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Sunday, December 28, 2008
Saturday, December 27, 2008
The season of giving
I noticed this image on the sidebar of a friend's blog and kept meaning to take a look. But I always got sidetracked. Today I noticed it on another blog and finally got around to checking it out.
Click on the image to go to their website.
Right now, Soles4Souls is trying to raise funds for 50,000 pairs of shoes in 50 days. For $5, Soles4Souls can help get 2 pairs of shoes onto the feet of people who need them. They still have a long ways to go to meet their goal and only three days left. It's easy to help. It took less than a minute to donate through PayPal.
If you have a lot of shoes sitting around that are still in good condition, Soles4Souls will gladly take them. You can find a list of locations online where you can drop off your shoes.
Click on the image to go to their website.
Right now, Soles4Souls is trying to raise funds for 50,000 pairs of shoes in 50 days. For $5, Soles4Souls can help get 2 pairs of shoes onto the feet of people who need them. They still have a long ways to go to meet their goal and only three days left. It's easy to help. It took less than a minute to donate through PayPal.
If you have a lot of shoes sitting around that are still in good condition, Soles4Souls will gladly take them. You can find a list of locations online where you can drop off your shoes.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas!
I think this is our first year to spend Christmas day on our own. Last year we joined some friends for lunch, but this year we wanted to make the holiday our own. So we initiated what I hope will become a tradition: Photobooth Christmas. If there was a real photobooth here in Vienna I might have tried to persuade Brian and Sharkdog to venture out with me. But since the only photobooths in the city are not the traditional type that prints a strip of four photos, I decided to stay in our warm, cozy home and use Photobooth on Brian's Mac.
It's tough to get a good photo of all of us at the same time.
Merry Christmas from our family to yours!
It's tough to get a good photo of all of us at the same time.
Merry Christmas from our family to yours!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Conquering marshmallows
Christmas really sneaked up on me this year. I haven't decorated the Christlampe or made any of the traditional goodies like sausage balls or peanut butter balls. And Christmas is only three days away! But I did manage to get most of the Christmas gifts made and some of them actually in the mail. And today I finished making some goodies for neighbors.
This year I wanted to make marshmallows. I've had a recipe from Martha tucked away for years -- probably at least 4 years -- but I've never attempted them. This year I've seen several bloggers showing off their lovely marshmallows and I wanted to join in the fun. But conquering the marshmallow wasn't as easy as I had hoped.
I decided to use this recipe, but referenced a few others. Since I don't have a candy thermometer, I figured I could just let the liquids boil for one minute as Chef Keller recommended. But other recipes recommended boiling up to three minutes, so I wasn't very confident in this method. I really believe this was the source of my problems. Problems which could have been resolved simply by purchasing a candy thermometer.
Nevertheless, I persevered.
The first batch turned out way too gooey on the bottom side. I couldn't salvage them. The second batch turned out just a little gooey, so I had the bright idea to let them sit out overnight again. That seemed to do the trick. Unfortunately, what had been the gooey side didn't look too pretty.
But I was thinking about dipping them in chocolate anyway, so I wasn't concerned. In yet another unfortunate turn of events, I discovered I'm not a very good chocolate dipper. But I'm a decent chocolate spreader, so this is what I ended up with: the Christmas S'more. It's a graham cracker-like cookie, with a layer of melted chocolate, marshmallow, more melted chocolate and topped with cookie crumbs (to hide the imperfections in my chocolate spreading).
I also just added chocolate to some of the marshmallows. I think they'll be quite tasty in hot chocolate. I hope to try making marshmallows again next week when I have a candy thermometer. Despite my difficulties, it's a pretty easy recipe.
This year I wanted to make marshmallows. I've had a recipe from Martha tucked away for years -- probably at least 4 years -- but I've never attempted them. This year I've seen several bloggers showing off their lovely marshmallows and I wanted to join in the fun. But conquering the marshmallow wasn't as easy as I had hoped.
I decided to use this recipe, but referenced a few others. Since I don't have a candy thermometer, I figured I could just let the liquids boil for one minute as Chef Keller recommended. But other recipes recommended boiling up to three minutes, so I wasn't very confident in this method. I really believe this was the source of my problems. Problems which could have been resolved simply by purchasing a candy thermometer.
Nevertheless, I persevered.
The first batch turned out way too gooey on the bottom side. I couldn't salvage them. The second batch turned out just a little gooey, so I had the bright idea to let them sit out overnight again. That seemed to do the trick. Unfortunately, what had been the gooey side didn't look too pretty.
But I was thinking about dipping them in chocolate anyway, so I wasn't concerned. In yet another unfortunate turn of events, I discovered I'm not a very good chocolate dipper. But I'm a decent chocolate spreader, so this is what I ended up with: the Christmas S'more. It's a graham cracker-like cookie, with a layer of melted chocolate, marshmallow, more melted chocolate and topped with cookie crumbs (to hide the imperfections in my chocolate spreading).
I also just added chocolate to some of the marshmallows. I think they'll be quite tasty in hot chocolate. I hope to try making marshmallows again next week when I have a candy thermometer. Despite my difficulties, it's a pretty easy recipe.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
The Sharkdogs
People often ask about Sharkdog's name, but no one seems to be familiar with Sharkdog's namesake. Two weeks ago, a woman at church asked about his name and I explained it was from a cartoon. Then Last week, she showed up with a special treat for Sharkdog.
That's the original Sharkdog right there. And below is the new Sharkdog. Can you see the resemblance?
That's the original Sharkdog right there. And below is the new Sharkdog. Can you see the resemblance?
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Round 2
I thought that Sharkdog and Daisy would get tired of playing with each other all the time, but they still like to have a few wrestling matches every day. I've been trying to capture some of Daisy's signature moves with little success. My favorite move is when she puts practically Sharkdog's entire head in her mouth. Sharkdog has tried to copy this move, but Daisy's head is much too big.
Here is the only move I've been able to capture. Daisy uses her massive paws to hold Sharkdog down then tries to chew his head off.
But she has to be careful. Because this gives Sharkdog the perfect opportunity to go for her jugular.
I think I enjoy watching the dogs fight as much as they enjoy fighting. But don't worry, there's nothing illegal going on here. The two fight very gently. I think Sharkdog will miss his buddy next week when she goes home.
Here is the only move I've been able to capture. Daisy uses her massive paws to hold Sharkdog down then tries to chew his head off.
But she has to be careful. Because this gives Sharkdog the perfect opportunity to go for her jugular.
Get her Sharkdog! Go in for the kill!
I think I enjoy watching the dogs fight as much as they enjoy fighting. But don't worry, there's nothing illegal going on here. The two fight very gently. I think Sharkdog will miss his buddy next week when she goes home.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
It's that time again
Last year I wrote about Austria's tradition of Nikolo and Krampus. In case you missed it, instead of bad kids going on Santa's naughty list, they get chased around and whipped with branches by a devilish figure called Krampus. Krampus traditional shows up on the 5th or 6th of December, but tonight the Krampuses (or is it Krampi? I think I prefer Krampi.) were out in full force.
The photos below are from Krampuslauf -- or Krampus Run. As far as I can tell, it's basically an event where adults enjoy scaring the bejeebers out of their kids by exposing them to these frightening creatures. Be warned, these really are some frightening images.
The first group traveled with Nikolo. They looked scary, but they didn't taunt the crowd too much.
This guy doesn't look too bad. Look, he's smiling.
That is, until he started yelling in the face of the guy standing right in front of me. I was a little too scared to stand directly next to the barrier because I didn't want to get so close to these creatures. Moments later, the Krampus was hitting this guy's backside with his switches. But don't worry, the guy was laughing the whole time. The kids, on the other hand, had run away screaming.
Here are a few more Krampi. They don't look quite as festive, but they certainly look scary. I think seeing one of these guys would be enough to make me want to behave the whole year.
The photos below are from Krampuslauf -- or Krampus Run. As far as I can tell, it's basically an event where adults enjoy scaring the bejeebers out of their kids by exposing them to these frightening creatures. Be warned, these really are some frightening images.
The first group traveled with Nikolo. They looked scary, but they didn't taunt the crowd too much.
This guy doesn't look too bad. Look, he's smiling.
That is, until he started yelling in the face of the guy standing right in front of me. I was a little too scared to stand directly next to the barrier because I didn't want to get so close to these creatures. Moments later, the Krampus was hitting this guy's backside with his switches. But don't worry, the guy was laughing the whole time. The kids, on the other hand, had run away screaming.
Here are a few more Krampi. They don't look quite as festive, but they certainly look scary. I think seeing one of these guys would be enough to make me want to behave the whole year.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
It's serious business
People 'round here take renovation very seriously. When new neighbors moved in downstairs there were months of drilling and other loud noises. There were many occasions when it sounded like something was going to break through our floor.
And it's really no wonder. Because when you move into (or out of) an unfurnished apartment, you have to bring (or take) everything and the kitchen sink. And I mean that literally. Many unfurnished apartments have no counters, sinks or cabinets in the kitchen. Boy were we glad to find a furnished apartment.
But it's not just apartments. Several times a week I walk past a store that is being renovated. First, the workers tore everything out of the building. Then I assumed they were going to put all new stuff in, but they kept tearing more stuff out. Last week when I walked past the store there were men standing on the awning and others standing on the ground, all with sledgehammers and having the time of their lives breaking out every single window in the store front. The ones standing on the awning were actually breaking some type of marble-looking facade. A few hours later I walked past again and noticed all of the workers standing around laughing. I'm pretty sure that was a fun day on the job.
I don't have a "before" photo because I had no idea it was going to be such a big deal, but this is where it's at now.
I'm really curious about what they're putting in here. I hope it's something good!
And it's really no wonder. Because when you move into (or out of) an unfurnished apartment, you have to bring (or take) everything and the kitchen sink. And I mean that literally. Many unfurnished apartments have no counters, sinks or cabinets in the kitchen. Boy were we glad to find a furnished apartment.
But it's not just apartments. Several times a week I walk past a store that is being renovated. First, the workers tore everything out of the building. Then I assumed they were going to put all new stuff in, but they kept tearing more stuff out. Last week when I walked past the store there were men standing on the awning and others standing on the ground, all with sledgehammers and having the time of their lives breaking out every single window in the store front. The ones standing on the awning were actually breaking some type of marble-looking facade. A few hours later I walked past again and noticed all of the workers standing around laughing. I'm pretty sure that was a fun day on the job.
I don't have a "before" photo because I had no idea it was going to be such a big deal, but this is where it's at now.
I'm really curious about what they're putting in here. I hope it's something good!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
But no photos to prove it
Yesterday was crazy. Kim picked me up sometime in the late morning along with my food and other stuff I was toting to the location of our festivities. She already had three kids, a friend from Dresden and all of their food with her. We were met at the building by another family and later by the folks who had to take public transportation.
We started cooking immediately with the goal of dinner at 2:00, but it became clear pretty soon that we weren't going to make our scheduled meal time. Even though we had several ovens, the ovens here are tiny, so most of the time we could only cook one dish at a time. And at one point we managed to trip a breaker that affected only the microwave and oven, so we didn't notice it for a good half hour. I knew there was a problem when I opened the oven and wasn't greeted by a hot blast of air. But despite the set backs, we eventually finished cooking everything and the meal was delicious. I would love to show you a picture of the spread at this point, but I was too exhausted and hungry to bother with a camera. Suffice it to say, it was your traditional Thanksgiving fare.
After dinner, we had a devo and then an auction. Several families donated items (mostly food) from the U.S. and we auctioned them off with the proceeds going to a good cause. It was a lot of fun -- especially when the kids started in on the bidding. They are quite competitive!
All in all, it was a pretty chaotic day, but it was worth all of the trouble.
We started cooking immediately with the goal of dinner at 2:00, but it became clear pretty soon that we weren't going to make our scheduled meal time. Even though we had several ovens, the ovens here are tiny, so most of the time we could only cook one dish at a time. And at one point we managed to trip a breaker that affected only the microwave and oven, so we didn't notice it for a good half hour. I knew there was a problem when I opened the oven and wasn't greeted by a hot blast of air. But despite the set backs, we eventually finished cooking everything and the meal was delicious. I would love to show you a picture of the spread at this point, but I was too exhausted and hungry to bother with a camera. Suffice it to say, it was your traditional Thanksgiving fare.
After dinner, we had a devo and then an auction. Several families donated items (mostly food) from the U.S. and we auctioned them off with the proceeds going to a good cause. It was a lot of fun -- especially when the kids started in on the bidding. They are quite competitive!
All in all, it was a pretty chaotic day, but it was worth all of the trouble.
Friday, November 28, 2008
The day in between
Yesterday was a typical day in Vienna. No turkey or stuffing -- at least not for me. But all of that is coming tomorrow when we'll join with friends from Vienna; Dresden, Germany; and the U.S. to celebrate the things for which we're thankful and to feast on the traditional fare.
Today, on the day between when those in the U.S. celebrated Thanksgiving and the day I will celebrate here with my co-workers and friends, I wanted to share a prayer of thanks. When our team meets together on Sunday to worship in the German language, we spend a lot of time reading the Scriptures as it's easier to read and understand German than it is to form sentences and express thoughts. We often have a responsive reading of Psalm 136, where we take turns reading the verses and everyone says in unison, "Denn seine Gnade bleibt ewig bestehen" -- or, in the NIV translation, "His love endures forever." I've included a section of this psalm below. I can't think of a better reason to give thanks.
Today, on the day between when those in the U.S. celebrated Thanksgiving and the day I will celebrate here with my co-workers and friends, I wanted to share a prayer of thanks. When our team meets together on Sunday to worship in the German language, we spend a lot of time reading the Scriptures as it's easier to read and understand German than it is to form sentences and express thoughts. We often have a responsive reading of Psalm 136, where we take turns reading the verses and everyone says in unison, "Denn seine Gnade bleibt ewig bestehen" -- or, in the NIV translation, "His love endures forever." I've included a section of this psalm below. I can't think of a better reason to give thanks.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.
to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.
who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.
who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.
who made the great lights—
His love endures forever.
the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.
the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever.
To the One who remembered us in our low estate
His love endures forever.
and freed us from our enemies,
His love endures forever.
and who gives food to every creature.
His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His love endures forever.
Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Smackdown
I was going to title this post Ruff Housin', but that was too cheesy for even me. And I love puns. And cheese. So that's saying something.
Since Friday, we've been dog sitting Daisy. She'll be with us for three weeks while her family attends a retreat and goes on vacation. I wasn't sure we were going to make it the first few days. The dogs love to wrestle and it seemed like they could go at it all day. I don't think Sharkdog has any idea that he's half Daisy's size. Nevertheless, he has some good moves. These are some of my favorites.
The scissors hold
The ankle biter
And one of my favorite moves is when Sharkdog sits on Daisy -- and she just humors him.
Fortunately, things have settled down a bit and I'm pretty sure we'll be able to make it through the next three weeks. They're pretty adorable when they're nice and calm.
Since Friday, we've been dog sitting Daisy. She'll be with us for three weeks while her family attends a retreat and goes on vacation. I wasn't sure we were going to make it the first few days. The dogs love to wrestle and it seemed like they could go at it all day. I don't think Sharkdog has any idea that he's half Daisy's size. Nevertheless, he has some good moves. These are some of my favorites.
The scissors hold
The ankle biter
And one of my favorite moves is when Sharkdog sits on Daisy -- and she just humors him.
Fortunately, things have settled down a bit and I'm pretty sure we'll be able to make it through the next three weeks. They're pretty adorable when they're nice and calm.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Nothing terribly interesting
It's been pretty quiet on the blog for the past week, but things are still hoppin' here in Vienna.
Last weekend I baked lots of little loaves of banana bread and sweet potato bread and brownies and cake for a Christmas bazaar organzed by the American Women's Association. I volunteer with this organization, so I wanted to help with the largest fundraising event for the charaties we support. And in the end, I won two prizes in the raffle. The first was a box of chocolates and a gift pass to a fitness center for women. And the second prize was a really fancy necklace and pair of earrings. When I opened the box I thought, surely these aren't real diamonds and pearls. And, of course, they weren't. But apparently they're the highest quality fake stuff around. I told Brian we might have to go to a ball next year so I'll have a chance to wear them. I don't think it will happen.
This week I'm preparing several dishes for a Thanksgiving meal. I'm going to tackle a turkey, ham, rolls, mashed potatoes, carrots, and a pecan pie. That sounds like a whole lot when I write it all out! Since Thanksgiving isn't a holiday here, we will celebrate on Saturday instead of Thursday. There are about 25 of us, include co-workers, other American friends who live in Vienna, two American families from Dresden, and some friends visiting from the U.S. Hopefully everything will come off without a hitch. And I'm sure I'll have more to say about it next week.
Oh, and today we had our first snow. I know that has nothing to do with Christmas bazaars and Thanksgiving meals, but it was pretty exciting. Sharkdog and I went to IKEA and on our way home it really started coming down. Fortunately, I was pretty well bundled up and Sharkdog was wearing his coat. And I must say, Sharkdog was quite the attraction at IKEA. But then again, he's quite an attraction everywhere he goes. Everybody loves the Sharkdog. But who can blame them? I know I can't. That dog is irresistible.
Last weekend I baked lots of little loaves of banana bread and sweet potato bread and brownies and cake for a Christmas bazaar organzed by the American Women's Association. I volunteer with this organization, so I wanted to help with the largest fundraising event for the charaties we support. And in the end, I won two prizes in the raffle. The first was a box of chocolates and a gift pass to a fitness center for women. And the second prize was a really fancy necklace and pair of earrings. When I opened the box I thought, surely these aren't real diamonds and pearls. And, of course, they weren't. But apparently they're the highest quality fake stuff around. I told Brian we might have to go to a ball next year so I'll have a chance to wear them. I don't think it will happen.
This week I'm preparing several dishes for a Thanksgiving meal. I'm going to tackle a turkey, ham, rolls, mashed potatoes, carrots, and a pecan pie. That sounds like a whole lot when I write it all out! Since Thanksgiving isn't a holiday here, we will celebrate on Saturday instead of Thursday. There are about 25 of us, include co-workers, other American friends who live in Vienna, two American families from Dresden, and some friends visiting from the U.S. Hopefully everything will come off without a hitch. And I'm sure I'll have more to say about it next week.
Oh, and today we had our first snow. I know that has nothing to do with Christmas bazaars and Thanksgiving meals, but it was pretty exciting. Sharkdog and I went to IKEA and on our way home it really started coming down. Fortunately, I was pretty well bundled up and Sharkdog was wearing his coat. And I must say, Sharkdog was quite the attraction at IKEA. But then again, he's quite an attraction everywhere he goes. Everybody loves the Sharkdog. But who can blame them? I know I can't. That dog is irresistible.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Picture pages, picture pages
Do you remember Picture Pages? You know, Picture pages, picture pages. Time to get your picture pages. Time to get your crayons and your pencils... Sometimes my family accuses me of making up memories and my memories of Picture Pages is so vague that I thought perhaps I had made it up. But thanks to Google and YouTube, I was able to assure myself that I hadn't made up this classy little ditty.
I read a tutorial a while back about how to turn photos into coloring pages. Basically, you use Photoshop or something similar and use the "photocopy" tool to turn a color photo into a black and white line drawing. But I didn't really like the results so I've been trying different methods. I've finally found a method that works pretty well, so I thought I would pass it along.
First of all, you'll need some kind of photo manipulation software. I use GIMP because it's free. If you've never used software like it, it can be a little intimidating. At least it was for me. When you open GIMP, there are several windows. This is what mine looks like when I have a file open:
Of course, when you start Gimp, you probably won't have a file open. To open the photo file, go to File > Open. Viola! Now you should have a photo and the two other windows open. If for some reason the Layers window isn't open, you can open it from File > Dialogs > Layers in the Gimp window. But you don't really need the Layers window for this exercise, so it doesn't matter.
I'm going to use this photo of my family posing at the Riesenrad at the Prater.
When I convert the photo using the Photocopy filter (Filters > Artistic > Photocopy), this is the result.
It's not completely awful, but it's not a good coloring page. So instead of using the Photocopy filter, I tried the Edge-Detect filter (Filters > Edge-Detect > Difference of Gaussians). And here's the result.
I like this one much better, but the lines are too light. So after using the Edge-Detect filter, I tried some of the features under the Colors menu to see if I could make the lines darker. Now a word of warning. I don't really know what I'm doing. I understand how some of the features work, but mainly I just play around.
The first thing I do is make the photo black and white. Even though it looks black and white after you add the Edge-Detect filter, there may be a little color still in the photo. So select Colors > Desaturate and then click "Desaturate" on the popup menu. Now you can play with some of the other options in the Colors menu and see what you like best. This is what I came up with.
Colors > Colorize. I increased the Hue and Saturation. Since this changes the color, once again I made the photo black and white by using Colors > Desaturate.
Colors > Threshold. I slid the bar to the right until the lines were darker, but the entire photo wasn't dark.
Colors > Levels. I moved the bar on both the Input Levels and Output Levels towards the right. I honestly have no idea how you're supposed to use Levels, so I just played with it until I found the levels I liked.
Colors > Curves. I use this feature a lot to lighten dark photos, but today I used it to make the lines darker. Just grab the line and pull it downwards.
I haven't decided which style I like best. What do you think?
I read a tutorial a while back about how to turn photos into coloring pages. Basically, you use Photoshop or something similar and use the "photocopy" tool to turn a color photo into a black and white line drawing. But I didn't really like the results so I've been trying different methods. I've finally found a method that works pretty well, so I thought I would pass it along.
First of all, you'll need some kind of photo manipulation software. I use GIMP because it's free. If you've never used software like it, it can be a little intimidating. At least it was for me. When you open GIMP, there are several windows. This is what mine looks like when I have a file open:
Of course, when you start Gimp, you probably won't have a file open. To open the photo file, go to File > Open. Viola! Now you should have a photo and the two other windows open. If for some reason the Layers window isn't open, you can open it from File > Dialogs > Layers in the Gimp window. But you don't really need the Layers window for this exercise, so it doesn't matter.I'm going to use this photo of my family posing at the Riesenrad at the Prater.
When I convert the photo using the Photocopy filter (Filters > Artistic > Photocopy), this is the result.
It's not completely awful, but it's not a good coloring page. So instead of using the Photocopy filter, I tried the Edge-Detect filter (Filters > Edge-Detect > Difference of Gaussians). And here's the result.
I like this one much better, but the lines are too light. So after using the Edge-Detect filter, I tried some of the features under the Colors menu to see if I could make the lines darker. Now a word of warning. I don't really know what I'm doing. I understand how some of the features work, but mainly I just play around.
The first thing I do is make the photo black and white. Even though it looks black and white after you add the Edge-Detect filter, there may be a little color still in the photo. So select Colors > Desaturate and then click "Desaturate" on the popup menu. Now you can play with some of the other options in the Colors menu and see what you like best. This is what I came up with.
Colors > Colorize. I increased the Hue and Saturation. Since this changes the color, once again I made the photo black and white by using Colors > Desaturate.
Colors > Threshold. I slid the bar to the right until the lines were darker, but the entire photo wasn't dark.
Colors > Levels. I moved the bar on both the Input Levels and Output Levels towards the right. I honestly have no idea how you're supposed to use Levels, so I just played with it until I found the levels I liked.
Colors > Curves. I use this feature a lot to lighten dark photos, but today I used it to make the lines darker. Just grab the line and pull it downwards.
I haven't decided which style I like best. What do you think?
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
You, too, can be a winner
I'm a winner. Maybe not in any of the giveaways I've participated in, but when it really counts, I'm a winner. At least, that's what I like to tell myself. And I'm not giving up on the giveaways.
Tomorrow starts the 12 Days of Junkie, where Laurie from Tip Junkie is hosting a giveaway for, you guessed it, the next 12 days. Each morning, two winners will be selected from the previous day's giveaway. And up for grabs are handmade goods from Tip Junkie's Mom-preneur Shop-a-thon. Check out the links below for more information on how to sign up.
Tomorrow starts the 12 Days of Junkie, where Laurie from Tip Junkie is hosting a giveaway for, you guessed it, the next 12 days. Each morning, two winners will be selected from the previous day's giveaway. And up for grabs are handmade goods from Tip Junkie's Mom-preneur Shop-a-thon. Check out the links below for more information on how to sign up.
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Sunday, November 9, 2008
Relax! More handmade gift ideas
Friday I passed the Rathaus and noticed they were preparing for the Christmas markets. I think they open on Saturday! Why would I go to the Christmas markets when I'm making all of my Christmas gifts, you may ask. The food, of course. Last year they had a stand with a huge chocolate fountain and you could get little waffle bowls filled with fruit and covered in chocolate. Yum!
Speaking of making gifts... I have three gifts finished and plan to finish three more this week. Three in one week! I'm very optimistic. But for now I have some more ideas to share. I would definitely make some of these products if they were more conclusive to mailing, but since they're not, I'll pass them along to you.
Today's theme: relaxation.
Angry Chicken is one of my favorite blogs. Amy's Bend-the-Rules Sewing was my first sewing book and some of the patterns are sure to be use once again during this year's gift-making extravaganza. If you like sewing or baking or making your own personal hygiene products, I'd recommend checking her blog out. For gifts, take a look at her posts on making sugar scrubs and bath melts. She provides links to recipes and tips based on her own experience. One of those posts links to Recipezaar's Bath/Beauty list, which has a lot of bath product recipes. I think I may make a sugar scrub for myself. :)
If you're not into the bath products, check out the rice heat therapy bag from Sew, Mama, Sew's Handmade Holidays 2007 list. Or if you're ambitious, take a look at the wellness bag which includes a heat therapy bag, a cold therapy pack, and a cold therapy eye pillow.
Here's an awful photo of a rice bag I made earlier this year. I made it long so it could be draped over the shoulder or around the neck and segmented it so the rice wouldn't bunch in the ends. It was a pain to sew, but it turned out quite well.
Speaking of making gifts... I have three gifts finished and plan to finish three more this week. Three in one week! I'm very optimistic. But for now I have some more ideas to share. I would definitely make some of these products if they were more conclusive to mailing, but since they're not, I'll pass them along to you.
Today's theme: relaxation.
Angry Chicken is one of my favorite blogs. Amy's Bend-the-Rules Sewing was my first sewing book and some of the patterns are sure to be use once again during this year's gift-making extravaganza. If you like sewing or baking or making your own personal hygiene products, I'd recommend checking her blog out. For gifts, take a look at her posts on making sugar scrubs and bath melts. She provides links to recipes and tips based on her own experience. One of those posts links to Recipezaar's Bath/Beauty list, which has a lot of bath product recipes. I think I may make a sugar scrub for myself. :)
If you're not into the bath products, check out the rice heat therapy bag from Sew, Mama, Sew's Handmade Holidays 2007 list. Or if you're ambitious, take a look at the wellness bag which includes a heat therapy bag, a cold therapy pack, and a cold therapy eye pillow.
Here's an awful photo of a rice bag I made earlier this year. I made it long so it could be draped over the shoulder or around the neck and segmented it so the rice wouldn't bunch in the ends. It was a pain to sew, but it turned out quite well.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Photohunt: Together
Imagine me and you, I do.
I think about you day and night. It's only right,
To think about the girl you love and hold her tight
So happy together.
I think about you day and night. It's only right,
To think about the girl you love and hold her tight
So happy together.
This is one of the first photos I took with my then-new camera. Brian and I were driving from Oklahoma to Texas and I was trying to figure out all of the features on the camera. I would change one of the settings, lean over and take a picture of me and Brian, then look at the photo to see what it looked like on that particular setting. I was playing with the exposure at this point, which is why this photo is over-exposed. In all of the previous photos, I was looking at the camera and Brian was looking straight ahead at the road. So imagine my surprise when I looked at this photo and was greeted by Brian's huge grin. It still makes me smile.
And speaking of things that make me smile, I couldn't resist posting a second photo this week. I'm pretty sure I've posted this one before, but it works so well for this theme.
Check out more photos at PhotoHunt.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Sicko
Brian has a disorder. I'm pretty sure it's genetic because I've heard that his mom is afflicted with it as well. I don't know the official term for it, but I think it may be called "room-rearrangitis". People who suffer from this disorder are compelled to rearrange the furniture in a room much more frequently than the normal person. We've lived in this apartment a little over one year and our living room has had three or four distinctly different furniture configurations. I thought the living/dining room was the only room that allowed for furniture manipulation because the master bedroom has built-in furniture on two of the three usable walls, the spare bedroom is my temporary sewing space so there's not much furniture in there, and the kitchen... well, who rearranges the kitchen.
But last week Brian's room-rearragitis flared up again and I learned that my assumption about the living/dining room was wrong. You see, last week, Brian moved our entire living room into the spare room. Now our living/dining room is just a dining room. Well, it's actually just a room with a big table in it because we never actually dine there. And the spare/sewing room is now a spare/sewing/living room. It may sound odd -- to have the living room in the spare room -- but I have to admit, I like it.
But last week Brian's room-rearragitis flared up again and I learned that my assumption about the living/dining room was wrong. You see, last week, Brian moved our entire living room into the spare room. Now our living/dining room is just a dining room. Well, it's actually just a room with a big table in it because we never actually dine there. And the spare/sewing room is now a spare/sewing/living room. It may sound odd -- to have the living room in the spare room -- but I have to admit, I like it.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Are you up for a challenge?
I did it. I took the pledge. The pledge to buy handmade this holiday season. Actually, my plan is to give gifts made by my hands. But there may be a little buying involved as well. And I'm really excited. I've already completed a few gifts and have a few more in progress. Mostly sewing, but I have some other things in the hopper as well.
For me, giving handmade gifts isn't about saving money. In fact, it would probably be cheaper to buy gifts. It's about spending time and energy creating something. I've been thinking about this all year. Honestly, Ive been bookmarking tutorials and gift ideas since last Christmas. I've found a lot of great ideas that I won't be able to use because they're not very suitable for mailing or some other reason. So I'm going share some of those ideas during the month of November. Not every day. I don't want to scare off the male readership. But hopefully once a week.
First up, gift ideas for children.
Homemade playdough. I made playdough about two months ago and it has held up very well. Buy a few small plaster containers, print cute labels from the computer, and voila! A cute, inexpensive handmade gift.
Tutu. I used this tutorial from Plumtickled to make a tutu for a birthday gift. It was easy, but it took a bit longer than the half hour suggested in the tutorial.
And finally, a fishing game. I haven't found a reason to make this yet, but it's really cute. I'm sure I'll find an excuse to make it sooner or later.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
I'd call it a success
Thanks for the tips for the Halloween party. It turns out, I didn't need as many games as I anticipated. The ghost bowling was a huge success. We learned at our front hallway doubles well as a bowling alley.
Since the kids didn't get to go trick-or-treating, we had a little indoor trick-or-treating fun after dinner. I told the kids I would be behind one of four doors and they waited in the living room while I went into one of the other rooms. Then they knocked on each door until they found the room I was in, then yelled "trick or treat" while I passed out the candy. It's not quite the same as the U.S. tradition, but everyone seemed to enjoy it.
Here are all of the kiddos in their costumes.
Sharkdog also dressed up, but he didn't make in the photo. Just like most little kids, he only kept his costume of for a few minutes. However, I was able to get some photos later on when I bribed him with a piece of bread. That dog will do anything for some bread!
Here he is getting into costume:
And the transformation is complete:
Visit Tip Junkie for more Halloween show-and-tell.
Since the kids didn't get to go trick-or-treating, we had a little indoor trick-or-treating fun after dinner. I told the kids I would be behind one of four doors and they waited in the living room while I went into one of the other rooms. Then they knocked on each door until they found the room I was in, then yelled "trick or treat" while I passed out the candy. It's not quite the same as the U.S. tradition, but everyone seemed to enjoy it.
Here are all of the kiddos in their costumes.
Sharkdog also dressed up, but he didn't make in the photo. Just like most little kids, he only kept his costume of for a few minutes. However, I was able to get some photos later on when I bribed him with a piece of bread. That dog will do anything for some bread!
Here he is getting into costume:
What? You'll give me some bread if I put on my mask?
And the transformation is complete:
The phantom of the opera is here!
Visit Tip Junkie for more Halloween show-and-tell.
Photohunt: Blue
Friday, October 24, 2008
Halloween help
Last year Brian and I planned a Halloween party for the kids on the team, but it was kind of last minute and it basically consisted of watching the It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and decorating cookies. We're hosting a party again this year and I'd like to add a little pizazz -- maybe some games or something of that nature. But here's the problem: I live in Austria. You might think that the biggest problem with having a Halloween party in Austria is that Austria doesn't celebrate Halloween. However, there's a surprising amount of decorations and ghoulish paraphernalia to be found. No, here's the real problem: No Hobby Lobby. No Michael's. Not even a Wal-Mart. There's no where (that I've found) that has a good selection of products I could use to make games or crafts or whathaveyou. There is actually a store that had plastic jack-o-latern buckets last AUGUST, but silly me, I wasn't really thinking about a Halloween party at that time. When I went back to the store earlier this week in hopes of finding a few buckets tucked away somewhere, there was nothing Halloweenish to be found. However, the Christmas stuff was all out and, having learned my lesson from the Halloween in August situation, I bought a few things.
But enough rambling. I'm really here looking for suggestions. I have a craft planned, so I'm looking for a game or two. Any ideas come to mind? I don't mind making something -- I was planning on making beanbags for a toss game, but since I haven't been able to find the Halloween buckets, that game's out. I need a few ideas. Help me out here!
But enough rambling. I'm really here looking for suggestions. I have a craft planned, so I'm looking for a game or two. Any ideas come to mind? I don't mind making something -- I was planning on making beanbags for a toss game, but since I haven't been able to find the Halloween buckets, that game's out. I need a few ideas. Help me out here!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Oh my darling
I love fall. Have I mentioned that I love fall? But that's to be expected. Who doesn't love fall? There's a lot to love. One of my favorite things -- orange food. I've already talked about pumpkins and sweet potatoes several times, but this is probably my newest favorite orange fall food. Clementines. Yummy.
Monday, October 20, 2008
I know it's early to talk about Christmas, but...
Earlier this year I had these crazy plans of making all of my Christmas gifts this year. The part about making everything wasn't really the crazy part -- the crazy part was thinking that I could have everything finished well before Christmas. I still have hopes of a handmade Christmas, but I'm a little behind schedule. Since I have to mail everything, I only have about 7 weeks, maybe 8, to get everything in the mail. Eek! I'd better get on the ball.
I won't be able to show off my Christmas sewing prowess for several months, but I've been waiting for my sister to upload these photos so I could show off my cute nieces and the matching shirt and dress I made for them this summer.
I used this tutorial from House on Hill Road. If you're thinking about making some of your Christmas gifts this year, I recommend checking out Sew, Mama, Sew blog. Next month is Handmade Holidays with 30 days of gift ideas and tutorials. I hope they have some good suggestions for guys because I could use some help in that area.
I won't be able to show off my Christmas sewing prowess for several months, but I've been waiting for my sister to upload these photos so I could show off my cute nieces and the matching shirt and dress I made for them this summer.
I used this tutorial from House on Hill Road. If you're thinking about making some of your Christmas gifts this year, I recommend checking out Sew, Mama, Sew blog. Next month is Handmade Holidays with 30 days of gift ideas and tutorials. I hope they have some good suggestions for guys because I could use some help in that area.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Spring Up quilt giveaway
I learned something new about myself recently. I really like quilts. I might even say that I love quilts. When Brian and I got married, Brian's grandmother made us a quilt. And when we moved to Vienna, a woman from church made us another quilt. And one day, I plan to make a quilt myself. But for now, I'd like to win a quilt. And you can get in on the fun as well. Visit Pigtails and Snails to learn the details of this awesome giveaway.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
To treat again
Boy, it's been a busy week.
Last week I participated in my first church retreat since moving to Vienna. The retreat is for the women in the churches in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria and it takes place in an Austrian village each fall. Oh, and did I mention that it's in German? To be perfectly honest, I was part of an English-speaking discussion and prayer group and there were at least half a dozen ladies from the U.S. there, so there was plenty of English. But the daily times of worship and the lectures were all in German. And there were actually women there who didn't speak English. And I actually spoke to (some of) them in German. And I spoke in German to people that I knew spoke English. It was a crazy week. I even explained how to play Nerts (the card game) in German. When I explained that everyone should play their Ace in the middle, the other native English-speaker at the table chuckled because, well, the German word for Ace is an English word for something completely different.
If you visit my other blog, you've already seen photos of the beautiful location. But in case you missed it, here's a shot that didn't make it on the other site. The village is in a valley and the hotel where the retreat was held was a little ways up a mountain. This photo was taken early on a foggy morning.
But there was more to the week than just an amazing view. The lessons and worship were encouraging and I really enjoyed meeting new people. Plus, I probably spoke more German during those five days than I normally speak in several months. Ok, that may be stretching it a bit, but it was a lot of German. Kim and I even participated in one of the worship times by reading a Psalm. I was pretty proud of both of us.
And I guess I'll finish this off with some more photos that didn't make it onto Almost Daily Vienna. It would be a shame for them to waste away in Flickr without having ever seen the light of day on the blog.
Last week I participated in my first church retreat since moving to Vienna. The retreat is for the women in the churches in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria and it takes place in an Austrian village each fall. Oh, and did I mention that it's in German? To be perfectly honest, I was part of an English-speaking discussion and prayer group and there were at least half a dozen ladies from the U.S. there, so there was plenty of English. But the daily times of worship and the lectures were all in German. And there were actually women there who didn't speak English. And I actually spoke to (some of) them in German. And I spoke in German to people that I knew spoke English. It was a crazy week. I even explained how to play Nerts (the card game) in German. When I explained that everyone should play their Ace in the middle, the other native English-speaker at the table chuckled because, well, the German word for Ace is an English word for something completely different.
If you visit my other blog, you've already seen photos of the beautiful location. But in case you missed it, here's a shot that didn't make it on the other site. The village is in a valley and the hotel where the retreat was held was a little ways up a mountain. This photo was taken early on a foggy morning.
But there was more to the week than just an amazing view. The lessons and worship were encouraging and I really enjoyed meeting new people. Plus, I probably spoke more German during those five days than I normally speak in several months. Ok, that may be stretching it a bit, but it was a lot of German. Kim and I even participated in one of the worship times by reading a Psalm. I was pretty proud of both of us.
And I guess I'll finish this off with some more photos that didn't make it onto Almost Daily Vienna. It would be a shame for them to waste away in Flickr without having ever seen the light of day on the blog.
This one seems very Pioneer Woman-ish. Except she doesn't have mountains behind the horses in her photos. And she would have taken the time to edit the photo to make it look prettier. Ok, so maybe it's not Pioneer Woman-ish at all.
The church has an interesting cemetery. Most of the headstones are orante ironwork rather than the traditional marble or stone. Plus, the area in front is really small -- as if the people buried there were exceptionally short. (Just to clarify, these were grown people -- many I looked at were priests. The cemetery was gravel, but each grave had a small area in front of it with room to plant something.)
For some reason, this one makes me think of Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey.
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