Friday, October 31, 2008

"Süßes oder Saures"

I'm not taking pictures because it isn't so polite to take photographs of people you don't know here. But I just have to say that while I'm not huge into Halloween (I know, the posts below suggest differently, but that's all part of my job) this has been one of my favorite things about being in Germany.
Trick or Treating, and Halloween as a "holiday" is a new concept here. Not all neighborhoods do it, but they do it here in Bürstadt, and it is so fun! We ran out of candy very quickly the first year, not for a while last year, and I do not expect to run out this year. The kids are so cute. They make their own costumes, like we did as kids. Well, I guess their parents make them, but what I mean is that there aren't a lot of store bought ones.
Oh, and when I went to get my clown costume, the lady asked if I was going to a German or American party. I said American. She said, "oh, then you can be anything you want!" And then proceeded to tell me how here they don't do that. They are all "wampires or vitches" (heehee) because you know their Vs are Ws and wise wersa! hahahaha! I'm so funny.
Also, SB got home JUST as the first PACK (of about 12 kids) were getting their share of the "sweets or sours", and one asked if that was his costume. His uniform. And then another thought he was the Polezi (German police). The ones who know that we are Americans before they ever set foot on the porch are very careful with the Thank You, enunciating it clearly, practicing their English.
too cute. This I might miss.

Bde Family Fun Run!

I'm not sure how many of these people actually RAN. I did not. I walked, you know...so the other family members wouldn't feel left behind. Yeah, that's why. ;)


















Later, back at the brigade...our Star Wars maniacs paused for a photoshoot!












Thursday, October 30, 2008

As requested

Here I am. KC requested whole costume view, but in the first one, I look as tired as I feel, so I added the second one, where I'm holding the other Heather's handcuffs for her prisoner person costume, and then the last one, I'm at least smiling, so I added it. for grins!

And obviously, they show up in reverse order. :)













Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Fall Festival 2008

We did it! Put on a Fall Festival, had a great turn out, no rain until we were just about out of food anyway, and I think a good time was had by all! A few pics:



Burge's twins


How cute are these three? There are 4, but one didn't make it back from a trip to the states in time for the fest. One of the grandmothers made all the skirts!




Kwood's boys


44th little ones and moms



Sunflower baby!



Me and Marisa's sister Anna who is visiting from the states



Princess making spider cookie craft


Megan paints faces



That's a messy cupcake!




Storm Troopers and Vadar HIT OF THE NIGHT!

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Truckin along, having fun, then...UGH!

Sick. Been sick since Tuesday. That's almost a WEEK! I went to the dr, got penicillin and naproxin. Now the disgusting pus pockets (sorry!!) are gone from my throat, but I have a stuffy head/gravel gurty throat thing going on. And SB is complaining today that his body is starting to hurt...oops...sorry. :( I tried to go to a scrapbook get together Saturday. Felt crappy all day, got very little done, and left early.

Luckily, though, the illness didn't settle in for good until just before Mary and Chris were about to leave, and we had a great time Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and they had a great time Wednesday! :)







Saturday, October 18, 2008

YAYE TOES!






One of the things on my "list of things I miss most about America" is pedicures. I went for one at the nail place near post once and was horrified when the lady dunked my feet in a home foot spa thing (yeah, the kind from Walgrees or Walmart or whatever) with some luke warm water. She didn't even plug it in for some bubbles. After a few minutes (when the water turned COLD) she dried them off and brushed some polish on. THAT WAS IT. So sad. I asked around and was told that was pretty much the case everywhere.

Well, someone got smart! Two streetcar stops up from post there is now "Beautiful Nails". This morning, my friend Marisa, her son and her sister who is in town visiting went to pedicures and manicures! Not the little boy, just the ladies! There were 3 Mannheim High students in there getting their nails done, tonight is Homecoming.


After we got our treatments, we walked downtown, around the watertower and then did some shopping and went to the market. I love the way the water looked today. The sun was shining off the waterfalls, it looked almost like cling wrap. and the ivy that covers the walkways had turned brilliant red. beautiful!

San Benito Tacos!

I know this sounds crazy (maybe it should have been on my 7 quirky list?) but I'm 38 and before this, I had never fried a corn tortilla. Well, not in my very own kitchen. I may have turned one or two at my aunt/uncle/cousins house in San Benito. So I've been dreaming of a tortilla burger for quite some time, but since the commissary doesn't sell flat (tostada style) tortillas, I had to fry up my own. Just to see if I could, I made tacos/tostadas first so that we'd have a back up for dinner, as we had flour tortillas in the frige. The result was a flashback to many a summer in San Benito. I even had to get out the ketchup, because that's how we eat 'em there! yeah, that freaked SB out a little bit, but he got passed it. :)

The elements.
Golden goodness.
mmm, combo tostada!
Stephen's double decker.
at the table.


YUMMY GOODNESS!

Question for Paulette and/or Kimberly and/or KK: The taco shells were a little bit rubbery. What did I do wrong? SB thinks they needed a little longer in the pan. ??

It's Seasonal!

I don't know why "they" make the Soldiers and the Dept of Public Works people clean up all the leaves (and they are many) that fall on the grounds around the buildings and in the streets on post. They are pretty. Yellows, reds, even the browns. I like to walk through them. shroosh, shroosh, shroosh.
Fall is my friend Christy's favorite season. She has a little bit of Autumn Envy. I can see why. And we don't know where we're going from here, but I hope there is some Autumn involved.
Pass on the long winter, though...had some ice on my windshield today.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Check out these!



Looks good to me!
:)

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Did you miss me?

I see it has been 10 days since my last post! Ohhhhh, the shame of it. What have I been doing? Going to and heading up MEETINGS! Millions of them, it seems! I was late at work all week, so it's been a fun one. Also, I'm trying to get some scrapbook projects finished, but someone in Stuttgart gave me the great idea of putting "kits" in 2 gallon ziploc bags. The idea is to put paper, pics and embellishment stuffs in a bag and then take it where ever you are going to crop so you don't have to haul ALL your stuff there. Well, I have taken this as an open invitation to start pages and then decide I don't have the mojo left to finish them, so I just bag them and move on! I have about 8 half done pages and you know it's FREAKIN ME OUT!
So, today I am going to try to get some things finished up.

I really need to since I just ordered 122 more pictures from Snapfish. oops. ;)

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

You're it!

OK, well...I've been tagged by my IRL LL friend KC. And it actually gave me stress. This, in itself is #1.

1. I stress about the silliest things. What am I going to say? Can I repeat one of her things? oh, goody! My other IRL LL friend CGB did it, too! Maybe I can copy hers! What is that about? Even I think that is freakish. Random and/or weird? I don't know. Definitely not useful in life.
HA! While thinking of #2 I went to Octamom's site and saw she is also concerned about the question!

2. I have lately started dating things to see how long it takes us to use them. I figured out that we are done buying fabric softener sheets in Germany. It took us more months to use the last one than we have left here. :) I tried to pass it off as planning, not having a ton of 1/2 used things when we get ready to pack out. But I know it's weird because of the look on my husband's face when I said, "That's the last box of fabric softener we have to buy here!"

3. I love football and fantasy football even more. Personally, I think those who do not are the ones who are off, but everyone seems to think I'm the different one. I have been in one league with 13 guys for 7 years. I've been to the playoffs every year, the World Domination Bowl twice, and have the trophy proudly displayed as I type this. Yes, I just looked at it and then back at the computer smuggly. I have also been in 2 other leagues for 2 years.

4. I don't like caramel, mint chocolate chip ice cream, or any meat on the bone. Yes, that means ribs, fried chicken, all that. ick.

5. I am freakishly afraid of mice. Freakishly. I can't even look at or dispose of something that has obviously been gnawed on by a rodent and am having trouble thinking about it long enough to type about it.

6. Recently I had to upload photos to two differnent photo galleries because one was having a sale on prints, but the other is the one ALL my albums are on. It made me crazy to not have everything organized and in one place. I'm still kind of having hives about the photos I uploaded to facebook of high school. They are out of order. BADLY out of order. ugh.

7. I watch the following reality shows. Never saw one episode of any reality show before we lived here. Now? Top Chef, Survior, Amazing Race, America'sNextTopModel, Beauty and the Geek, Hell's Kitchen, and most recently, Project Runway. I would not be surprised to have forgotten some. It's what you do when you have one tv and only what AFN carries!

and just cuz, here are a few that I agree with: Mayonnaise ROCKS, on everything. Salt is also awesome. I am also scared of birds. And cockroaches. and because of the cockroaches, jasmine!


NEXT:
Jessica
Jill
Paulette
Cara
Heather
Kristi B
Greg
Ree