Christmas time means Christmas movies, with 25 days 
(25 DAYS OMG!)

until Christmas every night is movie night!

Christmas is all about lists, so here's a list of my families

  TOP 10 all time favorite Christmas movies!

Christmas Story

Elf

The Grinch

Miracle on 34th Street

Home Alone

Charlie Brown Christmas

It's a Wonderful Life

Christmas Carol

Christmas Vacation

The Santa Clause

What about you, did I miss your favorite? 
P.S. Why does my Christmas count down widget say 24 days??

Sundays In My City-My Favorites

Stop by UNKNOWNMAMI and see her beautiful City, then travel the world with her and her friends.
The weather has been getting in the way for my photo ops of my city. So I decided to show you a few of my favorite things about living in Bremen, Germany.

1. The houses here are really unique, there are a lot of apartments,brownstone style homes, farm houses, A frame houses, modern looking homes. One of my favorite is the thatch roof homes and the eye brow windows. 
2. Protest happen everywhere I know this, but coming from Utah it is pretty rare to see. So here in Germany it's normal to have the city shut down for several hours and have a peaceful and some times not so peaceful protest/demonstration. 
3. Toilettes galore! In most places you have to pay a small amount or tip an attendant to use the toilette. The trade off is they are always stocked with TP, you will never have to ask your neighbor to spare a square! Plus they are some of the cleanest toilette around. Most restaurants if you are dining in you do not have to pay. When we were in Italy a Toilette was hard to find and when you did they were disgusting.  
4. Fountains, fountains and more fountains! I love fountains my city has quite a few and they are beautiful in their own way.
5. Statues all over in random places, some of  importance and some not so important. 
6. Random horn tooting people in parks and street corners. 
7. Flower markets everyday but Sunday! ALL YEAR!
8. Market of fruit,veggies, meats,cheeses and such everyday but Sunday! ALL YEAR!

Hope you enjoy some of my favorites in Bremen!

Have a wonderful Sunday!

**Collage inspired by unknownmami

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.....

Yesterday the Christmas Season officially started in our house! Christmas music was blaring and the decorating started. It's always a struggle for me, maybe I'm a bit of a control freak I want final say were things go. I say you guys have at the tree and the rest is up to me. If they had their way I'd have decorations in every corner of my house and I like it in limited areas. OMG I am a control freak!

Last night Craig and I made our way down to the City to preview the Christmas Market. If you ever have a chance to come to Germany wait until Christmas time, the Christmas markets are beyond words. Katelyn is sick and it was really cold and rainy so we made her stay home cause that's the kind of parents we are, mean caring.

Happy Thanksgiving

Giving thanks to all my family and friends today!

Much love,

Frau

Wordless Wednesday

Sundays In My City- Bremen

Bremen, Germany is a city filled with history and traditions. Last night we came upon one of my favorite traditions-junnggesellenabschied also known as "STAG PARTY" or "BACHELOR PARTY". It's the last night of freedom for the Groom, so his friends dress him in some kind of embarrassing costume and the parade through the city where he sells various items or shots of a liquor in order to pay for the drinking while "PARTYING".

These young men were selling shots for 1 euro! It was a nasty apricot liquor and apple. I said no drink just a picture and I will pay. Their English was much better than my German, they were all excited to talk to an American. He was dressed in a bee costume with a T-Shirt to sign and hat with curlers......Okay whackadoo German boys. They were really nice, posed for my picture and one of them told me I was an ANGEL! (Hee, hee WHATEVER!)

I gave him a piece of  marriage advice " Happy wife, Happy life"!!

Go visit UnknownMami and enjoy her city and many others. HAVE A WONDERFUL SUNDAY!

Bumped from the band

We gave my Husband "Rock Band " for his Birthday yesterday. I was super excited, felt like my dreams have come true....to be in a BAND! Now I have been doing a lot of research TV watching lately. Not the Discovery Channel or CNN type cause I'm in Germany and we get BBC and MTV . I'm talking "Rock of Love" Bret Michaels and his quest for love third times the charm! So naturally I franticly dug through my closet yesterday looking for my mini skirt and stilettos, we all know a rocker outfit is a must.  

So after our Birthday dinner and CAKE it was time to get down to BAND practice! It's my first time playing "ROCK BAND" live.....again a DREAM come true. SO they stick me on DRUMS, which I can totally do! Tried the throwing the sticks in the air ...it's actually quite hard so instead I tried just hitting them together over my head which I totally rocked!! Drums are some what harder then I dreamed of , failing according to Wii enough times that I was no longer in that BAND set! WHATEVER! I needed more wine so it worked for me. 

Next set I insisted on showing the other BAND members my singing skills! SONG choice Duran, Duran Hungry like a Wolf.....HA perfect I've already been singing that all week! So we are rocking the HAUS.....and Wii has the nerve to fail me again. And I'm all WHAT there has to be a singer HELLO!!

Needless to Say I've been bumped and am now the roadie! Wonder if it's too late to cancel my eBay order of colorful bandannas?

My birthday BOY! Today my Hubby turns 44!He doesn't want to stay 40 forever like me but whatever! I hope he has a wonderful birthday...even though he is busy working today! His family loves him very much, he has been the best husband and father. Hard to believe I have been in love and celebrating his special day more than half his life. We are excited to have cake made by Katelyn and give him his gifts. Love you Sweetie and Happy Birthday!

Today is also my twin nieces Birthday! Theses two beauties turn 17! Happy Birthday girls!

Leaves are not my whine today, feathers and such are! We had a little visitor this morning for breakfast. A Hawk, I only wish it was Tony Hawk that way he could help me rake leaves! It wasn't a big hawk but it certainly took down a large pigeon for breakfast. Now amongst my leaves I have feathers and a pigeon carcass....I'm  drawing the line. I'll rake leaves without complaining but someone needs to get the feathers and body out of here!

                       

Sophie watching the show!

Nice uh!

An Autumn Whine

I'm sick of raking my neighbors leaves! Don't you think there should be a rule if the leaves are from your tree you pick them up? Yes did I hear a few yes out there! All the trees in my yard garden are bare, yet I  have been raking and raking. Where the hell are they coming from. Do you know how hard it is to rake cobble stone...okay it's not that hard but it is slippery. So I'm counting raking as my Workout today. I have to rationalize my whining and blisters are worth something besides a clean yard garden.

Sundays In My City- Art?

One thing that really surprised me when I moved to Bremen, Germany was the amount of Graffiti. Now that we have lived here awhile you hardly notice it, but when people visit it is almost the first thing they comment on. I call it our "German Art".

Bremen is such an old historical city and it's covered in graffiti. In the states, well Utah at least, graffiti is painted over very quickly and little can be found. Some graffiti is done in an artistic way and others is just plain tagging, to me is ugly.

Art or Not?

This is the colorful side of my city.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Do you know Unknown Mami? She's awesome and she created a fun Sunday theme inviting you to get out and take pictures of your city to share with the rest of us.

I have failed

My teenage daughter and I were online shopping at Old Navy. They have these three really cute vintage Rock N' Roll T-shirts, Beatles, Pink Floyd and Duran Duran.  I said, Oh these are nice for Gym class or working out and she is like who's Duran Duran? And who's Pink Floyd? I was all are you kidding me, Duran Duran was so popular in the 80's and Pink Floyd they have been around since the 60's! Classic music I may or may not have hummed a few bars from Duran Duran's "Hungry like a Wolf" or "Girls on film"!

I have failed to introduce her to 80's awesome music and classic rock....this is a girl at 5 knew all the words to Brittany Spears "Hit me baby one more time" and now sings Miley Cyrus "Party in the USA" . Is this what this generation thinks is good music and some day they will tell there kids and it will be on vintage T's!

She doesn't want the shirts, I believe she may have said nobody knows who they are with a slight eye roll!

Who know's maybe I'll show up at the Gym sporting my Duran Duran T-shirt! It will fly here in Germany after all the Germans love David Hasselhoff.

One Year Blogiversary

Today is my one year "Blogiversary" ! Until I found out we were moving to Germany, I really never had a clue what a blog was. I decided to start a blog to keep family and friends up to date what was going on in our new life. I figured it was easier than repeating the same email over and over again or doing a mass email.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would become such an important part of my new life here. I don't think I would have made it through the first year without the support I have gained here in my virtual world.

A lot of people don't get blogging, and a lot of my friends don't ever read it that's fine too! But when they ask me what's new, I say read my blog! I appreciate all the wonderful people who read and follow me. I know it can be consuming and some people feel guilty for not always commenting or reading. I follow a lot of blogs but I have more time on my hands than most. Plus I'm avoiding doing my German Homework!

Blogging for me not to sound all mushy, but has been a lifesaver in many ways. I feel like I have many conversations with friends and am a part of something. I get to laugh, cry and smile at so many people's posts. I've gained recipes, decorating ideas, jokes, stories, information, history, facts, photography pointers and ideas. I've gained friendship, wisdom, patience, love, acceptance and prayer and so much more.

I want to thank each and everyone of you for making my life so rich! Now lets have some CAKE!

Much Love,
Frau

rain,rain go away .....

rain everyday here for the most of November. It's not unusual here, it's Winter! Doesn't mean I have to like it....I think I just forgot how it was last year.  How could I forget the constant gray, rain, mud and damp feeling? This year I'm really going to try and embrace the Gray. Maybe jump in a few puddles along the way.

My Kate in the rain

My new puddle jumpers

My favorite muddy day shoes-Blundies

Probably should be my BFF- My North Face Raincoat

The song I will be singing while jumping in puddles!

Sunday in my city-Berlin

Berlin is not my actual city but a mere five hour train ride away. Tomorrow November 9, 2009 marks twenty years since "The Wall" came down. So I thought I would pay a tribute to such an event by sharing some of our weekend visit last October.

Checkpoint Charlie

Memorial wall where The Wall once stood, haunting pictures and names of those lives lost trying to cross.

More Checkpoint Charlie

Brandenburg Gate

Memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe.

Memorial along the river once dividing the city of those who lost their lives swimming across.

Berlin is a huge city with so much to see, at every turn there is so much history. Due to a huge protest that shut down half the city we didn't see it all, so another trip is in the works. I felt the city was very gray and sterile with vast difference in the East and the West. If you ever have an opportunity to visit it does not disappoint.

If anything tomorrow remember how fortunate we are to have our freedom.Have a wonderful SUNDAY!

Do you know Unknown Mami? She's awesome and she created a fun Sunday theme inviting you to get out and take pictures of your city to share with the rest of us. 

Happy Birthday Sophie

Sophie is 4 years old today! She doesn't have a clue it's her birthday...maybe it's cause in human years she is 28. Approaching her 30's may be hard, they were for me!  Or is it because she can no longer fit in her Build a Bear cheerleader outfit?


We are celebrating today Sophie style...a walk maybe a ride on the bus, new toy and treat. And than we will let her nap cause that's what she does best.

Happy Birthday Sophie!!