Five
There has been nary a free moment in the past week or so. My husband surprised me with my early Christmas gift – he flew Colin here. : ) Besides that, there have been dance performances (3), a talent show, and a birthday for Tess. She is five now and requested a party with friends this year. We invited two sweet sisters for cake and homemade games one afternoon last week.
A slightly snow-covered castle and very pink cupcakes courtesy of her big sister.
Pin the tail….
And a pinata, which was a first for us. The birthday day turned out to be dark and stormy so we took advantage of the stairway.
Daddy was not going to miss the party so he took off work to come have lunch with her.
The party goers wrapping up their afternoon, sans shoes and with a silly little sister face from Abbie. A very nice day all around.
I apologize that I am behind on blog mail (as well as wrapping gifts, shopping, and a number of other things ; )) Bear with me please. We have another son and his friend arriving soon and will have a very full house for a few weeks.
Gaudete
"put it into your heart… that the thing that disturbs you, the thing that afflicts you, is nothing. Do not let your countenance, your heart be disturbed. Do not fear this sickness … any other sickness, nor anything that is sharp or hurtful."
– message of The Virgin of Guadalupe
The Sheep’s in the Meadow
Sheep
From where I stand the sheep stand still
As stones against the stony hill.
The stones are gray
And so are they.
And both are weatherworn and round,
Leading the eye back to the ground.
Two mingled flocks –
The sheep, the rocks.
And still no sheep stirs from its place
Or lifts its Babylonian face.
-Robert Francis
Preparing
Nikolaustag
St Nicholas is busy this time of year, visiting local schools and churches. We have caught a few glimpses of him this season. At a local church…
And he even honked and waved at us from a white convertible at a stoplight one night, which left an indelible impression on Tess. As in, "Better get to bed now Tess, St. Nicholas is coming!"
"In his white car???"
So, that sorta threw off the authentic German Catholic vibe we were shootin' for but hey.
We still read about the beloved saint and woke to wooden shoes filled with traditional clementines, nuts, and chocolate coins in memory of the good Turkish bishop's efforts to secure an honorable future for some unfortunate maidens.
One of the few days you get chocolate for breakfast.
Lest you are mistakenly awed (and hence discouraged) by this display of authentic cultural celebration, let me just mention that Nikolaustag is Dec 6th.
These pictures were taken Dec 7th 'cause, um, St. Nicholas' helper discovered at a distressingly late date that she was shy on clementines and candy canes.
In 20 yrs they will never know. ; )
WC
German bathrooms are a funny thing. To us anyway. They most often have turn knobs like these. Very often there is also some change involved. Either you leave it in a bowl on the sink or you may actually have to insert it in the door to enter the stall. Reason being – there is often a live person nearby who is vigorously cleaning the room all day long. So you tip. Even if you are an American and are a little unsettled by women running in and out of both the men's and women's restrooms whomever may be present. (one of my little boys hasn't yet recovered from being advised on a potty stop. I will leave it at that lol)
The faucet in this restroom will strike American readers as odd namely because it is singular. That would be cold. But, not uncommon.
If you follow this Pinterest board of mine, you will guess how much I loved these mod door signs spotted at a local church:
I am easily amused, although you may be too if you made it this far down a post about potties. ; D
at play
Brendan has graduated to our early readers. Despite the bad press they often get these days we have always enjoyed them, at least our vintage readers. The vocabulary is controlled, ensuring lots of success, and the illustrations are priceless. Of course we still read higher level literature together. These are great fun for independent practice however as well as a fond glimpse of a more gracious time.
At Play is one of the most charming old readers in our collection:
Patent leather Mary Jane's, short pants, and a Scotty. Doesn't get much better than that. : )
My, my. I remember those wonderful aluminum cake covers.
Letter blocks and pull toys. Obviously written some time before vibrating Elmo's.
to markets, to markets – Trier
We kicked off the Weihnachtsmarkt season in Trier the day after Thanksgiving. Trier is one of my favorite places in Germany and I knew even if the market was a bust, there would be plenty to see.
The skeletal remains of the vineyards stand in stark contrast to their summer glory.
First stop is parking, always a challenge with the Suburban. Always a challenge. Here stands the man, victorious at last.
Parked nearby was a decked out scooter. "Cause really, what scooter couldn't benefit from a little fringe right?
On we walked to the city center.
Past St. Christopher, who figures prominently in German sculpture and murals.
and St Nicholas…
The markets themselves are usually set up in the city square or walkplatz. Stalls are arranged with food, drink, and wares for sale. Drink of choice is hot gluhwein.
Our bunch dove into this bucket of chocolate covered goodness.
can't pass up some mushroom love…
We passed back through the Porta Nigra on the way out, it's facade illuminated. Stunning!
Hansi
It's been quiet here since I began the Christmas prep. Since the hospitalization in the fall I am keenly aware of how catastrophe can strike when you least expect it. I don't want the children's holidays derailed so am trying to get everything in place… just in case.
Not much by way of pictures ready to share but in the general odds and ends doing around here I finally got those little Alsacian prints framed and hung in the schoolroom. Very pleased.
Starry Sky Journal 