Category Archives: Germany

Homberg Flea Market

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I am swimming in pictures I have not shared.  Positively swimming in them.  Thought I would share a glimpse of the Homberg Flea Market today. My friend April drove over here early morning and another friend, more savvy than us with the local markets, picked us up and together we ventured to Homberg on a perfect autumn summer day. Perfect. 




Vendors ranged from locals on card tables with their used toys and clothes, to antique dealers with fine china, linens, and lovely oak furniture. The collection below was from a young man who had inherited his aunt's collection of advertising art, which had recently been featured in a local gallery. I should have gotten one in retrospect.  I love advertising art. 



April found the world's tiniest working iron, with cord as large as the iron. That will set you back a small fortune, believe it or not. 




But hey, there are bargains to be had lol….



I brought home some linens for a steal and an old chocolate mold which I had been hoping to find. 

 


and fell in love with vintage Villeroy and Boch.  Head over heels.  April was cracking up after I worked a deal on a box of china with nary a word.  I spotted it soon after we arrived but an American man was eyeing it as well and dealing with the vendor. He waivered however and couldn't decide.  When he walked off I approached. I pointed and inquired. The vendor named his price. I was racking my brain for useable vocabulary, which apparently made me look as though I was intently bargaining because the vendor started lowering the price.  And lowering.  Until the collection came to approximately two dollars a piece with a massive salt glazed crock thrown in.  I walked away stunned and delighted. 

April now fondly refers to me as the Dish Whisperer. ; ) 



So the decision has been made.  Much as I love the Polish Pottery it is exorbitantly expensive.  I will cry if a child drops a $40+ bowl.  Weep in fact.  But at a few bucks a pop?  We can sweep and move on. : )  The transferware is abundant and I look forward to finding more.  Shown here are the Burgenland and Valeria (above) patterns. I am aiming to mix.

      

geocaching

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Had a hard core geocaching hike today. With iphone GPS in hand we followed the sidewalk 'til it became farm path…

 

and then the farm path became a field…

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which took us out beyond the village

 

among the neighboring farm pastures


 

and linked up to a trail heading into the forest.


 

Where we looked and looked – and found it.  

 

 

The boys signed the log book


         

checked out the contents of the cache box

 

and decided to exchange their key ring for a pair of soccer cleats. 

 

a good day had by all! : ) 

 

 

 

boys on the trail

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Walking with the boys.  I would say the 'little boys' since they have been that all their lives.  But Aidan pointed out that they are the oldest and only boys in the house now so could I please stop calling them the "little boys"?  Ok, point taken.  

Here are my 'not so little anymore' boys on the trail with me this month…

 

 

that would be a ginormous termite mound.  Ew. I was wondering when I got home if those nasty flying breeders could have hitch-hiked home with me?  Ew again. 

 

 

 

 

German toad stools.  Every. Where. Love them.

    

 

 

Queen Anne’s Lace

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Queen Anne, Queen Anne, has washed her lace 

(She chose a summer's day) 

And hung it in a grassy place 

To whiten, if it may.

Queen Anne, Queen Anne, has left it there, 

And slept the dewy night; 

Then waked, to find the sunshine fair, 

And all the meadows white.

Queen Anne, Queen Anne, is dead and gone 

(She died a summer's day), 

But left her lace to whiten in 

Each weed-entangled way!

Mary Leslie Newton

Simple Woman’s Daybook

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Daybook icon
 

FOR TODAY… Aug 9, 2010

Outside my window… dark, cool, clear, perfect. It's almost not Monday anymore but there is a lot of Monday left points west of here so I will keep typing. The funniest thing outside my window the past couple days was bovine. The farmer rotated pastures and up at our back fence was…

Cowsyardweb
 

Never in my dreams did expect to move around the world and still gaze out my window at cattle.  I love that. 

I am hearing… nothing but the clacking of the keyboard, the fridge humming, and the soft breathing of Abbie Rose as she dozes back to sleep on my lap. 

I am thinking… that I could have called Rebecca after all if I wasn't going to be sleeping.  Insomnia more often than not lately. We got into a night owl sleep cycle when we first arrived early summer and one of us has not broken it. 

Pondering these words:

"Make new friends,

but keep the old, 

one is silver,

and the other gold."

I am thankful for… courage and peace. 

From the learning rooms… curriculum planning…by Dad.  There is a happy turn of events. Dad-turned-curriculum planner has been comparing and contrasting programs and lesson plans. I am so good with that and it's very cool to talk shop together when he really does know exactly what I am talking about.  He knows exactly what he wants for his kids and is setting out to make it happen.  Have at it. ; ) 

From the kitchen… There is a new edition of Julia Child's original cookbook waiting to be broken in.  Jen's parting gift to the girls and I.  I can't wait to try it.  We can cover a lot of ground if we just make one recipe each week. It is about that for me. Like a grand adventure in fairly uncharted waters. 

 In other food news, we need to eat more produce.  Like a LOT more produce. I am not sure if it is the fridge, the humidity or the age of the produce from the commissary but salad greens do not last long at all. 

I am wearing…brown capris, light lime green sweater, brown mules. Or I was. The shoes were kicked off a long time ago. 

I am creating… pictures, soon to be albums. New lens = lots of new pics. 

I am going… to France!  The  Metz flea market is coming up and I am making plans to get there. France.  Me. Metz-metz-metz-METZ!!!!

There.  I feel better. : ) 

I am reading… speaking of France we are reading Anni's Diary of France and now there are a whole bunch of other places there I want to go. Truly delightful picture book packed with info. Aidan is packing now I think lol. Aidan is still plowing through Hardy Boys at a pretty good clip. Kieran found his Marco Polo biography. But the best reading is happening up in his room in the evenings as he has taken to reading stories to Brendan and Tess before bed.  I sat in the hallway listening to his eight year old voice changing with the different characters the other night. 

Around the house… school room awaits some shelves. I am ambivalent about the crochet valances on the main floor.  Picked up an awesome desk and bankers chair off the German craigslist equivalent for next to nothing. 


Deskweb
 

One of my favorite things… foam hand soap.  I used to think it was an unnecessary expense but wow are the sinks a lot less sloppy now.  


Here is picture for thought I am sharing…

Gargoyleyardweb
Our neighbors' nod to Notre Dame.  Or something. Not sure how many times we walked past this stone wall before one child gasped and said, "Look Mom!"  Now every time we pass we look up.  Yep. Still there.  As if he would go somewhere. It's a little creepy.