbo is not one of my favorite feelings and I will just have to suck it up and go with what I have. My biggest concern is that I won’t be able to get a moving truck (and possibly some movers) on such short notice.

What really bothers me is the fact that I had such a good feeling about the place and the landlord and now she turns out to be so … flaky. (Or maybe, that is just my perception at this point. I am just not used to not being able to plan ahead, especially if it comes to something big like a move.) I can only hope that she won’t be a pain in the butt to deal with if there is anything that needs fixing at the apartment.

Hopefully next Tuesday around this time, I’ll be laughing about this post, because we were able to move everything into our new place over the weekend and the whole fuss was for nothing. But for now, all I can do is worry.

Easter weekend

April 25, 2011 filed under: Expat stories, food, holidays

I have to say, holidays are always a little tough for me. Not being able to spend time with family on holidays is really something that weighs heavy on my heart time and time again and I don’t expect it to get easier any time soon. While my whole family gathered at my parents’ house for an Easter Egg Hunt for Greta and Tom…

I was packing boxes and at least managed to bake some Easter goodies on the side.
I usually bake an Easter Bread every year, as you might recall, but I wanted to try something different this year.
So I decided to make little Easter knots with sugar on top instead.

They were pretty good, although they didn’t turn out quite as I wanted them to, because a) I messed up with the flour again (I can never seem to find the right kind) and b) I had to improvise with the sugar on top. I was looking for “Hagelzucker” (“hail sugar” = crystal sugar), which is hail-sized sugar crystals which are commonly used for baking in Germany.
In the US? No such luck. I went to four different stores and raw cane sugar was the closest match that I could find. I guess the taste was pretty similar, it just didn’t look as pretty. (If you have any tips on where to get Hagelzucker, let me know!)

How was your Easter weekend?
Did you get to spend time with your loved ones?

Meet Chrissy

April 22, 2011 filed under: crafts, friends

Today I’d like to introduce you to my new friend Chrissy, a fellow German girl. She has a very sweet personality, she has an awesome blog and runs a supercute Etsy store. I recommend you check her out. See for yourself!

Hi, I am Chrissy and I blog over @ Whimsical Poppysmic about my life after moving to Chicago from Germany with my family 2,5 years ago, my crafts and whatever’s on my mind.

I have always had a passion for knitting and felt and I love sewing and embroidery, so last December I opened my very own Etsy shop Whimsical Poppysmic! It is so much fun creating new items and coming up with new ideas for designs and it is awesome to be part of such a great community like Etsy!

I love tweeting, so why don’t you come and tweet with me over here !

https://i1010.photobucket.com/albums/af224/chrissza/DSC02027-1.jpg

blog | twitter | shop

Things I Love Thursday

April 21, 2011 filed under: about me, love, TILT

{source}

This week I am loving…

... those paper hearts garlands.

… my new Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens which arrived in the mail yesterday!

… the people in my life who remind me of what really is important.

… the decluttering of our apartment in preparation for the move. Yeah, I know the stress of moving and all the work it brings with it is usually not really that much fun, but I’ve enjoyed going through some of our stuff and looking at things that I haven’t touched in a while. Also, I love throwing things out that I truly don’t need anymore. So deliberating!

… french fries. I really have a craving for them this week.

… the local Country Music Station. I’ve been cheating on NPR a bit lately and am listening to more music on my way to and from work. Country Music puts me into such a good mood.

… the anticipation of moving to a brandnew place. What I am not loving is the fact that our new landlord is taking her sweet time getting back with more information about walk-through and move-in date. We’ve technically signed the lease for May, 1 and you’d think that it’s about time to make arrangements for moving truck and such. We’re only 10 days away from May.

… mint dark chocolate.

… some reality TV to turn my brain off after work. Newest show that got me intrigued and shocked at the same time: Extreme Couponing. My goodness :)

What are you loving this week?

A little retail therapy…

April 19, 2011 filed under: my so-called life

… I am a girl. I can’t help it.

Damn you, US stores, with your evil, everlasting sales and coupon deals. It’s really hard to not become a shopaholic in this country.
I dare you to try and live in Europe for a while. General costs of living are cheaper over there, but fun-shopping is a hell lot more expensive.

This weekend I was out running errands, looking for some nice new sandals for J (which I found, mind you!) and could not pass up those deals. I really shouldn’t shop right now, what with the move coming up and many more necessary expenses, but I didn’t really spend more than $60 on all three items, so that’s defensible, yes?

1) Take Out V-Neck High Rib Cardigan. (It’s from Kohl’s, unfortunately I can’t find it on their website.) It’s super-cute with jeans or over a dress and with its short sleeves and tailored fit, it’s perfect for the summer.

2) Timbuk2 Laptop Bag. I found this bag for $15 at Marshall’s. It’s a brand item that usually resales for $80-100 and it was just a real bargain find. I had been looking for a sturdy laptop bag for a while, but wasn’t willing to spend a lot of money on a decent bag. I think those $15 are a very good investment though!

3) Speechless Surplice Floral Halter Dress. Seriously, this picture does not do this dress justice (and no, it doesn’t have a brown trim on the bottom. I don’t know why the photos shows it with one. Also, yes, I shop in the Junior’s section. So what?)
It’s so cute and airy and light. I usually don’t go with white/very light dresses, because I am pretty pale-skinned, but with the brown/yellow floral pattern and my brunette hair it just looks very nice.

Have you splurged on anything lately?

Meet Kim

April 15, 2011 filed under: crafts, friends, giveaway

In the last couple of months, I’ve met some awesome new crafty friends in the blogging community and we agreed to help each other promote our blogs and/or craft businesses. In the next couple of weeks, I’ll introduce you to some of my new blogging friends, but today I want to start off with someone who I have known for a long time now, but who deserves to be in the spotlight nonetheless.

Kim lives in Germany.
She is an absolutely lovely, genuine person and one of my best friends. She runs the fabulous blog notcrazyunwell.com and just recently started selling photo prints and handmade items through the German website dawanda.de.
Go take a peek! You won’t regret it. Also, don’t fall into despair about her being situated in Germany, because she will ship all her pretty items internationally, too!

And you guys? You are so lucky! Kim has her first {not}crazy giveaway going on at her blog as we speak..ahm…read and you can win one of her signature Sockenmollis!
Come on, you know you want one!

A winner will be drawn on Easter Sunday, so you better hurry and get your entries in by noon (CEST) on April 24th 2011.

blog | twitter | shop

Recipe: Light and tasty Chicken Salad

April 14, 2011 filed under: food, photography, recipe

Kim asked me yesterday if I would share the super-tasty, very easy Chicken Salad recipe with you that I had mentioned in my post. I most certainly would! Here it is:

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts – cooked and cubed

3 celery sticks – sliced

1 (gala) apple – diced

1 handful of walnuts – crushed

1 handful of craisins

6 tbs of plain, non-fat yogurt

2 tbs of mayonnaise

pepper, salt (to taste)

Mix the ingredients in a bowl and just add some lettuce and a slice of tomato to make a very tasty, easy sandwich with fresh sourdough bread.

The yogurt makes the dressing really fresh and light and the celery, apples, and walnuts give the salad a nice crunch.
Chicken Salad Sandwich has become my go-to meal if I don’t feel like cooking. I am sure it’ll be even more popular around our house in the summer, when we don’t want to turn on the oven at all.

Give it a try. I am sure you’ll love it as much as I do.
It’s so simple and quick to make.

Currently Vol. 4

April 13, 2011 filed under: about me, currently, FYI, lists!

https://d30opm7hsgivgh.cloudfront.net/upload/12217087_7hj8D2Jp_c.jpg

{source}

Current Book(s): I am not currently reading any books. I am contemplating revisiting “Water for Elephants” because everybody raves about it. I started it once, but couldn’t quite get into it. Maybe I should try again?

Current Playlist: My current playlist is the Radio Country Station :)

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: French Fries.

Current Color: Purple. It looks great with my dark brown hair!

Current Drink: Water.

Current Food: Chicken Salad Sandwich. I recently started making my own Chicken Salad and … why they heck didn’t I do this before?

Current Favorite Show: Family Guy. Nice distraction after a long day at work.

Current Wishlist: A bike. Down time with friends. A smooth move. A new lens for my camera.

Current Needs: Peace of mind. There is so much to think about.

Current Bane(s) of my Existence: Not having enough time. Ever.

Current Celebrity (Girl) Crush: Reese Witherspoon. She’s just so adorable.

Current Outfit: Jeans, sweater, flats.

Current Excitement: Our move to a new – beautiful! – apartment. It doesn’t seem real, but we’ll be living in a new place in three weeks!

Current Link: Most of you probably know about it by now, but I’d still like to link up to Pinterest. If you need an invite, let me know and I can pass one on to you!

* * *

What’s up with you CURRENTLY?

On changes

April 11, 2011 filed under: good things, news, yes!

{source}

I’ll make this short and sweet: WE GOT THE APARTMENT!

I can’t tell you how excited I am (especially since we had to give 30-day notice before we knew if we would get the place, because our landlord said they couldn’t release information to a potential new landlord, unless we had given notice already. Is that legal?)

Anyway, everything turned out ok, because we did get the apartment and now we only have a few days of overlapping rent responsibilities at both places, which works out perfectly. But it also means: we’ll be moving in three weeks.
I am freaking out a little bit. There is so much to do until then.

But I also can’t wait to move into a bigger and better place. It’s a bigger 1-bedroom apartment. We originally were looking for a 2-bedroom apartment, because we wanted more space and extra room where we could shut a door. We did compromise on this a little bit, because the apartment only has one bedroom.
But: the bedroom is at the very end of the apartment and in the front, there is a combined dining and living room and the front room can be closed off with a beautiful sliding french door and I just LOVE it. I can’t wait to show you pictures!

I am not sure how much I’ll be able to be around here in the next few weeks, so bear with me. I am hoping to be back to a more normal schedule after the move!