Wedding anniversary

I cannot believe how fast time has passed by. Today it's been 3 years since Tim and I got married. Thank you for everything and for being there for me for better and for worse.

Celebration

It's my mum's birthday soon and I will be the one taking care of the food and the celebration itself. I really like the idea of small finger food. you can go and grab a bite and you don't fell like having a stone in your stomach, especially in summer after a large dinner.

picture:: mat och vin

picture ica

Lucky Charm

A typical lucky Charm for New Year's Eve in Germany is a lucky clover together with a chimney sweeper. Ever since I was a little child this is what people brought as present when they were invited to my parents and when we were invited we gave it to them as a present. Tim and I will be invited to our friends and will celebrate together with them this year.  I wish you a wonderful New Year Celebration and with this Lucky Charm all the best for 2015!!

Happy Halloween

A few years ago nobody celebrated Halloween in Germany. Halloween came to Germany from the US and I think it's a great thing that the world gets more international and celebrations are shared and adopted among the entire world. The world would certainly be better if we would celebrate more together…

I will be invited to a Halloween party tonight and am looking for something to bring to the party. Everybody invited should bring something and I'm the one that was chosen for decorations. I've seen this bat mobile on Martha Stewart's website and I really like it:

Haven't decided what to wear tonight yet, maybe I choose to be Morticia Addams from the Addams Family, that's quite easy.

Happy Halloween to everyone!

Isabell

Happy New Year 2014

Happy New Year 2014 to all of you! 

This year Tim and I have celebrate New Year's Eve at home and I can tell you this was really the best decision ever. I'm always a little bit scared to have drunk people in crowds and fireworks rockets flying around in all directions. In Germany New Year's Eve is always celebrated with a lot of fireworks rockets, I had a nice view from our window to see all the sparkling and glittering colors - and felt safe at home just watching it :)

I will start my new job tomorrow and I'm really looking forward to it and at the same time I'm feeling a little bit nervous what it's going to be like and if it's really better than the old one? What will my new colleagues be like? Keep your fingers crossed for me ;)

Isabell

Little Christmas Eve - Lilla julafton

Today on the 23rd of December is the day where everything needs to be prepared for Christmas. We've  decorated the Christmas tree, and in 30 Minutes I'll take the train to my parents to help them with the preparation of the food. I'm currently drinking coffee and eating some Lussekatter and enjoying my decorated apartment. Everything is ready for Christmas.

Do you remember my post about the ornament, which we got on our wedding for the Christmas tree? Tim and I have put them in the tree, our first Christmas as a married couple.

In Southern Sweden the 23rd is even called Lilla julafton ( Little Christmas Eve) because we decorate the tree and have a little celebration before Christmas and eat the crispy and warm Christmas Ham.

Have a nice 23rd december!

Isabell

Happy Birthday Tim

It's Tim's birthday today and therefore a huge:

Picture: hellosplendor

from me!

We will celebrate it with Tim's best friend who has invited is for a barbecue tonight. So hear you tomorrow!

Kram,

Isabell

My wedding...

What a wonderful day! Already the evening before my wedding was so wonderful: I stayed at my parents home together with my sister my parents and my maid of honor and my parents had prepared a lot of nice food and we sat together laughing at chatting until late night sharing old memories. I'm so thankful for what the people that I love have done for me the last few days: my maid of honor has been there for me for weeks helping me with everything, my parents have decorated the entire house for my guests and I must say it really was one of the best days in my life.

Here you see Tim and me, I have 2 geranium flowers in my hair from the geranium which used to be in my Swedish grandmother's kitchen and I'm wearing the dress my mother-in-law has tailored for me:

My bridal bouquet in the middle of the table... and no, I didn't throw it :)

Here you see a part of the table decoration:

 

And how nice it was in the evening when it started to get dark :

I'm so happy about this day and to start a new part of my life as Tim's wife.

Kram,

Isabell

Birthday celebration

I've been celebrating my birthday this weekend and I've invited my family. Usually we can celebrate it outside or at least spend some time outside, but it was 10°C and I've even made a fire in the fireplace. I like my birthday, not so much the fact that I take the centre stage on this day, but the fact that I have all the persons I love around me. For my birthday I also use my grandma's tableware every year and it feels so good to see it and celebrate with it, it feels like that she was there too in a way.

Here you see these very old glasses and the brazen candle holders, as well as her plates with the blue decor.

Camenbert, lingonberries and corn salad as a starter:

Have a nice day!

Kram,

Isabell

Happy Mother’s Day Greetings

My Mum is in Sweden right now so I'm sending her my "Happy Mother's Day" greeting via this blog! All the other years this has been a sunny day with 25 °C, but today it's still raining, like the last days here in Munich and the weather is not better in Sweden. So it's a perfect day for a nice cup of tea and if you invite your Mum to tea today, this is a very nice way to tell her how much you care for her:

Photo: marthastewart

So a big "heart" for my Mum and my Mother-in-law, who are always there for me.

Kram,

Isabell

Happy Valentine's Day 2013

Happy Valentine's Day 2013!

Photo: justcallmechris

Beethoven has written this love letter to an anonymous woman and it's a very nice love letter, which I would like to share with you.

Good morning, on July 7

Though still in bed, my thoughts go out to you, my Immortal Beloved, now and then joyfully, then sadly, waiting to learn whether or not fate will hear us - I can live only wholly with you or not at all - Yes, I am resolved to wander so long away from you until I can fly to your arms and say that I am really at home with you, and can send my soul enwrapped in you into the land of spirits - Yes, unhappily it must be so - You will be the more contained since you know my fidelity to you. No one else can ever possess my heart - never - never - Oh God, why must one be parted from one whom one so loves. And yet my life in V is now a wretched life - Your love makes me at once the happiest and the unhappiest of men - At my age I need a steady, quiet life - can that be so in our connection? My angel, I have just been told that the mailcoach goes every day - therefore I must close at once so that you may receive the letter at once - Be calm, only by a calm consideration of our existence can we achieve our purpose to live together - Be calm - love me - today - yesterday - what tearful longings for you - you - you - my life - my all - farewell. Oh continue to love me - never misjudge the most faithful heart of your beloved.

ever thine
ever mine
ever ours

♥

Carnival 2013 - Fasching

In Germany it's what we call "Fasching"(carnival) today and tomorrow. People masquerade as different  animals, famous stars, people from different époques... It's really funny and great to see the imaginativeness and the way they are dressed. In Munich there is a big party at the moment with a lot of confetti and music and people are dancing on Marienplatz with their costumes. But you can't compare it to the carnival in Rhineland-Palatinate, situated in western Germany, people are celebrating it even more there. If you should be in Germany during this part of the year and you like to masquerade, then it's definitely the place to be.

Photo: br

Some online shops sell a lot of funny costumes, which I've also seen live here in Munich:

Photo: maskworld

or this

Photo: maskworld

Unfortunately I won't be able to be at Marienplatz today, as I have to work, but I will for sure eat some jam doughnuts. :)

Happy Carnival 2013!!

Isabell

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

favim.com

With this poem I'd like to wish you a Happy 2013!


I Wish You Time

I do not wish you a diverse selection of gifts
I only wish you what most people lack:
I wish you time to enjoy and to laugh
I wish you time for your actions and thoughts,
not only for yourself, but also for others.


I wish you time - not to hasten and run,
but the time to be able to feel content
I wish you time - not just to spend.
I wish it may be left over for you
as time for wondering, and time to trust
instead of checking the time on the watch.

I wish you time to reach for the stars
and time to grow, that is, time to mature.
I wish you time to hope anew, to love.
It does not make sense to put time off.
I wish you had time to find yourself,
regard every day, every hour as happiness.

I wish you: To have time to live.

Elli Michler

From: Elli Michler: Dir zugedacht, Wunschgedichte, © Don Bosco Verlag, München, 19.Aufl. 2004  www.ellimichler.de

Kram,

Isabell

My New Year's resolution

Old Year, New Year.

It's a strange feeling to think about the year that is still current but at the same time already past. I think about the things that have happened and have created new memories, the different people I have met, the countries we have travelled to and the good times and the joy. At the same time I think about the people that won't be with me in 2013. And I think about my marriage, as Tim and I will get married this year which makes me really happy. A thousand questions come into my mind : What is going to be next year at this time? Will I have time to plan everything for the wedding? When will I find a new job and finally leave the company?

This is the point where I want to make a New Year's resolution to myself: In 2013 I'll do my outmost to find a new job and to have more time. Time for the ones I love and for myself.

What are your plans for 2013? It's good to think about the things you want to achieve for yourself, the things you want to change. Even if you might not be able to change everything, it's worth a try.

And with this version of Auld Lang Syne, which I really like, I'd like to say goodbye to 2012 and hope to see you in 2013 on this blog again! Thank you very much for reading it!

Kram,

Isabell

Marzipan pigs - German New Year's Eve

One of the things people give each other on New Year's Eve in Germany are Marzipan pigs. It symbolizes Good Luck for the year to come together with the four-leaf clover and the ladybeetle you see on the picture below. We are going to celebrate the New Year together with some friends in the mountains in Oberstdorf, so I already bought some pigs today:

The other thing you give as a present are four-leaf clovers together with a chimney sweeper, because here in Germany it's a lucky charm:

Photo: mainpost

Tomorrow I will also buy fireworks for Tim and sparkler for me :)

Kram,

Isabell

Celebrate good times...

My sister Janine's birthday was really nice and we celebrated it my family, the only person missing was my brother who is on vacation together with his girlfriend. Janine wanted to go to a Thai restaurant, which we did. The food was spicy and delicious and afterwards they all came to my place. I love it when they are here, it so cozy and we can talk for hours. Compared to my friends I'm seeing my family quite often, because they are very important for me and I like spending time together with them. These are the flowers I bought for her and my present is that we are going to Nürnberg to the Christmas Market and we stay there overnight. Hope she likes it.

Have a good start of the day!

Kram,

Isabell