The Other Katie in Berlin

Closing Blog (kind of)...

2009-05-24T23:09:00.004+02:00

Well, after a short time of being a blog owner, I have decided I am tired of trying to keep up with it. I have more things to focus on right now than writing all of this. Baby Bug, Martin, my new job teaching English in a Kindergarten.... It's just too much to even sit down once a week for a half hour and write. I have decided to keep the blog in the last 2 minutes of being on here (I can't do away with my name!), but won't be writing often. Maybe even once a month, or so. Who knows? When I have more time later on, it's a possibility I'll do more on it, but for now I am going to take a step back and enjoy the rest of my life. Tschüss!

The Secret Garden (just down the road!)

2009-05-12T19:05:00.004+02:00

Martin and I have lived in our apartment for a year and a half and didn't even know we had our own paradise right around the corner! Thankfully, I have made friends with a wonderful woman who told me about this, and she happens to be our neighbor. It's just a short 15 minute walk to get there and is absolutely beautiful. There are deer to feed, fields of rapeseed and grass to run through, herb gardens, palm tree house (being renovated at the moment), 2 ponds, nice nature trails, and tons of flowers. Here, they call it a "Botanischer Garten", which is easy to translate into "Botanical Garden." The names of the plants there are on plaques, which is also a great way to teach your children a little bit about botany. Here are some pictures from my fantastic Mother's Day:

Today, we went to the zoo with Baby Bug and even though she slept through most of it, we had a marvelous time. Next week, it's off to a farm, where Baby Bug is sure to once again have a great adventure!

Long Time, No See

2009-05-10T10:13:00.005+02:00

Long time, no see, Blog. What have you been up tp? Just sitting around waiting for a visitor? Well, I am here. I have been very busy myself. We took Baby Bug to the zoo, I have been sewing some more, went on a short vacation to the inlaws and met a new English-speaking neighbor that we've become friends with. Oh, how nice of a time it's been. Anyway, I guess I should share the latest pictures with you. First, I'll show you the new bib I sewed for Baby Bug. I won't let her drink anything but water in it so far. (Beats the point of having a bib, though, doesn't it?) Here it is:

And, just in case you didn't get a good look, here it is again. :-)

To sew or not to sew?

2009-04-28T15:10:00.000+02:00

That is the question. Or, at least, my question at the moment. I received an old sewing machine from my husband's great aunt. She's like, 143 years old or something like that, and still as healthy as a horse. She climbs 50 stairs to her apartment every day (more than once) and can run circles around even the youngest of young'uns. His family thinks she is strange because she never married and always lived alone, but I think she is quite nice. I like that she doesn't try to fit in with everyone else. I like to imagine that she was in love with a man when she was young and he was killed or maybe even married someone else and she refuses to be with any other man. That's just the stuff that goes through my head. Anyhoo, let me get back to the topic. So, I now have this somewhat ancient sewing machine and I don't know where to start. My grandma taught me a little about how to sew as a young girl, but I never paid too much attention to anything except my toys then. Now that I really want to sew things, I am having to teach it to myself. Shouldn't be too hard, should it?

Let's see. Hmmmm. A running stitch. Yeah, I can do that.

*****LONG PAUSE*****

Well, I guess I will just have to teach myself to do it later. Baby Bug is sick. :-( This is what happens when you have children. You're right smack dab in the middle of doing something you've been waiting to do for, like, EVER and then you're needed elsewhere. Oh, well. I don't mind. She's my little angel and if she is not well, then I am not well. Until then, I think I'll sew by hand while I nurse.

*****COUPLE DAYS GO BY*****

Here is the result of taking it easy and sewing by hand. Martin was kind enough to model it for me.

Potato Soup for an Aching Back. (And a song all about it.)

2009-04-22T19:14:00.012+02:00

*sung to the tune of: your typical blues song*

Woke up this morning.
Turned on the light.
I already knew,
I was in for a fight.

The clothes were all dirty,
no dishes were clean.
This is what makes
good wives turn mean.

Took care of it all
and didn't even complain.
My house is now spotless,
but I feel insane.

My back is aching,
my hair is a mess.
I can't even sew
two arms onto a dress.

Now I must go and make some dinner,
why isn't all this action making me thinner?!!

That was a little ditty I wrote on the spot just now that I have to say really sums up my day. Since I woke up this morning, I have been cleaning, cooking, taking care of Baby Bug, trying to sew arms onto a doll dress, ~~showering~~, ~~taking care of myself~~, etc. I just got back in from taking Baby Bug outside and something I did out there (could it have been the 20 somersaults or handsprings I did?.... I didn't think so.) pulled my back out. I was fine and playing with the Bug and when I bent down to pick her up, a sharp pain struck my hip and jolted down my leg. I hobbled inside where I still wasn't able to rest because I had to cook dinner and take care of the Bug because Martin was too busy to help me. I can't even bend over now. Oy, what a day. Anyhoo, anyone want a nice potato soup recipe? I got it from Allrecipes.com. The only way I do it differently is to add some peas and carrots. It is so easy, and can be adjusted to your tastes. If you don't like meat, don't add it.

Potato Soup

3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1/3 cup diced celery
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup diced cooked ham
3 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk

1. Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.

2. In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.

3. Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.

Now, I am off to finally take a nice, hot bath. Martin is taking Lea for a walk so I can try to rest my back a little. Don't I have the best husband in the world?

Southernisms - Part 1

2009-04-15T21:41:00.009+02:00

Southerners are known for their backwoods country slang that takes some time to get used to if you weren't raised around it. There are different dialects all over and some even take me some time to get used to. I thought I'd share some of the infamous Southernisms that I was brought up using just in case you ever decide to visit the South and need to understand what the people are talking about. Now, listen up!

"Count" is a word that I always loved to hear my Nanny say. If she didn't like something, she'd say, "That darn cake wudn't no count!" Or, if she DID like something, "Now, that was some count!"

"Right" is used loosely in the South. Here are some examples:
"She's a right purty girl, that Sarah."
"Well, I don't rightly know."
"Put that roast right in the middle of the table, purty please, ma'am."
"Reach over there and hand me the salt right quick, wouldja?"

A saying I have always liked to hear, and as a child put wonderfully funny images in my head, is said when someone asks you if you're related to someone who has the same last name. They may say, "I think our grandpaw's use to cuss the same cat," as a way to say, "I think distantly we are related."

Of course, there's the ever famous "y'all". I think that one is self-explanatory, as is the next one.

"Ain't". This word is not just used by southerners although it's usually attributed to us. "Ain't ain't a word."

How about "'ere", pronounced "air", for "there"? Ever heard that one? "Whatcha got 'ere, Billy?" (Also said "der" at times.)

The previous word brings me to "nery" or "nere", pronounced "nairy" and "nair". We stick that word in to add some extra oomph! "I ain't got nery an idea what that thar thing is." (and "thar" is "there".)

My Nanny used to say this: "I ain't seen hide nor hair o' 'im in ages!". That means, "I haven't seen him in a long time!"

What about the use of the word "awful" or "awfly" (for "awfully")? Even "mighty" will do sometimes. We do use "very" instead of these words, but an equal amount of people say the former. "He was awful (or awfly, mighty) tired by the time he got done plowin'."

Here is another funny example of something we say to describe "every" one of something. "Ever damn one of those nails bent when I was hammerin'."

A big cash crop in NC is tobacco. But we have our own word for it. "Backer."

"Bard" What is this word? Let me use it in a nice, rednecky sentence for you. "My sister bard my Sundee (or, Sunday) dress and got backer juice all over the front. Now what am I gonna do?"

A fav of mine is "bob war". Can you guess? "Barbed wire" is the correct version.

"Sump'n" "Now that thar new rifle I got, wooh boy! She is sump'n!"

When we express sympathy, we like to say, "Well, bless your heart, darlin'."

"Sugar". We use this word loosely. We use it for the white granules that come in a paper sack ("sack" being another word we like to use in place of "bag") and we also use it in sentences like this: "Come here, sugar. I want me some sugar!" Our children grow up in the South learning that kissing someone sure is a sweet thing!

I am not nearly done with all the Southernisms I slip back into when I am visiting home, so be sure to check back in after a few days to see what other Southernisms I can pull out of my sleeve.

Y'all come back now, ya hear?

After a long day....

2009-04-11T12:00:00.005+02:00

Oh, how I feel like relaxing. There's just one problem. I can't. After putting Baby Bug to beddy bye, I have toys to pick up. I could just leave them there, but if Martin isn't paying attention and breaks a leg, I would just feel too guilty. (Well, unless he ever makes me reeeeally mad, hmmm.....) So, I pick them up. I don't mind, really, because it gives me time to think back on the day. I think about the games we played, the kisses and hugs she gave me, the moments when she was fussy, and what I could do better the next day. That's one thing about parenthood. You always look for ways to be a better parent, even if everyone around you thinks you are good enough already. In this case, "good enough" is really never good enough. There are always moments when I could have not lost my patience so quickly, or made her something better to eat for lunch than rice or oatmeal and applesauce. I could have held her longer instead of putting her down so I could hang up the wet laundry or read that book to her instead of turning on The Wiggles so I could sweep the living room. Life is messy. My apartment doesn't have to always be clean. I can't beat myself up for these things, however, so I just try to do better the next day. I remind myself that many mothers don't get to spend as much time with their children and I am lucky enough to stay home with her. She is getting enough attention, that is for sure, but I try every day to make the time I spend with her of a better quality.

So, now it's time to go clean up her little toys. They are so cute just sitting there, scattered where she left them. I am imagining how they look to her from her eyes. Oh, my little angel.

The Big 1!

2009-04-08T10:30:00.002+02:00

Baby Bug's birthday was so much fun! We haven't had her party yet since it fell on a weekday and our friends actually have jobs to go to, so we celebrated here at home by setting up a "birthday table". Martin says it's a traditional thing here in Germland. We placed all of her presents on our coffee table the night before and let her just tear into them the next morning. She received an Aqua Doodle, a plastic rocking horse, a bath fun kit that hooks with suction cups to the tub from mommy and daddy, and a beautiful baby doll from her great-grandparents in North Carolina. The baby doll is from the Madame Alexander collection. Baby Bug carried her around all day. I think I'll share a few pics from her special day. So, here ya go:

Here she is upon seeing her presents.

Wesson had to come take a peek. "No treats for me?"

This is Baby Bug's Madame Alexander doll.

Aqua Doodle! (Daddy had fun with it, too.)

Mommy, mommy! Let me go take a bath!

Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you. It's what I've always wanted!

What have I done?

2009-04-07T11:13:00.001+02:00

My husband is fascinated by everything that is "redneck"-ish. Here is a following conversation snippet from this morning.

Martin: Hey, honey. Are we still thinking about renewing our vows in the U.S. one day?

Me: Sure, why not? It'd be nice to really celebrate it for once. (We had a quick wedding before, btw.)

Martin: May I plan some of it?

Me: Ummmm.... sure?

Martin: Great! Wanna know what our wedding cake will be made of?

Me: What?

*Martin grins crazily*

Me: Oh, God. What?

Martin: Chicken wings. Mmmm.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey, as long as we're at it, why don't we just throw chicken feed or fish pellets instead of rice?

Hee-haaaaw!

In My Daughter's Eyes (thanks, Martina, for the title inspiration!)

2009-04-05T20:29:00.005+02:00

Baby Bug went to the playground for a few games in the sand today. Normally when we come home, her diaper and shoes are full of sand and we laugh about how much fun she had. Today, however, we were proud and our hearts were warmed to the core. While she was there, she walked over to a mentally and physically challenged little girl in a wheelchair who seemed just a little bit sad while watching all the other kids run around. Upon making eye contact, Baby Bug smiled and held hands with the girl. The girls eyes lit up and she smiled as Bug held her hand, and I was able to witness the nonjudgemental way an innocent little child can bring happiness to someone who is undeservingly deemed "different" than the rest of us. It is a moment I will never forget. Thank you, Baby Bug, for being you.

So, I am working on some jars.....

2009-04-04T14:00:00.009+02:00

and I reeeally need to finish painting them. Baby Bug's first birthday is VERY soon, but her party is another day (like NEXT SATURDAY!) and they are supposed to be my party favors. I only have 5 done and I need at least 5 more. Try doing that while watching an almost one year old who fights against her naps. I have been working on them since January. Wanna hear about what I am doing?

Baby Food Jar Party Favors

What you'll need:

however many baby food jars you want, washed and de-stickered
however much paint you think you'll need- the paint I am using is especially for baking onto glassware and is named Ceramica, opaque.
paintbrushes- in a range of sizes, from pinky finger big to pin tip small
ribbons of whatever colors you think look nice
old newspaper to keep your table clean
towel to wipe messes and dry brushes
cup of water to rinse brushes

Now, starting off, you have two options. You can either create a base color (I use white) so that the colors stay truer to original and are less transparent, or you can create that almost transparent look by just omitting the base. I have done both, and I have to say that I like using a base color better. Just be sure to let it dry first before painting over it.

Think of which design you want on there and just paint, baby, paint. Add detail and personalize it however you want it. I wrote Baby Bug's's name and birthday somewhere on each jar in honor of her birthday.

Bake at specified temperature (it'll state the exact instructions on the jar of paint) and tie ribbon around the top of the jar.

Add candy, little notes thanking your guests for joining you, and even some flowers or something small like that. I will be reusing my birthday jar as a vase. It will be a little keepsake from my sweetie's first birthday. An added plus is that you are reusing. Remember that little triangle that says "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle"? Where are my brownie points?

Have fun and remember to keep your hair out of the paint! (I learned that REAL quick.)

Does anyone have suggestions or ideas that I could add to the jars?

Germans, boats, and beer... what a lovely combination!

2009-04-03T14:00:00.000+02:00

Now, ya see? This is why I love Germans sometimes.

Reasons for Blogging... it's like frosting on a cake!

2009-04-02T10:10:00.007+02:00

You don't know what kind of cake is underneath, do you? I won't tell!

Someone said to me recently, "I don't understand why anyone would want to put their private life out on the internet." I thought of something I had read once. "We cannot live for ourselves alone. Our lives are connected by a thousand invisible threads, and along these sympathetic fibers, our actions run as causes and return to us as results." Herman Melville said that. I think it explains one reason why people blog. Anyhoo, here are some more reasons to blog:

1. It is intellectually stimulating. You may be surprised that I put that in there since my blog doesn't seem very intellectual, but think about this. In high school or college, you learned how to write essays, poetry, etc. Even 5 years later, would you be able to write like you did before? If you don't use it, you lose it. Blogging is a great way to stay on top of your skills.

2. It is therapeutic and relaxing. It allows me a little time to reflect which can either make you laugh your tushie off, or smile because such wonderful memories warm your heart.

3. I can make other people's days just a little brighter by inspiring them, or making them laugh. It really is a nice feeling to make someone else smile.

4. It helps me keep in touch with family and friends. It is a lot easier for them to check in on what I've been up to at any time they feel like doing so. Plus, it saves me some money on my phone bill.

5. People can learn more about me, specifically family and friends who already know some things about me. Like my mother, for example, doesn't even know that I am working on some party favors for Baby Bug's birthday party. She and YOU will be able to not only hear about them, but see them in the coming days.

So, you see, it's not my most personal things that I am sharing, just the things you would see on the top of a cake, so to speak. This is the frosting of my life.

2009-04-01T22:21:00.002+02:00

So, this is me last summer. Baby Bug was 3 months old and I still had a bit of the "baby fat" on me. That's my hubs, Martin. He's my little Germie.

Let me introduce myself (cue the banjos and imagine it spoken with a southern twang)....

2009-04-01T21:49:00.005+02:00

Well, hey there y'all. My name is Katie. I come from a land where people have only a few teeth, and their one good tooth is put to good use tearing apart those baby back ribs. There are 10 junk cars in our front or backyards and we use duct tape to keep our Christmas decorations up on our porches. Everything is so fatty and sweet that by the time we drink our first sweet tea, we are already halfway diabetic and by the time we are 10, our blood pressure and cholesterol scream, "Put me on the Cheerios diet!" Our husbands and dogs use the same tree when they go out for a walk, according to the hi-larious Jeff Foxworthy. Yep, you might've guessed it. I am from the Southern United States. Good ol' Dixie, the land of the long leaf pine. North Carolina, to be exact. We're not really like that, though. Don't listen to all the stereotypes. (Just the ones I tell you to, okay?) I sure do miss NC. Maybe I'll get back there one of these days. This picture shows where I am now.

I was transplanted to Berlin, Germany in 2006 so I could marry my high school sweetheart, Martin. We met when he was an exchange student. Now, almost 9 years later, we have a beautiful daughter who I shall refer to as Baby Bug (but I can assure you, it's not Bobbie Sue or Billie Jo) who was born in April of 2008. We couldn't be any happier with her. She is the apple of our eyes. I stay pretty busy with her, so if you don't hear from me for awhile, that's what I am doing. However, when I do keep up with my blog, I'll try to make it something worth reading. (Even if I am the only one reading it.) I want it to be about things I love. I love crafts, cooking and baking, making photographs, German culture, and sharing funny stories. So, expect a mix of these things. Anyhoo, that's all for now. See ya soon!

(End of banjos playing.)