Different Worlds Apart

Tee Hee ... we have 15 cm of shnooooooooooooooooooooooow :)

December 4th .. only twenty days till Christmas and I still haven't decorated the house yet. Okay, I put up the customary three fir branch wreaths on the windows of our downstairs floor but apart from that and buying two poinsettas I haven't done anything. It is such a hectic time and I'm too pissed off with all the ppl around me shopping like crazy and making this time of reflection and peace into some frenzied time of materialism. Where the heck did my favourite time of the year go? With baking your own cookies? making your own crafted gifts? When you give hand made presents you are considered cheap, even if it is a well crafted sweater or quilt or anything. All ppl want are presents with a price tag and I'm so boycotting this.

What else happened? Last week I had my final exam for this year as well as after 5 years of remission and yesterday my PET/PSA results came in. After 16 years (since late 1996) I am now cured of cancer but still have a 25% chance to get it again in the future. Still, it's something. The first time in 16 years, where I have been without the scare of tumors in my breast for five consecutive years. YAY!
Strangely though, I feel kind of numb inside. There's no booty dance or full blown happiness. I guess my mind has to catch up yet that this scare is over for the time being. I'm officially a survivor now.

Gosh the last two days (including today) have been busy as I had this mad dash of inspiration and wanted to wrap up all the *you didn't finish them up in time so you can leave them till the new year* projects or at least get them off to a good start. But it was worth it :) The only thing I missed/forgot is to trim the tree LOL

But - all the walls in my sewing room are now white washed, the beams are a glistening dark brown and the dark awful looking doors to the built-in closet are now white and show off the wallpaper I put on two of the three doors to perfection. I was not too sure if my colour palette of grey, white and dusty pink would work, but it does. It looks fabulous and I'm so keen on putting up the rest of the shelves as well as the frames and my old Baroque mirror (which still needs fixing).

The whole house has been cleaned, dusted and cared for from top to bottom, even though I still need to wash the upstairs windows and I think I'm seeing the proverbial light at the end of a very deep, dark, and self-confessed tunnel. YAY!

Yesterday His Hubbiness ™ got a pre-birthday present (how very Sheldonesque) in form of a fleece sweater, then today, he got some camera gadgets and a board game. He also got a pre-Christmassy pressie today LOLbut I needed to move some stuff out of the way and instead of wrapping up some I gave it to him instead which he is now wearing with pride so everyone is happy. Just don't tell the Christkind or Santa LOL

I wish you all a Merry Christmas - eat, drink and be happy :)


4/5 of our idiot children :D

Gosh the last two days (including today) have been busy as I had this mad dash of inspiration and wanted to wrap up all the *you didn't finish them up in time so you can leave them till the new year* projects or at least get them off to a good start. But it was worth it :) The only thing I missed/forgot is to trim the tree LOL

But - all the walls in my sewing room are now white washed, the beams are a glistening dark brown and the dark awful looking doors to the built-in closet are now white and show off the wallpaper I put on two of the three doors to perfection. I was not too sure if my colour palette of grey, white and dusty pink would work, but it does. It looks fabulous and I'm so keen on putting up the rest of the shelves as well as the frames and my old Baroque mirror (which still needs fixing).

The whole house has been cleaned, dusted and cared for from top to bottom, even though I still need to wash the upstairs windows and I think I'm seeing the proverbial light at the end of a very deep, dark, and self-confessed tunnel. YAY!

Yesterday His Hubbiness ™ got a pre-birthday present (how very Sheldonesque) in form of a fleece sweater, then today, he got some camera gadgets and a board game. He also got a pre-Christmassy pressie today LOLbut I needed to move some stuff out of the way and instead of wrapping up some I gave it to him instead which he is now wearing with pride so everyone is happy. Just don't tell the Christkind or Santa LOL

I wish you all a Merry Christmas - eat, drink and be happy :)


4/5 of our idiot children :D

Last night, our first snow came in from the West. Unfortunately, it has almost already melted and only white spots can be seen clearly in the emerging light. I WANT WHITE CHRISTMAS!!!!
Last year was so wonderful when we had snow from mid December to mid January. *pout*

Runs off singing 'Schneeflöckchen, Weissröckchen'*




*German children's song about snowflakes

On the sixth it's St. Nicholas Day here in Germany, the Netherlands and other Mid-European countries. While it is not an official holiday, this name day of St. Nikolaus Bishop of Myra is still celebrated for the children.
On the eve of St. Nicholas Day (5th Dec.) children put out their Nicholas boots, usually either boots or shoes polished to a shine and over night St. Nicholas fills them up with sweets and cookies. He is usually accompanied by Servant Ruprecht (Knecht Ruprecht in Germany, Zwarte Piet in the Netherlands) who will punish naughty children.
Usually all children get sweets.

St. Nicholas was a prominent figure in Byzantine times, he was a bishop of Graeco-Turkmen descent and he is reputed to have created a lot of miracles. He also loved children and he left sweets and sometimes money for children in their shoes or sandals outside the houses. Hence his name day celebrations.
Until Coca Cola came up with their red suited Santa Claus in the early 1900s, St. Nicholas and also the 'Weihnachtsmann' (Christmas Mann, Santa Claus, Sinterklaas and Father Frost) were shown to wear a bishop's robe and tiered hat in blue, yellow or green - never red!) but from 1910 onwards the red suited (still in bishop's robes mind you) St. Nicholas spread from England to mainland Europe. .

Unfortunately this tradition is more and more a thing of the past, Nowadays, we get visits of Santa Claus on Christmas Eve and not the 'Weihnachtsmann' or the 'Christkind' anymore. We celebrate Halloween but not St. Martin anymore. I really wait for the day when we idiots start celebrating Thanksgiving not in September/October when there IS a real harvest time and a time to give thanks, but in November with turkeys and American-Indians.

Can't the US keep at least their traditions to themselves? They are already the self-declared Earth police (sign the blasted Kyoto and follow treaty, for god's sake!!!!) or the self-declared financial moguls (Standard & Poor's where were you when the US was almost bankrupt??) but the American way of life is not something to cry home about. And no, you didn't bring Democracy to the world, that were the Ancient Greek.If democracy of the ppl means politicians get bribed 'prepped' by lobbyists to follow their interests ... sorry, that is not democracy as I see it.

Anyway, I wanted to write about German customs, not rant about the US of A.

On the sixth it's St. Nicholas Day here in Germany, the Netherlands and other Mid-European countries. While it is not an official holiday, this name day of St. Nikolaus Bishop of Myra is still celebrated for the children.
On the eve of St. Nicholas Day (5th Dec.) children put out their Nicholas boots, usually either boots or shoes polished to a shine and over night St. Nicholas fills them up with sweets and cookies. He is usually accompanied by Servant Ruprecht (Knecht Ruprecht in Germany, Zwarte Piet in the Netherlands) who will punish naughty children.
Usually all children get sweets.

St. Nicholas was a prominent figure in Byzantine times, he was a bishop of Graeco-Turkmen descent and he is reputed to have created a lot of miracles. He also loved children and he left sweets and sometimes money for children in their shoes or sandals outside the houses. Hence his name day celebrations.
Until Coca Cola came up with their red suited Santa Claus in the early 1900s, St. Nicholas and also the 'Weihnachtsmann' (Christmas Mann, Santa Claus, Sinterklaas and Father Frost) were shown to wear a bishop's robe and tiered hat in blue, yellow or green - never red!) but from 1910 onwards the red suited (still in bishop's robes mind you) St. Nicholas spread from England to mainland Europe. .

Unfortunately this tradition is more and more a thing of the past, Nowadays, we get visits of Santa Claus on Christmas Eve and not the 'Weihnachtsmann' or the 'Christkind' anymore. We celebrate Halloween but not St. Martin anymore. I really wait for the day when we idiots start celebrating Thanksgiving not in September/October when there IS a real harvest time and a time to give thanks, but in November with turkeys and American-Indians.

Can't the US keep at least their traditions to themselves? They are already the self-declared Earth police (sign the blasted Kyoto and follow treaty, for god's sake!!!!) or the self-declared financial moguls (Standard & Poor's where were you when the US was almost bankrupt??) but the American way of life is not something to cry home about. And no, you didn't bring Democracy to the world, that were the Ancient Greek.If democracy of the ppl means politicians get bribed 'prepped' by lobbyists to follow their interests ... sorry, that is not democracy as I see it.

Anyway, I wanted to write about German customs, not rant about the US of A.

Even though I try to move slowly and somewhat gracefully through this hectic part of the year, it is a good thing that our afternoons and evenings are returning to cozy nights at home instead of either entertaining or being entertained by new-found friends. While I love that we have now started to weave all the intricate knots of friendship, at this time of the year it is essential to stay home and just breathe. And pause ... and wonder ... and soaking up all the holiday goodness.

All the moments that make me happy
- hunting for little holiday gifts on Christmas Markets.
- it's Christmas time.
- walks in the woods with the dogs.

メリークリスマス!! Frohe Weihnacht! Merry Christmas!!

Snow reaches knees and we have - at last - WHITE CHRISTMAS!!!!

My absolute dream come true .. I cannot remember when we did have White Christmas in the past. Last year it started snowing a week AFTER Christmas :s