Home Decoration Part 1

I've already promised you to show you my first home decorations so this is part 1 of it. As Christmas comes closer I will have to get my second box of Christmas decorations from the attic. :) This year it's the first year that I'm really going to have time to decorate, bake and prepare our apartment for Christmas as the 18th december is the last working day in my old company and I'm going to have 2 weeks off until my new work starts. I'm so much looking forward to it and to finally be able to blogg every day again!

Kram,

Isabell

Oh What a Happy Day!

Do you remember my new years resolution?

One of the sentences was "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." 

And I made it, I got a new job starting from 1 January 2014. I really can't believe it! After all the interviews and the preparations for these interviews for various companies I finally made it. (That's also the reason why I couldn't blogg as much as usually). They will send me the contract in a few days and I'm so much looking forward to cancel the other contract. In this company I really worked hard sometimes from 8 am to 11 pm while my boss called me from his golf class. Did you also have these situations in your life?

I'll just enjoy my evening and I'm going to enjoy Christmas this year even more!

Kram,

Isabell

 

House lantern

End of September was always the time to make lanterns in my childhood and it is strongly connected to autumn, dark nights and the lantern procession with all the other children. This memory came into my mind when I saw this wooden House lantern, so I couldn't resist and had to buy it. I will have a look at the different transparent papers tomorrow after work. I think it would look great if the windows would have different warm colours like a real lantern, wouldn't it?

Hope to be able to give you an update soon... :)

Kram,

Isabell

Lemon - Ginger Tea

This is the cozy season, but also the season of sore throats, colds and flu. One of the best hot drinks in the cold season is lemon-ginger tea with honey. The heat and the ginger warms you right up, the lemon and the ginger soothe your scratchy throat.

Photo: natuerlichkreativ.blog

Here is what you need:

1 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger (no need to peel it)
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbsp. honey, plus more to taste

Preparation:

Put the ginger in a medium sized bowl. Pour 1 cup boiling water over it and let steep for 3 minutes. Meanwhile, put the lemon juice and the honey in a large mug and strain the ginger tea into the mug.Stir and add more honey or lemon juice if you like.

Kram,

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

You get what you give

It can sometimes be too much to be a god person. I have often been disappointed by those I helped the most in my life and as I never say "stop", "no" or "I can't do it" but "Yes of course", "Yes", " How can I help you?" it can sometimes be bad to realize that some people just take advantage of it. And then there are situations like today, when I came home and I found this Easter bunny withote "Thank you for your help" note, wrapped in a transparent foil hanging at my door from a friend from whom I wouldn't  have expected that she would say anything at all.

So somehow you get what you give...

Kram,

Isabell

Attacked in church

I attract strange situations like a magnet sometimes, like yesterday: I went to church after work because I wanted to light a candle for my grandma. They have a little quiet place in one corner where you can buy tea lights and light them. So I came in and went straight towards this part of the church and took out a 50 cent coin and put the money into the box for the tea light and lighted it and thought about my grandma when a man that was hidden behind a pillar came towards me and said in broken German with a pushy voice "You, 1 Euro now!"I was very bewildered because this is a place where people go to think about those who have passed away and it really felt strange to be asked for money in this situation. So I said "Sorry, I don't have money". At the same time I felt guilty because I was in church and didn't give that man something. He didn't go away, he just kept on standing there close to me and waited for me to give him something, watching me. I already started to feel uneasy, when a second man came and said "you need to put all the tea lights together, put them all together, only like that they can work and do wonders.." Looking into his eyes and his face, I saw that he was crazy... so there I was alone in an empty church together with a man that was obviously crazy and another one that wanted money. Fortunately a pastor came out of the confessional box and that attracted the crazy man and he went to him to tell him he was a Saint. The other guy also disappeared when he saw the pastor, so I just escaped without being able to pray or think about my grandma for 1 second. If he would have been outside the church or at the entrance and would have let me do what I was there for, I would certainly have given him money, that's what I do for homeless people too. But to go to people when they are very vulnerable and to ask them with this pushy voice and to use the church to make people feel guilty is really something I dislike and therefore I didn't give him anything, otherwise he will maybe do the same thing to others. And he didn't look poor at all... you are not safe anywhere, even not in church :)

Dreams

Everybody has a dream. One of my dreams is to live in Sweden one day. I grew up in Germany, went to school in Germany but spent most of my vacations in Sweden. Maybe I'm idealizing Sweden, I'm well aware of that, but if you never live there how can you know how it's really like? Sweden for me is a combination of wonderful memories, like drinking pear juice and eating homemade pastries from my grandma, picking wild sweet strawberries and living at the sea:

Photo: lillfemman

I love this picture, I would like to move in immediately!

Kram,

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

Brighten up someone's day

I like to make presents. I even like it much more to give someone a gift, then receiving a gift from someone. That doesn't mean I don't like to get presents, but I'm enjoying it to see other people's smile when I found something for them they didn't expect or really like. So this year I've sent small boxes with German gingerbread, marzipan, Linzer Augen and Stollen to my relatives in Sweden. I hope they will like it and I would love to see their faces when receiving it.

I always sent a little box with some cookies and together with some things my grandma really needed to Sweden. And she always called me in the evening and told me how happy she was about the things I had sent her and I could always hear that she was happy. This year is going to be the first year that we celebrate in Sweden after 3 years in Germany. I wasn't ready to celebrate Christmas with her old brown chair being empty on Christmas Eve and I'm not sure whether I'm ready now. As much as I long to come to Sweden as much I'm also afraid to be there and again realizing that she is away. But I'm also thankful for the things and ways of thinking she has given me, that's her gift to me for my life.

Kram,

Isabell

The "ask me" face

When I was a child it was already the same phenomenon: You can have a crowd of people waiting for the bus, but people ask me for the time, when the bus is going to arrive, the way or are even telling me the stories of their lives. I can wear headphones and listen to music or look on the ground, people will tap me on the should and ask for something even if there are plenty of people around they could ask instead. I often wonder if people feel that I like to help other people and see it in my face. Personally I think it's a strength to help others, but in the interviews I have ( I'm currently looking for a new job), the interviewer is often worried if I will be able to say "no" and to be tough enough when negotiating. I must say I'm a little bit fed up that you have to be egoistic and selfish to get what you want in business life. I can say "no" but I do it in a more comfortable way for both sides without being choleric and affronting someone. I have made the experience that if you treat people in a positive way and help them, they will also be willing to help you in a bad situation. And so far I have managed to get along quite well with this attitude and I don't want to change myself just because some people think that it's a weakness and I won't.

Happy birthday little sister!

Today is my sister's birthday and we're going to celebrate it all together. When I see her, I recognize how fast she has grown up, from that little baby that was one of the cutest I've ever seen to a young lady (and now she 's one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen -> this compliment is my birthday present to you, my dear  :) :) :))

SO WITH ALL MY HEART: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Photo: talinee

Kram från din syster Isabell!

My name is Bond, James Bond...

Haven't been in the cinema for a while and when I came home from work today I saw two cinema tickets laying on the table in the living room. My fiancé has bought these 2 tickets for the new James Bond movie "Skyfall" which has just started here in Germany.

Photo: Guardian

I think that the old James bond movies with Roger Moore and Sean Connery have more charm. But it's the 50th anniversary and I found a review from Katja Presnal which makes me curious:

Skyfall included the jetsetting around the world in the beginning of the movie, just to get Bond sipping a martini and to get the girl, but it is mainly set in London and Scotland and has a strong British vibe. Interestingly one of the underlying themes of the movie is appreciating the way things were done in the old days, and that sometimes the old ways of doing things are the best. The message suits well to the 50-year-old Bond.

So let's see or watch ;) and eat popcorn!

Kram,

Isabell

Far away from being perfect...

Today is one of these days when everything goes wrong. It already started when I got up in the morning and wanted to take a shower. I had just put shampoo into my hair when suddenly the water stopped to come out of the tap. No water at all, not a single drop. Fortunately I had some water left in a bottle in the kitchen but it wasn't much so I had to dry my hair with half of the shampoo still being in it. Of corse all of that completely changed my time schedule, so no breakfast, no gröt today, no look at the newspaper just rushing to work.
The next thing that happened was that I got out of the bus and stepped into a huge puddle, so that both of my shoes were completely full of water. In the office my boss was in a bad mood and didn't like my presentation, so that didn't go very well either. I can't tell how happy I am to come home and (maybe) be able to take a real shower and just go to bed.

So good night to all of you!

Kram,

Isabell

Flowers are a girl's best friend...

Sometimes you should do something good for yourself. Something you really like. In my case it's flowers. In summer I have white hydrangeas in my kitchen window, it is my absolute favorite flower. You can dry the flowers and also reuse them as a door wreath like in this picture:

Photo: livingathome.de

In winter it's hyacinths and amaryllis. The smell of the hyacinth is so nice, it's one of the smells of Christmas. I can't wait to got to the fragrant flower market where they sell bulbs and flowers that are ready together with my dad. It's like a tradition we always go there together and buy and plant everything for Christmas.

Photo: krusagarden blogg

But for today and this week, I bought myself these flowers. So go and get yourself something you really like!

Kram,

Isabell