Quick - Blog Candy at Katharina's Whiff of Joy!! :)

Yup, just a quick note - more to come hopefully soon!! :)

But you have still time to win Katharina's blog candy over at "Whiff of Joy"!!!

10 Things on the 10th–Books from my Childhood

Books I read as a little girl (and just remembered thanks to Lynz and hope my girls will be reading them and loving them as much as I did):

1) Hanni & Nanni / St. Clare’s – Enid Blyton (series)

2) Dolly / Malory Towers – Enid Blyton (only first 6 books are from Enid Blyton, the German series has 12 more books in the series) (series)

3) Bille & Zottel – Tina Caspari (series)

4) Blitz, der Schwarze Hengst / The Black Stallion – Walter Farley (series)

5) Misty / Misty of Chincoteague – Marguerite Henry

6) Seestern / Sea Star: Orphan of Chincoteague – Marguerite Henry

7) Britta – Lisbeth Panhke (series)

8) Der Trotzkopf – Emmy von Rhoden (series)

9) Anne of Green Gables – Lucy Maud Montgomery (series)

10) Nesthaekchen – Else Ury (series)

Think you can see a trend there – books about horses or boarding schools!! Other books I read (that mostly through school were: “…und keiner hat mich gefragt” & “Treffpunkt Weltzeituhr” – Isolde Heyne (books about a girl in an Orphanage in the then GDR who wouldn’t get adopted or is allowed to further her swimming – as her mother is still alive but lives in West Germany) and “Die Wolke” – Gudrun Pausewang (a very scary book which is set after the Tschernobyl nuclear disaster). Not really books you’d like to read and read again as a child, but I think I’d like to re-read them now at some point…

Here are more 10 Things on Shimelle’s Blog (plus linkies of the others who took part in 2011) – I hope she’ll continue this in 2012!

Have a Happy New Year!

This video has been a tradition in Germany for New Year’s Eve since I can remember, but I’ve not been watching it regularly since I moved to the UK (and I’m not able to find the videotape with it my mum sent me years ago). Thank goodness for the Internet, mmmh??

We’re going to have a quiet evening again this year, first have 2 friends over for Raclette (again, a tradition on my side of the family really) and once they’ve gone home or decided to stay over night we’re going to watch a bit TV or whatever we may have recorded or DVD (TV is going to be abysmal from what I can see!!) and then go to bed early-ish. Haven’t had a big New Year in YEAAARRS, think we’re getting old!!
Oh – going through Wikipedia DH found also a Lego version of “Dinner for One”.

Which traditions do you have?
Have a great evening/night and all the best for 2012!!!

Tracking Santa...

If there's nothing else you're doing today, or if you're celebrating Christmas Eve and you have a bit of time, go here - we've been tracking Santa for years now and cannot wait for the girls to take part next year (currently totally oblivious to the whole thing!).



Track Santa with NORAD

10 Things on the 10th–December

What easier to go for in December than Christmas baking! So after a lot of Christmas Markets in my November 10 things, my 10 things for December are my favourite baked goods during Advent/Christmas time (not necessarily all made by me or at least not yet):
(photos for first 3 items are mine, the rest is courtesy of Google)

1. “Stollen” (usually just the buttery type with candied fruit and raisins, but also like the Nougat type or Poppy seed one – just NO MARZIPAN one please – can’t stand the taste of it!!) – best with some squishy cream and a cuppa hot chocolate or tea!
   
   
   
2. “Vanillekipferl” (vanilla crescents – tried my best in this country to get my granny’s recipe going, but somehow they don’t rise properly and go all flat – would have thought I’d have figured out why after 13 years!)
   
   (2008 batch)
   
   
   (2009 batch)
   
   And the 2010 batch looked again like the one from 2008!!! I wonder if it’s the butter … or flour…  
   
3. “Husarenkrapfen” or ”Engelsaugen” (that’s one of those jam filled Christmas cookies, and I love them! Probably because they don’t cause trouble like the Vanilla crescents! – And I always go for raspberry jam even though they can be made with apricot or other jam as well)
   
   
   
4. Gluehweinmuffins (Mulled wine muffins - have done them once, will try them again this year but with Ikea’s “Glogg” – non alcoholic – due to the horrendous prices of Aldi’s/Lidl’s Gluehwein this year!!
   
   
   
   
5. Butterplaetzchen (easy peasy sugar cookies – but so nice decorated… can’t wait for the girls to be old enough to help out there!)
   
   
   
6. Christmas Brownies (bought one from my lovely “Stoertebaecker” girls, loved it and found a recipe to try this year!)

1. “Nussecken” ( didn’t have them in ages because DH doesn’t eat nuts with chocolate – and the roasted kind only since this autumn! – but might consider making a batch for myself and potential guests)
   
   
   
2. “Spritzgebaeck” (one of those piping bag cookie types – haven’t made them yet but is one of the easiest ones to make if you are any good with piping – or so I’ve been told. LOL!)
   
   
   
3. “Spekulatius” (spiced cookies – usually nice ornamental shapes and with almond slivers – only shop bought really at Lidl or Aldi).
   
   
   
4. Chocolate Gingerbread (never liked the non-choc version and it’s only the shop bought ones so far (again, Lidl or Aldi), but who knows – might start baking them too one year! )
   
   

Well, that’s my 10 things on the 10th for this month/year – definitely will continue doing it if Shimelle’s going forward – or maybe even by myself/with other bloggers. Who knows!

If you have any favourite Christmas cookies/baked goods, please comment with a link to a pic/recipe – I always LOVE looking at new recipes and maybe even bake them!!

For more 10 things on the 10th click here.

Christmas/Advent???Where??

Yup – similar to last year me thinks – not really very Christmassy around here yet, no deco apart from the Advent wreath with the candles, the Advent Calendar Candle and the door wreath. Everything else is still in the loft.

Not sure why, apart from having 18 weeks old twins (and last year was pregnant with said twins).

Baked a stollen, so that’s a step forward, but somehow I don’t feel very Christmassy, and DH’s scroogey behaviour doesn’t help much (neither does his being made redundant middle of November).

And with all that, OF COURSE I’m behind with Shimelle’s JYC. Had hoped to do an album (even prepared some pages at the November Crop), then got realistic and said I’d at least do the daily blogging, but even that didn’t happen. Haven’t done ONE SINGLE ENTRY – be it on here or on paper!!! Nothing! Nix! Nada! Tomorrow is Day 4 of JYC…

Hope this will change soon – can’t believe tomorrow is already the 2nd Advent!

Friday Fill-Ins

1. One of my favorite things about December is Christmas.
2. I love German Glass ornament(s)!
3. This is what I'm hoping for today/tonight: well behaved twins who sleep longer than 6am.
4. Why does the weather make such a noise?
5. Ooh, a stollen is what I baked this evening! .
6. My ears are ringing – from the cold?!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to an earlier night than yesterday, tomorrow my plans include decluttering and Sunday, I want to catch up with the JYC!