It's been a whirlwind of a month. The big picture: there were three weeks away from home, and one crazy week at home.
You know about the
work trip in Germany, but I forgot to show you some of my fun purchases. The theme here is enamel. Somehow I never noticed all of the enamel goods available in Germany shops, but this trip they really caught my eye.
I picked up a couple of white enamel cups, planning on keeping them in the van for our road-trip camping. Even though they aren't the most sensible for winter camping because of the lack of insulation, I couldn't resist! The green sugar container and pitcher are for the house. C loves using the picture when he's steaming milk for morning coffees, which warms my heart and cup. And finally, possibly my most favorite purchase of the trip ~ that's an enamel lunch container on the left. It has a rubber seal and tight locking lid ~ perfect for preventing leaks as I bike to and from work!
Guess how you spell/say enamel in German? It's the original email!
You also know about the
new four-legged addition to our home. But I never told you how we found him.
We have to thank these guys::
That's my sister Kris and her BF, Ryan. I think they're each other's bff, and they're the proud owners of this pup, Dutch::
Don't let that sleeping shot fool you, she was wiped after a weekend of hiking and camping {she had a lot of hikers to keep track of}. Dutch is an active and uber smart Australian Cattle Dog. In addition to Dutch, they like volunteer as a foster home with their local shelter, and that, my friends is how Ca$h came into our lives. He was their latest foster pup, and they realized that he was just too good to let go. C and I weren't actively looking for a dog at the time, but we knew we wanted one, and we're smart enough to know that you don't let a good one go! We also have Ryan to thank for the creative spelling of Ca$h's name, I guess Ryan's the dog-father.
Here are the two pup bffs together::
And look, some knitting!
While we were out on the walk, I noticed that Kris and Calder were wearing some of my knits gifts. Warms my heart as much as the steamed milk in email!
And the hats bring me to week three, because unfortunately during all of
the fun and adventure of Thanksgiving C's hat was left in CA... in fact, he had already left it in the Bay Area by the time those pictures were taken, so now I'm scheming up a new one in time for Christmas.
Speaking of knits, the
two projects in this post have traveled with me from place to place. I'm happy to report that both are almost done, but have to stay under wraps until Christmas!
So, that brings me to this past week. A week spent in all-day meetings, many in rooms without windows. At night my brain was a zombie, but I was still able to fit in a good amount of holiday knitting. Along with the secret projects, I put together some jingle-bell garland. I tried to take some evening photos in the dark hotel::
Um yeah. This was an easy and fun project. I'll give you more details and better photos soon!
Wow, it was fun to catch up! But now? The next month is going to be spent at home! I have plans for decorating, baking, and of course, a bunch of present crafting. Let the holiday fun begin!
I remember having this same worry in the past, and things have always worked out. Fingers are crossed.
So far I've made some lemon and grapefruit rinds. This was my first time making the lemon rinds, and now there's no going back, they are the tastiest gummy worms ever. I use Martha's fool-proof recipe, and they turn out perfect every time. 
A trick I learned from my mom. It's fun to tell people they can eat the ornaments, and even more fun to catch Calder taking a nibble!
Another great idea from Design Sponge. I picked up the birdhouses at Micheal's, and drilled holes in the back for Christmas lights::
Since my village is placed high in the room, I drilled the holes near the bottom of the houses, so that you can't see the lights when you look up at the village. I used some old coffee sacks for the burlap surface. I love this little village, and think it's going to make an annual appearance, but next year it might be fun to add some sparkly white snow and icicles to the roofs!
I'm loving the rustic yet cozy texture. 
I think we need some Christmas trees and maybe a streetlamp or two to really set the scene...
While we were out on the walk, I noticed that Kris and Calder were wearing some of my knits gifts. Warms my heart as much as the steamed milk in email!
Um yeah. This was an easy and fun project. I'll give you more details and better photos soon!
That's my first and most favorite owl sweater paired with a woolly hat that I made last winter. I promised a pattern for the hat and realized I never delivered... it's on my to-do list. 
Usually we're struggling up the sledding hill through a few feet of snow, but not this week. The snow was shallow and rock-hard forming a crazy fast track with a jump, making each run equally terrifying and exhilarating.
I always pack some Emergen-C packets - they're powdered drink mix full of vitamins, minerals, and a bit of fizz (like alma seltzer). I figure the extra vitamin C is always good when confined to cramped quarters with a bunch of strangers, and having the flavored drink mix helps to make any water-fountain water more palatable. Along with this I carry any empty water bottle. A few Cliff or Luna bars always go in my bag ~ on some trips I don't need them, on other trips, like the last one to Germany, I'm surprised by how quickly I go through them. A snack bar can really come in handy when flight schedules change and you don't have enough time to grab food in the airport. They're also great when you land in a foreign country late at night {or on a Sunday in Germany} and find most businesses closed. And finally, chocolate. 
I'm not opposed to eating in the airport, and sometimes it can be fun and delicious {I just had a fantastic salad full of veggies, avocado, and almonds on our layover in Phoenix}, but when I know that my travel is going to span several meals, or don't want to fork over the $$$, packing a meal is the way to go. Remember that the "no liquids and gels over 3oz" rule applies to food too, so I veer away from anything slightly gel-like {no yogurts, soups, etc.}. My favorite stand-bye is a bean salad. I picked these up at Wegmans, and cooked up some quinoa to go with them. So easy, filling, and delicious. On our Saturday flight, I skipped packing a meal, but packed a big slice of my mom's carrot cake - it was hearty enough to substitute for breakfast until we found lunch on our layover. 
I never travel without some project to keep me busy. Usually it's two projects so that I can switch them up if I'm bored, and so that I have plenty to keep me busy if travel plans change or are delayed. I always make sure that one is small enough for a plane so that I don't disturb my neighbors, and I try to stick to mindless projects that are difficult to mess up when I'm exhausted and jet-lagged. 
