Woo-Hoo! Or is it Boo-Hoo?

It’s a mix of both emotions…Andrew is now a Kindergartener! Here he is on the first day. He looks a little apprehensive, but I think that is just his forced CHEESE smile. He was quite ready to go. Last Wednesday we had a home visit from his teacher, Mrs. Berlin.  Friday we had orientation:

There are 16 kiddos in his class and unlike pre-school, he is not the tallest one.

He said that Friday was the best day EVER. Of course it was – they played in the room, played on the playground, and then had a cupcake. He did just fine on Monday and Tuesday too.

Today (Wednesday) is two firsts – the first time he is taking the bus and the first time I’m home alone! So far I’ve done laundry and some house keeping, took the car for service, did a little shopping, and met a friend for lunch.  Never-ending excitement, eh?

So I’m neither boo-hooing or woo-hooing. I’m proud of my growing-up boys and praying that they both have a wonderful year at school.

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A Picture is Worth…

If I had not forgotten the camera this weekend I would have some photos. Instead you’ll have to use your imagination.

Here is where I would have uploaded a photo of the fabulous hotel in Willingen, Germany that we stayed in for the GK Community Retreat. It is always a treat for the boys to stay in a hotel, and they gave this one high praise: “It is almost like an American hotel!”

Here is where I would have included some photos of the friends who were with us. Nearly 300 people from the military community went on the retreat. It was sponsored by the Chapel, the Airman & Family Readiness Center, the Wellness Center and Mental Health. Jeremy was in charge so he was quite busy.

I also would have taken photos of the enormous spread we had at meal time! Not having to cook for the weekend was the biggest perk for me. Some of the food was a little different than we are used to (radish salad, anyone?) but we all found something tasty to eat.

Imagine here a photo of the guest speaker. Col (Ch) Jerry Lewis spoke and had great messages on the importance of family, friends, and faith.

This would have been a photo of Jeremy teaching his session on personalities, or me teaching about financial awareness (We played The Price is Right.)

If I had my camera, I would have a huge assortment of photos to share of all the other activities – the indoor water park, the gondola to the top of the mountain (is it GON-dola or gon-DOLA?), the alpine horn competition, all the moutain bikers… Instead I just have these two pictures on the alpine slide for which I paid 4 Euros so that we’d have documentation of our weekend.

 

And I did get this picture of the bus we took to Willingen.

Oh well, better luck next time. After all the boys are already talking about what they want to do next time.

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Don’t Try This At Home

Let me start this post with a bit of a defense: life here is, in a word, inconvenient. Nearly everything we need is a) far away b) open limited hours and/or c) expensive. (And let’s not forget the whole language barrier!) A simple task like going to the bank or getting a haircut for Thomas turns into a big headache.

My Mom once advised me that we are never so broke that we can’t afford a haircut but it really wasn’t about the money. There are two barber shops that I know of – one at USAG Schinnen (in the Netherlands, 20 minutes away) and one at our base (also 20 minutes away from our house but very close to Thomas’s school.) I did not want to drive to Schinnen – I dread that drive and avoid it as much as possible. I tried to take him to the barber near his school, but we got there at 3:40 and there were people in line in front of us and they closed at 4.

But the hair was getting a bit out of control. So I got out the clippers and went at it.

Here are the before and after pictures:

And after:

So in conclusion, the crazy mane was slightly tamed but there was also hair ALL OVER THE HOUSE. When we take him to a barber next time I think there will be hysterical laughter (by the barber; I will be engrossed in whatever magazine I can find in an attempt to hide.) And I have a new appreciation for what hair stylists do and I think I need to tip better.

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House Tour: The Bathroom(s)

I realized I haven’t showcased our whole home yet so here’s a bit more to share. The bedrooms and basement still need a post but it is tough to find a moment when they are clean enough to share photos without completely embarrassing myself. Tuesday is the boys’ day to clean the bathrooms so I seized the moment and took some pics!

We have 1 1/2 baths. We’ve had 2 full baths in the last two places we’ve lived - and let me say it is a bit of an adjustment. This is the downstairs “WC.” The window opens to the back patio. To answer a question that the truly observant might have: that wire at the base of the window is wiring for a security system that was never installed. All of our windows have little wires sticking out of them. I’m learning to ignore them.

This sink only has cold water. So much for practicing good hand washing!

I had been warned about German toilets and I am happy to say that Lauren was right – much has changed in the last 20 years. These models are not too different from what you’d see in the U.S., except that there are two options for flushing (seen better in the first photo – the big white thing attached to the wall) – um, let’s just say that one releases a greater volume of water than the other. One thing that is interesting is that every bathroom I’ve been in – public and private – has a toilet brush! (One was in each bathroom here when we moved in.) There is a social and moral obligation to clean up after one’s self. (I’m sure Lauren would be glad to hear that.)

The upstairs bathroom has a lot of natural light, but a not-s0-lovely view of the greenhouse/factory behind us. However, the window faces East so we have a nice sunrise view each morning.

The tub is quite large. The sprayer is a nice feature. If I was more gifted in decorating I would put some plants and scented candles on that window ledge and hope that certain boys wouldn’t destroy them while taking a bath.

We’ve got a shower too.

There is no ventilation or fan so we were told to open the windows after showering to let the hot steamy air out. That might be unbearable in the winter – except that we have this fantastic towel warmer AND floor heat! I can’t wait to try it out.

 

The bathroom has very little storage. Okay, actually NO storage unless you count piling junk all around the sink. We bought this little cabinet at IKEA. It will likely be on the curb for the sperrgut pick-up in about 2 1/2 years, but for now it is serving its purpose.

Next up on House Tour: The Bedrooms!

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Waterloo

For this weekend’s adventure we headed west to Belgium and visited Waterloo. No, it was not an ABBA concert – it was the battlefield where Napoleon met his end. In case your European history is a little rusty (sorry, Mr. Arnold, 10th grade was a long time ago), it was here that Napoleon, fresh out of his exile on Elba, made his final attempt at conquering Europe, but the Duke of Wellington and the coalition forces had it in for him.

We’ve been to our fair share of Civil War battlesites (Vicksburg, Lookout Mountain, Shiloh, and many more I can’t remember.) Here we went for the complete package – a bus tour, two movies, a climb up the Lion Butte, a visit to the Panorama and a stop in the Wax Museum.

The bus tour was about 40 minutes long. We traversed the outskirts of the battlefield. It was a bit hilly which is exactly why Wellington decided on this site. This is the Hougoumont Farm, Napoleon’s HQ. Unlike Civil War battlefields there is minimum signage, and no cannons or other battle equipment around.

Instead, the fields are in use as farmland, just as they were in 1815. How strange to grow crops on the same land that marked such a significant event in world history! By law no new buildings were erected on this ground after the battle so I suppose farming is making good use of the land.

There were a few monuments in the area. The largest one is this, called the Lion Butte, built in 1825 as a memorial to those who died. (The loss of life – both human and horse – was staggering.)

There are 226 steps to the top of this monument. The lion on the top has a globe under his paw, which represented the peace that Europe was enjoying as a result of the battle.

It was impossible to get a photo of the whole lion from the top, but here’s a shot of his head. It is made of cast iron and weighs over 30 tons!

The Panorama is a 360 degree oil painting of the battle. It was pretty impressive, and since it was wrapped all around the room, impossible to accurately photograph. What was interesting was how they put real items (grass, dirt, battle debris, models of men and horses) in the foreground to add realism. (For example this poor fellow in the bottom left.)

Our last stop was the wax museum. These models were a step up in sophistication from the usual museum mannequin. The uniforms they wore were quite ornate back in the day – much fancier than Jeremy’s normal ABUs (thank goodness! I wouldn’t want all those feathers falling off his hat all over the house!)

After a quick stop in the gift shop (Andrew got another sword – Thomas pocketed the money we gave him to spend) we were on our way back home. This is another great place just an hour and a half from us!

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Mini-Golf, German Style

Summer is nearly over – school starts Monday – and one of the things we said we’d do this summer was mini-golf. There is a 18 hole course at a nearby park (they also have a playground, swimming pool, rowboats to rent and a campground) and we had a beautiful sunny day on Thursday so we headed out. The parking lot was full, but most people were at the pool (it was 80 degrees, a temperature we’d rarely seen all summer) so it wasn’t too crowded on the golf course.

Right from the start we had a little confusion. I attempted to say “Two children, one adult” in my pathetic German. I was charged 7 Euros and given two golf balls. I tried to explain that there were three of us; I was told something which I did not understand. I asked again if needed to pay for another person and was told that I had paid for three.  I was not sure how three people play with two balls so I again tried to inquire. I have no idea what exactly was said but the tone was something like, “Good riddance, give the crazy woman another golf ball.”

Unlike the fake grass on courses we’d played in the past, the surfaces here were concrete. My game was totally off as a result.

I was surprised that there were no little windmills. We’re so close to the Netherlands and no mini-windmills? What is up with that?

On this hole you had to get the ball through this cement thing which the boys called “the cheese” and then into the cup which was on an incline. This was the first of many holes where I just gave up and took the maximum number of strokes.

For this loop-de-loop it was essential to get just the right speed. Too slow and the ball came rolling right back to the start. Andrew had no problem – he got a hole-in-one on this one!

Another impossible hole. The cup is on top of a hill? Again, I just took the max and moved on and never got the ball in the hole. (Andrew just played hockey-style and had no problem.)

Thomas thought this looked like a volcano; I was reminded of the pyramids at Chichen Itza.

This was my favorite hole because it reminded me of skee-ball.

After a rousing 18 holes we were hot and sweaty and we headed for the snack bar and then home. I didn’t even add up the scores but I’m pretty sure I lost.

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Random

I’ve got a bunch of photos of some interesting things I’ve seen since we’ve been here. There is no theme so I thought I’d just stick them all in one post.

Isn’t this bike parking clever? (I started to write bike rack but it is not a rack at all. More like a non-rack.) It was at the Margraten Cemetary in the Netherlands. Those Dutch just love their bicycles!

This friendly little guy swam up to the shore to say “hello” one day when we were visiting a moated castle in the area. I think I might get this blown up into an 8×10 to remind my children to brush their teeth. Yikes!

This is a cutting-edge marketing technique. Use what you’ve got!

We saw these hot air balloons one evening. They looked as if they were close enough to land in a nearby field. We jumped on our bikes to try to catch a closer look but they were soon out of reach.

While in Brugges this band came marching by. There must be a story behind those “uniforms.” (Note the Pizza Hut in the background.)

Likewise, there must be a story behind this fountain that was saw in Diekirch, Luxembourg.

Check out this enormous cast iron skillet!

Maybe it belonged to the owner of this foot (seen in Trier.)

When I wrote the post about mannequins I couldn’t find this picture – another birthday celebration. Apparently mannequins are specifically for the 50th birthday when one is declared to be an “Abraham” or a “Sarah.”

Here’s an idea for a very economical fence. No need to head to Home Depot – just find sticks from your yard and use your basket weaving skills.

This is part of the old city wall in a nearby village. If it looks like only one car fits through at a time you are correct!

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Stacked Coins Quilt

I’m happy to report that I’ve got one less work-in-progress in my life. I received the fabric for this quilt for Christmas in 2009, and pieced it together in the Fall of 2010. Then came another Christmas, a move to Germany, and a sewing machine tune-up and now it is finished!

The fabric is by Moda – I got a charm pack of the Recess line. The inspiration for the design came from Crazy Mom Quilts, who wrote a tutorial to make this quilt in baby size on Moda Bake Shop.

I am an absolute novice when it comes to the actual quilting part. In the past I’ve machine quilted baby quilts and table runners, and anything larger has gone to a professional. Unfortunately, I didn’t have that option so I just did it myself. I suppose the only way I’ll get better is to keep trying! The colored columns were done in a random stipple; the sashing was done ala Kate Kwiltz. (However, looking at her blog just now I realized that my quilting is much straighter than hers – but I must credit Kate for the inspiration anyhow.)

It took me a long time to find a backing that I liked. The best option for fabric shopping here is at the Sittard Market – open only on Thursdays – so I finally ordered this at Fabric.com. My only regret is that this is a twin-sized quilt so for now I can only display it on my quilt rack.

Time to move on to the next item in my project queue!

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That’s No Dummy, That’s My Mannequin

I have no statistics to cite, but I think that this area of the world might have the highest number of mannequins per square mile.

We see them in museums.

They make excellent models – they stand very still and don’t expect much in pay.

Many businesses use them as part of their marketing plan to sell gelato,

antiques,

or car washes. (This guy even waves his arm.)

It is the perfect way to celebrate a milestone birthday (commonly the 50th.)

It makes a great yard decoration too.

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Save Room for the Ice Cream!

This little-known restaurant and Eis-Cafe has become a frequent destination on our bike rides. Cafe Liege is in a nearby village, at the end of a dead-end street. There are plenty of people who have been here awhile who have never even heard of it. Boy, are they missing out!

Jeremy found this place first while riding his bike. It is actually faster for us to ride our bikes here than to drive. They do serve food, but only after 6 p.m. (We did eat here for our anniversary – the burgers are delish.) The ice cream is quite reasonable – just 60 (euro) cents per scoop!

Personally, I don’t need anything besides an ice cream to draw me in, but here there’s plenty more to see. There is a pond in the front that has koi and turtles. These critters are partial to ice cream cone crumbs.

In the back there’s a playground…

without a zipline, but with a water pump to play in! No, we have not yet been to the Disco Bowling alley advertised on the truck in the parking lot. I’m not even sure where it is located.

After an ice cream and some playtime, we’re ready for a nice bike ride home, bath time (all that sand!), and bedtime. These fellows wish us well as we leave.

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