Sindy in Tulsa

Feeling dotty

2011-08-01T21:35:00.001-05:00

I've been feeling dotty lately and not only because of the heat. While digging through my fabric stash I found some left-overs of a sewing project that went horribly wrong. Last April I started on Simplicity 2403 in a navy and polka-dot version. Here is a picture of my progress.

The pattern is a Project Runway design with different options; I went for the ruffles and the puffy sleeves. After struggling quite a bit with the button holes I finally put the top and skirt together. I tried it on and... the waist was several inches to high on me. It just did not fit, the darts in the skirt were totally in the wrong place. I still don't know how it happened!

It was extremely frustrating; especially because I had spend so much time on getting the blouse portion just right. In the end I gave the dress to a friend of mine, who looks super cute in it.

The whole thing still bothers me and I'm considering making the dress again, in a different fabric. I'd really like to figure out just were I went wrong!

Anyway, back to my fabric. I have a bunch of the polka-dot and a little bit of the navy left; not enough for a skirt. It is a nice quality with a bit of stretch. What would you do with a polka-dot fabric?

Doll

2011-08-01T21:15:00.004-05:00

After reading some reviews on Simplicity 2809 I decided to work my way up slowly by making another black apple doll. You can find a tutorial and the pattern here.

For the dolls hair I used cotton instead of felt; I thought the little white flower would look really cute. Now I just have to put the stuffing in and hand sew the last seam. Overall this project was easy and quick; now I feel a bit better prepared to tackle S2809. One reviewer mentioned that she ignored most of the pattern instructions, which is fine with me. I have a hard time following instructions anyway, just ask K.! But several of the reviewers also mentioned patience - not my strong suit. On top of that I suffer from sewing distracteritis meaning I suddenly get the urge to browse patterns, visit the fabric store or start something else before I finish my current project. :)

Hopefully I'll be able to get this dolly on her way soon. I am sure she is looking forward to the cooler weather in Germany!

Simplicity 2809

2011-07-25T21:39:00.001-05:00

I bought this pattern over a year ago; thinking that one day I would actually make a couple of dolls. Complete with cute clothes and accoutrements. I even bought the fabric I was going to use. You can imagine how this tale ends; everything was neatly stashed away and forgotten. Although I never actually started sewing I still feel that this pattern is an UFO. And as such on my list of things to tackle.

To start off slowly I made another cat/bear for a friends little girl. They are supposed to be two different patterns but whenever I make them the cat looks like a bear and vice versa. Our little guy really likes his Max; it is made from corduroy and apparently very tasty. He especially likes chewing on the legs.

All this little guy needs is a bow and he'll be on his way to Germany. And I'm getting ready for the doll - wish me luck!

Let them eat soup!

2011-07-24T22:20:00.000-05:00

This is our latest batch of baby food; 1.5 gallons or 6 liters of chicken soup. The whole house smelled really yummy and the soup came out great.

Hopefully Baby will like it. If not we will be more than happy to eat it ourselves.

As you can see we always make sure to have some Nutella around. Preferably in a big jar. :)

I hope you'll all have a good start into the new week. And I will let you know how L. liked the soup.

More alterations

2011-07-24T16:59:00.000-05:00

Not too long ago we were invited to a wedding. I did not really think about what to wear until the last minute when I discovered that I did not have ANYTHING. I'm sure everybody knows this conundrum: no matter how full your closet is there is not one thing that would work for this specific event.

In desperation I turned to K. and he spoke the magic words - "Let's buy you something."

Now trying to find a dress under pressure is no feat for the fainthearted. Especially when you're on a budget. We tried a discount store and there was exactly one dress that I could see myself wearing. A cotton with flowery print, fully lined and moderately dressy. The only problem was the bubble hem. Now it might look cute on some people but it make me feel like a balloon. So I spend the night before the wedding un-bubbling and resewing the hem. With the help of my seam ripper, Mathilde and Dr. Who (on OETA) I was able to complete my mission!

Alterations

2011-07-24T16:29:00.003-05:00

About a year ago I found this J. Crew linen dress at a Goodwill store. There was no way that the bodice would fit me but I liked the print and the price was right. I had a vague idea that one day I would turn the dress into a skirt. Turns out today was that day!

With my trusty seam ripper I carefully took apart the seams that attached the skirt part and lining to the bodice. I also removed the zipper to be used in a future project. Waste not...!

I then cut the skirt to length; cutting from the top of course. Then the lining was attached to the skirt and turned to the inside. I did stitch in the ditch (more or less) to make it easier to turn. The most time consuming part was the zipper; I really wanted it to be invisible.

The whole project did not take very long at all and voila! - my new linen skirt. :)

By the way the color is actually navy although it looks almost black in the pictures.

Making a list

2011-07-24T08:56:00.002-05:00

After my sewing hiatus I decided to get back in the game by working my way through my fabric stash. My goal is to turn 2 boxes into 1 box and a bunch of finished projects. Of course I will have to stop shooting myself in the foot by buying more fabric!

In my defense everything was on sale and I had a coupon - how could I possibly resist?! Anyway, I started by weeding out some of the fabrics I know will never get used and donated them. Then I made a list of projects and started looking frantically for my patterns. You see my sewing room got moved so Munchkin does not have to share his space with Mathilde, my dress form. Everything was packed in boxes, put up and now I have no idea where stuff is anymore. So much for being organized!

Eventually I got started on some gifts and UFO that have been lingering for quite some time. My list keeps growing but hopefully so will my heap of finished things. Here is a knot bag I made from this tutorial at Mesewcrazy.com. The bag is lined; I did add some inside pockets and made the straps longer by about 1". It was a relatively quick project, came out really cute and I finally used this cotton print. My Mum said it looks a bit retro; I had not even thought of that but I guess she has a point there.

Baby eats

2011-07-21T13:22:00.002-05:00

Before Baby L. was born I had considered using cloth diapers and making my own baby food. I never really got around to fully commit to the cloth diaper thing. But when L. was ready to start solids I decided to at least try my hand at homemade baby food.
I liked the idea of having control over what goes in it, getting Baby used to "real" tasting food and maybe even saving some money. I say maybe because we all know that organic fruits and veggies might be good for us but they are not exactly easy on the wallet.
So I started to research recipes, gadgets and the like. In the end I did not buy a food processor and fancy storage systems. Instead I got out our trusty blender and invested in some ice cube trays. And I bought a book: Baby Love by Norah O'Donnell and Geoff Tracy. So far I have tried most of the recipes for 6 months old babies; most of them are super easy and really quick. Munchkin likes almost all of them except the squash. He eats peas, carrots, sweet potato, apple, peach, pear, mango and of course banana. To make things more interesting I mix stuff together like peas and carrots. To my surprise L. really likes the carrot-zucchini-apple, which I thought came out a bit tart. I guess he takes after his Daddy, who always chooses pickles over sweets.

On the whole making baby food is not as intimidating as I feared. It does not take all that much time either. One recipe makes enough for about 2-3 weeks (depending how much LO eats) and everything is tasty. I used some organic produce but also frozen (who has the time to mess with peeling a mango) and locally bought (hmm, Porter peaches). So if you're thinking about making your own baby food take heart. If I can do it you can too! :)

Update

2011-07-20T22:14:00.001-05:00

You probably have been wondering what I've been up to in the last year. As you can see below we have been working on a very special project.

Our little guy was born in December 2010 and we could not be happier! He is the reason almost all of my recent sewing projects are tiny and extra cute. See for yourself!

The fabric for the curtains is from IKEA and was send to me by my good friend M. It was not quite long enough for the window so I had to add some orange fabric. Munchkin seems to like it; he tried to eat it - always a sign of approval.

He wasn't quite as happy with the hats I made him using this pattern. It was super easy and took care of some scraps I just could not let go of. The little cover for the changing table below does not have snaps or ties so it can be whisked away quickly.

Right now I'm working my way through my fabric stash to make some room. So many pretty projects so little time!

Hello, I'm back!

2010-06-07T14:08:00.001-05:00

My Mum's visit went great, despite the vulcano threat and the unusually wet weather we were having around here. Although my Mum and Aunt were only staying for about a week we managed to squeeze a lot into that time. A special highlight were the Mayfest and the Blue Dome Arts Festival in Downtown Tulsa. We also made a trip to one of my favorite places, Eureka Springs/Arkansas. To me the Ozarks look so much like the area around my Hometown. And Eureka Springs itself is quite charming and just a bit eclectic.

Anyway, our German visitors had a really good time; it was so nice to be able to show my Mum around our home. You can probably imagine that I did not get much sewing done. I did however get an opportunity to wear the red sundress. And I like it so much that I'm planning to sew another one in a nice cotton fabric - just as soon as I get my sewing mojo back. Maybe a trip to the fabric store will jump-start it!

Countdown

2010-05-11T23:13:00.001-05:00

Thanks so much for all your votes and lovely messages! You guys really made my day!

Now I am back to preparing for my Mum's visit. She should be here in two days time. That's right TWO DAYS! You can probably imagine all the last minute stuff on my to-do-list. There is also still the little matter of the volcano in Iceland, which hopefully will not prevent the plane from taking off. I better hurry off to my chores; a bath for the doggies is next. But first I'll have to catch them!

WOW!

2010-05-07T08:58:00.001-05:00

Going over to Rae's Blog this morning I realized that one of my tops made it into the Top 60. Squee!

It is the Green Flower top, which also got many lovely comments of flickr. I feel so honored, excited and - excuse me I have to twirl around the room a little bit.

So please stop by today and vote - ideally for me of course but I really love some of the other entries as well. I better go and twirl some more! :)

Busy Week

2010-04-30T13:36:00.000-05:00

Alrighty, I finished my sundress this week. The pattern I used is S2886, version C without the skirt band. I just wanted the dress to be longer than version B; I rather like my dresses knee-length. My Mum send me the fabric and wasn't sure what it was exactly. I suspect it is a rayon blend, which translates into light, nice drape and very slippery. For the lining I used Bridal Poly Lining from Joann. It is my favorite lining for summer clothes so far but I might look around some more.

If you'd like to make S2886 let me tell you something about the pattern. The skirt part was pretty easy to assemble. Remember to baste the pleats down otherwise they might open back up at a crucial moment - guess how I know! The bodice is lined and gathered; I usually prefer darts or pincess seams but it worked out well. The midriff - oh, the midriff - has a bunch of pleats. I don't remember how many but it sure felt like a million. Because of this and the many pattern pieces this dress took me much longer than other dresses I made. One thing I really like are the pockets and the overall fit is good. I had to experiment a bit with the empire waist; the ties in the back help with that. On the whole I like my new sundress. I'm even thinking about making version A in a nice cotton or linen. Hmm...

I also managed to finally add the ribbon to my flowery top. There was just enough time to enter it and three others for Spring Top Week at Made by Rae. Check out all the submissions here; there are so many great ideas!

And this is what I'm working on right now. Can you tell that I really REALLY like making dresses? Not sure why exactly but looking at my closet I realized that about 80% of my sewing turns out to be dresses. That reminds me, I did make a bunch of stuff last winter that I haven't yet gotten any photos of. This might just turn into my next post! :)

Listening Habits

2010-04-20T15:52:00.002-05:00

Thanks so much for your encouraging comments! After ignoring the top for a while I gave it another try yesterday. It actually is not bad at all; I guess I was mostly miffed by all the fitting and adjustments. Being patient is really hard for me sometimes; especially towards the end of a project. After fiddling with it for days I just want to be done! :)

Remember that sundress I should have been working on for the last week? Well, all the pattern pieces still adorn Mathilde and I got sidetracked - again. I have a motivation problem with the cutting and marking part of sewing. To me it is simply tedious so I always try to find interesting audiobooks to listen to. Of course every now and then the book is too interesting and I forget what I'm supposed to be doing. In those cases I normally fall back on classics like Jane Austen. I know her books by heart and can ignore a chapter or two. A great source for classic audiobooks is Librivox.com. There you can find books that are in the public domain read by volunteers for free. That's right - free.

Another thing I enjoy listening too are podcasts. Those are available for free all over the web; one of my favorites is the Decoder Ring Theatre. They are doing podcasts in the style of old time radio shows with a lot of humor and plenty of action. K. and I have spend many an evening with Black Jack Justice and Trixie Dixon, Girl Detective.
Podiobooks.com offers a plethora of great books. I highly recommend the fantasy novel Chasing the Bard by Philippa Ballantine. This is one of those books I mentioned earlier; I did not get a lot done while I listened to it.

Anyway, I just wanted to share my audiobook and podcast habit with you. For me it makes the boring parts of sewing like cutting much more enjoyable. And listening to a BBC podcast might even broaden my horizon. ;)
Now I better get started on the dress; my mp3-player is loaded and my scissors sharp.

Crafty Thursday

2010-04-15T23:32:00.000-05:00

I've been crafty today! After seeing Casey's great post about getting your jewelry organized I decided to make my own version. This is what I came up with using: cardboard, batting, cotton fabric, pecan twigs, acrylic paint, copper wire, twine - basically just whatever I could find around the house. I think it looks pretty good and I finally found a use for this pretty fabric I had in my stash. Even better now I might actually remember to wear all the earrings, bracelets and necklaces - not all at the same time though. :)

Near Miss

2010-04-12T19:04:00.001-05:00

After making the stripy top last week I decided to sew another summer top. Looking at the pattern I figured it would not take me very long at all. It is a babydoll style with princess seams in the bodice and a tunic length. Seems easy enough, right?

Let me tell you this pattern turned out to be anything but. A little over a year ago I had made a sundress with a similar bodice. I drafted the pattern myself using my favorite little black dress for the skirt part and my imagination for the rest. It was fairly challenging to make (partly because I was a beginner) but it fits me perfectly and I love wearing it. I was expecting S2657 to have a similar fit without going through a lot of fitting adjustments. Alas it was not to be! By the time I had the bodice fit me in the front it was gaping under my arms. And don´t even get me started on the straps. Needless to say the whole project took a lot longer than I had thought. The resulting top is alright but will never be one of my favorites because of the fit. Don't you just hate it when something you spend time and effort making comes out blah?

I'm thinking about adding a satin ribbon under the bust to make it more interesting; maybe in navy to match the topstitching. To end this post on a positive note here are pictures of the afore mentioned sundress. The bright fabric always makes me smile. And speaking of fabric, my online order arrived so I will be busy pre-washing and sorting my goodies.

Stripes

2010-04-09T19:29:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know. This does not look like a sundress. What can I say, I am easily distracted. And there are so many cute versions of this pattern at patternreview.com I just had to try it.
So I decided to use one of the new cotton fabrics and get myself some instant gratification. The pattern instructions are very straigthforward; I did use bias tape instead of self fabric because I did not have enough fabric to cut those long strips. The twisty detail at the collar turned out to be a bit trying. I guess it would be easier to do with a softer fabric like seersucker or a knit. I think I will make this top again; maybe the version with the armhole detail. As soon as I got my camera out the dogs came over to investigate. They really don't like to be left out and Jesse just had to be in the photo. :)

Easter Dinner

2010-04-05T17:47:00.000-05:00

Every Easter we have a small family dinner at our place. K. prepares the main entrèe and I'm in charge of dessert. This year we decided to go with a German theme: Sauerbraten and Black Forrest Cake. K. also made a Greek salad, carrotts, cauliflower with cheese sauce and I baked challah bread. Plus we had green beans, dill potatoes and deviled eggs. Everything was really yummy; the Sauerbraten was actually the best I've ever had. K. made it from scratch following a recipe in "The American Woman's Cook Book" and using a spice mix from Germany.

I'm very sorry to say I did not get a photo of the Sauerbraten. My only excuse is that it smelled way too good and I was too weak from hunger to lift my camera. I made sure to take a pic of the cake though. It is the most elaborate cake I've made so far: four layers filled with buttercreme and sour cherries. The cherries were soaked in Kirschwasser (cherry schnapps), which was also drizzled on each layer. Let me tell you this cake can give you a nice buzz! ;)
The cake recipe can be found here; for the buttercreme I used a recipe mentioned here. Originally I had made the filling according to the cake recipe but did not like it. I found it far too sweet with a texture like spackling compound. So I googled my way around to the second recipe. Starting out with milk and flour sounded a bit strange but at that point I was willing to try anything. The buttercreme came out perfectly! The cake was a huge success and I have to say it was pretty much spot-on.

The Easter Bunny did come by our house too; here is a picture of the goodies. And I'd like to include a photo of a redbud. It is our state tree after all. Hope your Easter was as wonderful as ours!

Happy Easter! Frohe Ostern!

2010-04-02T22:45:00.000-05:00

Done! Well, almost.

2010-04-02T22:37:00.000-05:00

There is still some hemming to do but the VIP is mostly finished. I slip-stitched for hours it seems like; I'm a bit particular about that kind of stuff. Now my Mum just has to come over and try it on. Yeah!

Now on to the next garment: a sundress! My Mum did send me some very pretty fabric and I'm planning to make Simplicity2886, View C.

Buying fabric online

2010-04-02T22:05:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I finally ordered fabric online for the first time. It was quite a big step for me; so far I all the different fabric names and options really confused me. So I rather bought fabric by touch to make sure. But after over one year of sewing I figured I probably should take advantage of the great online fabric sources out there. I decided to give fabric.com a try. The excellent descriptions, nice big pictures and even nicer prices made shopping easy for me. Even better, my order shipped out today - that's fast service! Here are the fabrics I ordered; everything was on sale and of course I used a coupon.

Stretch Jersey Knit Large Dots White/Red and Stretch Jersey Knit Abstract Lime/Green/White

Rayon Blend Jersey Knit Abstract Plaid Sage/ Teal and Poly/Cotton Jersey Knit Small Flowers

Now I can start looking for some cute patterns to go with those fabrics. I am so excited!

New neighbor

2010-03-26T17:22:00.000-05:00

It looks like this cardinal really likes our pear tree. I can't blame him; those blossoms are so pretty.

Spring

2010-03-26T12:57:00.000-05:00

Dreaming of spring

2010-03-25T12:08:00.000-05:00

And of all the pretty spring clothes and fabrics. I have been scouring the internet and pattern sites for inspiration. Here are my ideas for the fabric I bought.

I think this cotton would make a great top, maybe an empire style like S4127. A little of this goes a long way for me, but it would look really cute with jeans. I'm totally into flowery prints right now and would love me some Liberty of London.

This one I just had to get. It is also cotton and looks a bit retro to me. So maybe a sheath dress with a twist like this pattern I picked up recently. I'm thinking about balancing the print with a solid colored fabric in brown or sage.

Of course there are plenty of other projects on my list and I'm still on the lookout for some pretty linen fabric. Now I better get started on the lining for the VIP. Sewing lining is not my favorite thing but I sure do like a lined dress. What's a girl to do?!

My VIP...

2010-03-24T19:17:00.005-05:00

Or Very Important Project is a dress I'm making for my Mum. I'm quite excited about it; of course the fact that she lives on a different continent does make the fitting a bit of a challenge. But I can always count on Mathilde!
The pattern I'm using is Simplicity 2648 of the Amazing Fit series. It has different skirt versions from slim to curvy. You also choose the bodice size according to bra cup size. A nice idea; we'll see how it works out. My Mum would like view C without the little belt, although I like that little detail. The fabric is a polyester blend with a nice hand and a wild pattern from Joann.

Please ignore all the stuff in the background of the photo. I had not realized that I did not frame that shot properly or indeed at all. Anyway, the fabric has a bit of drape to it so the skirt looks just a bit flared. I do actually like that, it makes it look less severe. So far I have finished the dress part and will be starting on the lining tomorrow. I'll keep you updated!

Something new

2010-03-23T15:37:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I put up new blinds in the sewing room! I always enjoy home improvement stuff; it gives me a reason to get out the drill and all those other power tools. :)
I also made this cute little sewing organizer and pincushion. The fabric I used is from IKEA and had been in my stash for a while. It will be nice to have a pincushion; I knocked over my little pin box at least a million times. You can find the tutorial I used at Sew Mama Sew.

Quite some time ago I sewed this little summer top using cotton napkins. It was a fun project and the tutorial from Made by Rae is also available there.

Despite the winter weather I did make a trip to the fabric store on Sunday for some thread. Of course I could not leave without also buying fabric. I'm planning to make spring and summer tops but first I have to finish the "VIP" (Very Important Project). More about that later!

Package Project

2010-03-21T16:06:00.000-05:00

I just send out an application to be part of the Package Project. The idea is to exchange packages and connect with other bloggers all over the world.The package can be filled with anything from buttons, ribbons, craft supplies or handmade goodies. Doesn't that sound exciting?! Go ahead, sign up and make some new friends!

Inconceivable!

2010-03-21T14:44:00.000-05:00

The weather in Oklahoma that is. In case you don't know what I'm talking about here is the photographic evidence. The first picture was taken on Friday; just two short days ago.

Notice the frolicking doggies and their spring-induced happiness. Bliss!

And then this happened:

Aaarrgh! Beginning of spring indeed! I'm so shocked I can hardly type straight. One thing is for sure it never gets boring here.

Stash? What stash?

2010-03-19T10:08:00.000-05:00

Last week I cleaned out the sewing room/guest room. K. had been wondering out loud for some time if it would be possible for him to reclaim the desk. And after some strategic planning (our house is pretty small) we found a solution: moving the desk out of the sewing room into the bedroom. Now instead of a massive desk I have a comfy chair and enough space for the ironing board. Yeah!
While I was reorganizing all my sewing goodies I decided to have a good look at my stash. Imagine my surprise when I found that I was out of fabric. Well, not exactly out as such. But out of fabrics I could make soemthing for myself, something springy and fun. In short it was the equivalent of standing in front of a full closet and having nothing to wear. See for yourself!

Being the organized doggie that she is Jesse felt that her toy needed to be in the box too. Aww!

Now you might point out the lovely geometric fabric to the left. I so agree but I have yet to find a pattern to go with this knit. Or the one under it for that matter. I' m open to any ideas; I really don't have much experience with knit fabrics. That aside I feel I seriously need to find some nice cotton and linen fabric. Imagine my surprise when I got an email this morning about a cotton and linen sale at Gorgeous Fabrics. Coincidence? I think not!

Irish Soda Bread

2010-03-18T19:49:00.007-05:00

Yesterday we celebrated St. Patricks Day with corned beef, cabbage and Irish soda bread. Actually is was the "Amazingly Easy Irish Soda Bread" after the recipe I found here. Was it amazingly simple? Yes! It is also amazingly tasty. I really love it with some salted butter and it made a great breakfast sandwich for K. this morning. Because the recipe makes a lot of dough I decided to bake two loafs. That means there is another loaf waiting in the freezer. ;)
What else have we been up to? Well, there was some great BBQ, fun with the dogs and a gigantic heap of mulch.

Outside the box

2010-03-16T10:44:00.001-05:00

The dress I had been working on was finally finished and I proudly showed it to K. His reaction: "Nice, it looks like the one you made before." Really?! Of course I instantly pointed out all the details that made this one totally unique; the pleats, darts, side zipper. Not to mention the fact that it is linen. But I the longer I talked about it the more I came to realize he did have a point. Although it was not exactly the same as my last project I do normally choose a certain style of pattern. The upside of this is that whatever I make goes nicely with my other stuff. But it might - just might - be a tiny bit boring.

So I decided to think outside the box, to be bold and daring. In my case that means using fabric that is not black, grey, brown or otherwise dark. And of course an unique and exciting pattern. The cotton fabric I choose had been in my stash for quite a while. I had bought it for the color and fun pattern but had no idea what to do with it. What can I say sometimes I loose all self control at the fabric store.

And then I saw this Simplicity pattern and everything fell into place. I was sure the end result would be funky and slightly retro. I choose to make the tunic top with contrasting neck band and piping as seen on the pattern envelope.
It was the first time I ever tried piping and although I like the look it was a bit of a hassle. I guess it was more difficult for me to sew because the pattern pieces for the front are extremely curved. Also I did not use "real" piping; I made my own from bias tape. All in all it was a pretty time consuming little project and I could not finish it before the weekend.

Saturday morning I was woken by a shout from the hallway. On his way to the kitchen K. had caught a climpse of Mathilde wearing my tunic. Its bright green and sheer retro-ness had startled him quite a bit. He agreed that my new top looks definitely like nothing I already have in my closet.
I myself am quite please with the way it came out; I especially like the lined pockets and the fact that it is a bit longer.
Now that I ventured so far outside the box I´d be happy to return to it by making another sheath dress. Which will be of course quite unique and totally different. Happy sewing everyone!

Oh my!

2010-03-10T17:54:00.001-06:00

My first award came all the way from Germany! Thank you so much amberlight. I am feeling more creative already. I also have to tell you seven interesting things about myself. Let´s see:

1. I always wanted a cat but ended up with two dogs. They are convinced that I am a dog person so who am I to argue.

2. I don´t like root beer. There I said it.

3. Spaghetti are one of my favorite foods; sometimes I eat pasta four times a week.

4. I prefer German Snickers and only eat the American version under protest.

5. Dark chocolate with ginger is awesome.

6. I love the smell of coffee but not the taste.

7. I like to watch animated movies. "Hoodwinked" anyone?

So maybe not interesting but at least I came up with seven facts. Passing the award on to seven people however is much more challenging. Don´t get me wrong I know plenty of crafty folks but very few of them have a blog. So please people take the hint, start blogging and I will send the award your way! In the meantime I´d like to pass it on to:

Amanda - who inspires me to try new things and is a great photographer, cook, baker and friend.

Tasha - because there is nothing that she can´t do; crafty or otherwise!

Now I have to go and be creative!

Change, alteration, modification, revision...

2010-03-10T17:04:00.001-06:00

Whatever you´d like to call it it is going right here on my blog. When I started this blog it was supposed to be a window in my life in Tulsa for my friends and family in Germany. So I blogged in German and English about everything from the latest baking adventure to my forays into the world of crafts. Over time my craftiness took up more and more of my time. Scrapbooking, card making and sewing are what I love to do and blog about.

So this blog is now officially my craft and sewing outlet to share my creations, opinions and everything else that comes to mind with you. In English. That way I´ll hopefully be able to blog twice as much instead of writing every blog twice in different languages. Makes sense, right?! Of course there will also be posts about the dogs, yummy food and household chores. Isn´t it funny that I got the most comments ever on ironing?

I´d like to tell you a little bit about what kind of crafter and sewer I am. In one word the cheap kind. Or to use another term for it I´m frugal. In my case it means that I frequent ebay, garage sales and never go fabric shopping without a coupon. Ever. My sewing machine is a Necchi I was given by a very generous friend and I revisited my basic sewing skills with the help of a 1958 Simplicity sewing book. I say revisited because I did learn to sew way back on an old pedal sewing machine. Compared to that my little Necchi is high-tech!

Here are some of the things I can´t live without when it comes to sewing. Some good scissors that are only used for fabric; I have a pair of Gingher scissors and they work just great. A measuring tape, fabric pen and a seam ripper. Several sewing books; I still use the Simplicity book, a slightly newer Vogue book and a Singer book from 1943. The last one I found on ebay for a song; it is so cute! And not only because the lady on the front is a redhead although of course that helps!

And then there is my dress form. "Mathilde" (pronounced french with silent "e") really helped me to make the jump from making curtains to sewing my own clothes. Hands down the best gift ever!
Right now Mathilde is draped in pattern tissue because I can´t make up my mind what project to tackle next. A cute summer dress, a skirt or rather something challenging like that jacket with the million pattern pieces?

Nähen/Sewing

2010-03-10T15:58:00.003-06:00

Quite a while ago started a post about one of my sewing projects and promptly forgot to publish it. I found it just now so here it goes! I wanted to make something quick and easy; guess I needed some instant gratification. Using some decorator fabric from Joanns I whipped up a pillow cover and a table runner.

2010-01-22T12:16:00.000-06:00

BAUSTELLE!

UNDER CONSTRUCTION!

Boo!

2009-10-30T12:18:00.001-05:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Food

2009-10-30T09:23:00.003-05:00

Das sind einige von den leckeren Sachen die wir hier essen: griechischer Salat, frischgebackenes Brot und Burritos. Hmm!
That´s just some of the yummy stuff we eat around here: Greek salad, freshly baked bread and a delicious burrito. Yum!

Besucher/Visitors

2009-09-11T20:29:00.010-05:00

Letzte Woche hatten wir zwei Besucher:
We had some visitors last week:

Die Beiden waren aus ihrem Garten ausgebrochen und wanderten durch das Viertel. Ich bugsierte sie in unseren Garten und wir warteten zusammen bis ihr Besitzer sie abholen kam. Für eine Weile kam ich mir richtig wichtig vor mit vier Hunden, die mir überall hinterher liefen! The little fellows had escaped their yard and went for an adventure in the neighborhood. I managed to get them into our yard and together we waited for their owner to pick them up. For a while I felt quite important with four little followers!

Santa Fe

2009-09-10T02:29:00.004-05:00

Ausserdem haben wir ein aufregenes Wochenende mit Aubrey und Amanda in Santa Fe, New Mexico verbracht.
We also spend a delightful weekend with Aubrey and Amanda in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

August

2009-09-10T02:18:00.006-05:00

Was wir im August sonst noch erlebt haben? Da war gute deutsche Hausmannskost und natürlich eine Menge Nähen.
What else did we do in August? Well, there was some German cooking and of course a lot of sewing.

Und ich habe ein Wochenende beim Camping mit den Girl Scouts ausgeholfen. Wann habt ihr das letzte Mal einen Sonnenaufgang gesehen?
And I did spend a great weekend volunteering at a Girl Scout Camp. When was the last time you´ve seen the sunrise?

Sommerhitze/Summer heat

2009-09-10T01:48:00.005-05:00

Es war heiß im August, um die 40 Grad. Und ich war nur froh, dass ich nicht auch noch wie Jesse ein Fell habe. Die Hitze machte Mensch und Tier zu schaffen - sogar importierten Goldbären!
It was a hot August (as expected). I was really glad that I don´t have a fur coat on like Jesse. The heat got to everybody - inlcuding the rare species of the imported european gummi bear!

Mum, es war lieb gemeint und wir haben sie trotzdem gegessen. Gleich nachdem wir sie in Scheiben geschnitten hatten. :)
Mum, we really appreciate it and yes, we did eat them anyway. After we cut them into small pieces. :)

Trockner/Dryer

2009-09-10T01:39:00.005-05:00

Nachdem ich in den letzten Wochen vor lauter Aufregung gar nicht zum Bloggen gekommen bin, werde ich jetzt so langsam alles aufarbeiten. Und ich fange an mit meinem Wäschetrockner-Dilemma: wo finde ich einen Trockner, der Oklahomawetter aushält und nicht die Welt kostet. Die Antwort ist natürlich, online! Und hier ist das gute Stück:
After not posting for several weeks I have plenty to report. And I am going to start with my quest for the perfect dryer: must be able to stand the Oklahoma weather and not be too pricey. Where would one find such a thing? Online, of course! And here it is:

Hoffentlich haben wir mit diesem Modell mehr Erfolg als mit dem Vorläufer (und ja, ich verspreche, ihn auch immer brav wegzuräumen).
Hopefully this one will last longer than the first contender (and yes, I promise to take it inside every night).

Bügeln/Ironing

2009-07-30T22:02:00.004-05:00

Nach stundenlangem Bügeln, ta-da! K.´s Hemden knitterfrei und nach Farben sortiert.
Oder wie K. so poetisch bemerkte: ein Regenbogen der Hemden! :)
After hours of ironing, drum roll please! K.´s dress shirts wrinkle-free and sorted by colors.
Or how K. so poetically put it: a rainbow of shirts! :)

Priscilla & Sofie

2009-07-17T13:27:00.005-05:00

Darf ich vorstellen: Priscilla und Sofie.

May I introduce: Prissy Priscilla and Lil' Sofie.
Ich habe die beiden nach dem Black Apple Doll Pattern von Emily Martin gemacht. Sie sind mein erster Versuch im Puppennähen und ich finde sie sind richtig gut geworden. Ich werde mich demnächst an einer eigenen Vorlage versuchen, aber die roten Haare & Zöpfe werde ich wohl beibehalten. :)
I made them both from the Black Apple Doll Pattern by Emily Martin. They are my first try to make a doll and I think they turned out quite cute. I am planning to make up my own pattern now; although I think I will keep the red hair and pigtails! :)
Beide Puppen haben gestickte Gesichter; jedes ist ein bisschen anders. Priscilla sah einfach wie eine Priscilla aus und ich entschied, dass sie eine Schürze haben muss. Mum ist der Meinung, dass sie auch Schuhe braucht; aber ich glaube sie läuft lieber barfuß.
Both dolls have embroidered faces; I tried out different versions for each. Priscilla came out looking, well like a Priscilla. I decided she needed an apron and some ribbons. My Mum even suggested shoes but I see her more as a barefoot kind of gal.
Sofie wird mir im Nähzimmer Gesellschaft leisten. Ich behalte sie besser im Auge; die Hunde scheinen sie sehr zu mögen und würden bestimmt gern mal mit ihr spielen.
Sofie is going to keep me company in the craft room. I better keep an eye on her; the dogs are very interested in making her their new chew toy.

Stoffreste/Scraps of Fabric

2009-07-09T19:18:00.004-05:00

Diese kleinen Kartenhalter habe ich in den letzten Tagen aus verschiedenen Resten gemacht. Die Anleitung habe ich auf diesem Blog gefunden, aber natürlich habe ich sie abgeändert. Und ein ganz kleines bisschen bestickt. :)
Over the last couple of days I found myself making these little card wallets. I got the tutorial from this blog but of course I had to change the pattern. And I could not resist embroidering them just a little bit. :)

Feuerwerk/Fireworks

2009-07-06T22:31:00.009-05:00

Den vierten Juli haben wir mit Freunden auf dem Land verbracht. Es war eine super Party und jede Menge Feuerwerk gab es auch. Ich konnte so gleich mal die Feuerwerkeinstellung an meiner neuen Kamera ausprobieren; ist ganz gut geworden.
We spend the 4th of July with friends out in the country. It was a great party and we had plenty of fireworks. My new camera even has a fireworks setting; it did work quite good.
Ein Gruppenbild mit Wunderkerzen gab es auch; ich bin der zweite Kreis von links (von euch aus gesehen). We also took a group picture with sparklers; I am the second circle from the left (your left).

Nähen/Sewing

2009-07-02T19:36:00.003-05:00

Ein Sommertop aus drei weißen T-Shirts und ein paar Resten. Im Moment mache ich alles mit Plisseefalten, wie ihr vielleicht mitbekommen habt. :)
A summer shirt made from parts of 3 white t-shirts and some scraps. Right now I am totally into pleats - as you might have noticed. :)

Die kleine Blume am Kragen ist noch nicht ganz fertig. Ich überlege, ob ich sie einfach annähen oder in eine Brosche machen sollte.
The small flower thingy isn`t quite done yet; I am not sure if I should make it into a brooch or just sew it on.

Zikade/Cicada

2009-07-02T19:07:00.004-05:00

Eine schlüpfende Zikade. A cicada molting.

Endlich/Finally

2009-07-02T18:43:00.004-05:00

Mum, wir haben endlich einen passenden Rahmen gefunden!
Mum, we finally got a frame for the picture!

Letztes Wochenende/Last Weekend

2009-07-02T18:20:00.004-05:00

Das letzte Wochenende haben wir gemeinsam verbracht. Klingt soweit ganz gut, nich wahr! Unser Projekt war diesem Bungalow
We spend last weekend doing stuff together as a couple. Sounds exciting so far, doesn`t it!
The project was turning this

mit mehreren Eimern Farbe

by using large amounts of this

einen neuen Anstrich zu verpassen.

into this.

Sind wir nicht fantastisch?! Und natürlich ein bisschen verrückt; wir hatten ca. 40 Grad.

Aren´t we awesome?! And slightly crazy of course; doing stuff like this in 100 degree weather.

Colorado

2009-06-15T09:56:00.008-05:00

Wir haben eine Woche in Colorado verbracht und waren fischen, wandern und auch ein bisschen shoppen. We spend a week in Pagosa Springs, CO and we did it all: drivin`, fishin` and hikin`.

Ein paar Mitbringsel haben wir auch gefunden: leckeres Karamell und Birnenhonig vom Choke Cherry Tree.
We also brought back some souvenirs, edible ones (the very best kind!) from the Choke Cherry Tree. The Moose Poop is chocolate covered caramel and the Pear Honey contains no honey at all. Talk about misleading names! ;)

Refashion

2009-06-12T10:40:00.012-05:00

Meine neustes Refashion-Projekt oder "Aus alt mach neu": ein altes Hemd wird zu einem Schürzen-Top. Mit der Spitze, die mir Mum netterweise geschickt hat (Dankeschön!) hat das Ganze einen netten Retro-Stil. Für das Rückenteil habe ich einfach die Knopfleiste vom Hemd genommen. Das hat den Vorteil, dass ich keinen Reissverschluss einsetzen musste- juhu! Jetzt muss ich nur die Tasche fertig verzieren und annähen. Nicht schlecht für ein 4-Stunden-Projekt. Und das Beste ist, dass ich mit Mathildes Hilfe ganz ohne ein Schnittmuster zurecht kam!
My newest refashion project: turning an old dress shirt into a cute pinafore top. Using some lace my Mum send I tried to come up with a bit of a retro style. For the back I just used the front of the shirt, which also meant no zipper needed - yeah! I still have to add the appliqué to the pocket and then attach it to the top. But most of the piece I was able to finish in about 4 hours. And the best thing, thanks to Mathilde I did not even use a pattern!

Für dieses Sommerkleid habe ich viel länger gebraucht. Das Schnittmuster habe ich selbst von zwei anderen Sachen abgenommen und geändert. Es war mein erster Versuch in dieser Hinsicht und ich glaube, ich könnten einen Kurs oder wenigstens ein Buch darüber gebrauchen! Nur Mathilde und schiere Dickköpfigkeit haben mich von Aufgeben abgehalten. Ich hatte vorher noch nie Seersucker genäht und war überrascht, wie steif der Stoff war. Und den 38 cm Reissverschluss erwähne ich besser gar nicht erst! :)
Alles in allem ist das Kleid wirklich gut geworden; ein paar kleine Säume muss ich noch vernähen, aber jetzt nehme ich erst mal eine Auszeit von dem Ganzen!
This sundress on the other hand took a lot longer. I used two other pieces I own to make up a pattern. It was my first try in that respect and I guess I could really need a course or at least a book on it. Only Mathilde and sheer stubbornness kept me from giving up on it. It was also the first time I used seersucker fabric; I was not quite aware of how stiff it could be. And I am not even going to mention the 15 inch side zipper. :)
All in all the dress turned out quite nice. I still have to finish some small seams but for now I am taking a break from it!

Mathilde

2009-06-12T09:57:00.011-05:00

Darf ich vorstellen: Mathilde, meine unschätzbare Assistentin! Auf diesem Photo trägt sie einen engen Rock, den ich aus einer abgelegten Hose von K. geschneidert habe.

May I introduce: Mathilde, my invaluable assistant! Here she is wearing a pencil skirt I made out of K.s old slacks.

Und falls sich jemand wundert, wie ich auf den Namen gekommen bin, es war eigentlich Jacques´Schuld! :)
And if you wonder how I came up with the name - Jacques is to blame, really!

Jacques Brel - Mathilde
(Video from izzie444)

Neue Kamera!/New Camera!

2009-06-10T13:56:00.004-05:00

Habe mir endlich eine neue Kamera gekauft, eine Sony Cybershot H-20. Gerade arbeite ich mich noch durch die Bedienungsanleitung; meine Testphotos sind ganz gut geworden.
Finally I bought a new camera: a Sony Cybershot H-20. I am still working my way through the manual but the few pictures I have taken so far came out quite good.

Tragisch!/Tragic!

2009-05-19T20:31:00.007-05:00

Etwas Furchtbares ist passiert - meine Kamera hat den Geist aufgegeben! Also habe ich die Weiten des Internets nach einer neuen Kamera durchforstet. Und bin jetzt total verwirrt; brauche ich eine Kompakt- oder eine Spiegelreflexkamera, oder gar eine digitale kompakte Spiegelreflex? Mein Bruder hat mir seine Olympus E-420 empfohlen und auf der englischen Webseite kommt die mit einem "Pfannkuchen"-Objektiv. Hmm, Pfannkuchen! Schon deshalb würde ich sie kaufen! Ganz klar, ich brauche dringend Hilfe! Also bitte schickt mir Vorschläge, Ratschläge oder sagt mir ganz einfach, welche Kamera ich kaufen soll!

The unthinkable has happened - my camera broke! It feels like I lost a friend; I still find myself reaching for it whenever something cool (aka doggy or craft related) is going on. So now I am faced with the daunting task of picking a new camera. Reading about a million reviews and stuff online totally overwhelmed me, and I still have no clue what to get. Another point-and-shoot? A bridgecamera? Or a small DSLR? My brother recommended his Olympus E-420. I just looked it up and it comes with a pancake lens. Hmm, pancakes! I would totally buy it just for the pancake lens! Clearly I need help. Please, if you have any suggestions or want to tell me about your great camera leave a comment.

Juhu!/Yeah!

2009-05-08T13:21:00.004-05:00

Gestern habe ich es endlich geschafft, etwas zu nähen das mir wirklich gefällt UND richtig gut passt. Angefangen hat alles mit vier Stoffservietten, die mir Amanda netterweise zukommen ließ. Und dann fand ich diese Anleitung für ein Oberteil und war inspiriert!
Yesterday it finally happened; in one magic moment the stars aligned and I managed to sew something I like AND what fits me well! Thanks to Amanda I had four lovely cotton napkins in my stash. Then I found this tutorial and inspiration hit!

Hier ist das Endprodukt! Ganz besonders gefiel mir, dass ich viel weniger Säume nähen musste. Sieht doch professionell aus, oder?!
Here is my new favorite top! I just loved the fact that I did not have to hem it.
Looks pretty professional, doesn´t it?!

Neue Kreationen/New Creations

2009-05-08T13:03:00.005-05:00

Eine Handtasche; ich finde das Design richtig super.
A bag from vintage fabric; I just love the design.

Eine Bolero-Jacke, an der ich ewig herum geändert habe. Und bin mir jetzt gar nicht mehr so sicher, dass mir das Endprodukt auch gefällt. Aber wenigstens habe ich eine passende Tasche!
The little bolero jacket was a bit tricky to sew; mostly because it came out way too big. I did a lot of changes to it but now I am not so sure that I actually like the result. Well, at least I have a matching clutch!

Lieblingsstück/ Favorite Find

2009-05-07T15:25:00.003-05:00

Mein Lieblingsstück vom Flohmarkt ist diese Federzeichnung. Sie verschönert jetzt neu gerahmt unser Wohnzimmer!
This is my favorite garage sale find so far! Isn´t she adorable?! The picture is an actual drawing but unfortunately it is not signed. It just needed a new frame and mat, and now it is gracing our living room wall.

Flohmarkt-Fund/Garage Sale Find

2009-04-26T22:54:00.002-05:00

Alte Schnittmuster und Stoff! Ich kann es gar nicht erwarten, daraus was Schickes zu nähen. :+)
Vintage patterns and fabric! I can´t wait to start a new project. :+)

Noch mehr Nähen/More sewing

2009-04-17T19:46:00.006-05:00

In den letzten Tagen habe ich an einem Re-Fashion projekt gebastelt. Aus einem Lieblings-T-Shirt und einem Shirt von Kevin habe ich mir ein Sommeroberteil gebastelt. Hier ist die ganze Story in Bildern:
Lately I have been working on another refashion project. I just could not bear to throw out a favorite t-shirt. You know the kind; the one that was washed a million times and is now super soft. So I decided to turn it and one of Kevins cast-offs into a summer top for myself. Here is the whole story in pictures:

Stofffarbe und Stempel, juhu! Fabric paint and stamps, yeah!

Den Hunden scheints zu gefallen! The dogs seem to like it!

Nähen/Sewing

2009-04-17T12:39:00.007-05:00

In letzter Zeit habe ich mich an verschiedenen Nähprojekten versucht.
Hier ein paar meiner Kreationen:
Lately I have been busy trying my hand at sewing. So here are some of my creations so far:

Aus einem von Kevins Hemden habe ich mir einen Kimono gemacht.
A robe/kimono made out of one of Kevins old dress shirts.

Ein Kleid und ein Oberteil, beides aus sehr rutschigem Stoff.
A dress and a top - both made from very challenging fabrics.

Und ein kleines Kleidchen, weil ich mir dachte, dass rot,
weiß und gepunktet kleinen Mädchen gut steht.
And a little girls dress - just because I thought it would
look cute in red with polka dots. (I was right!)

Frohe Ostern!/Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T21:41:00.009-05:00

Wir hatten das Osteressen dieses Jahr wieder bei uns. Das Essen war super lecker; Kevin hat sich dieses Mal selbst übertroffen. Hier ein paar Fotos von unserer Deko und dem Nachtisch: Russischer Zupfkuchen und Trüffel. Für die Trüffel habe ich mir zwei neue Rezepte ausgedacht und das Endprodukt kann sich sehen lassen. Hoffe ihr hattet ein schönes Osterfest! :+)
We had the Easter dinner at our house again. This year there were eight of us, which really is the most people our living room can handle. The food turned out great, mainly thanks to Kevins culinary powers! And here some pics of the decorations and the dessert(s). I made chocolate cheesecake squares (very yummy) and truffles. I ended up inventing my own recipes for the truffles; the end results were Butterscotch Crunchies and Coconut Surprises.
Hope you had a great Easter too! :+)

Aaaaaaaaarrrgh!

2009-03-31T12:11:00.003-05:00

Mein Wäscheständer hat den Schnee nicht überlebt. Er war schon ganz schön angeschlagen vom heftigen Wind in Oklahoma und der Schnee hat ihm den Rest gegeben. Also bin ich mal wieder am suchen, dieses Mal für ein etwas stabileres Model!
The snow broke my clothes dryer!!! It was already pretty battered from the Oklahoma wind. And the heavy snow finished it off. Well, looks like I´m in the market for an umbrelly dryer again. But this time I am gonna try to find a heavy duty one!

Hoffentlich hält das Klebeband; ich will noch Wäsche raushängen und das schöne Wetter nutzen!
Let´s hope the duct tape will do the job; I still have laundry to do and today is such lovely weather!

Tasche/Purse

2009-03-31T10:52:00.006-05:00

Bin endlich mal dazu gekommen, ein paar Fotos von meinen neuesten Projekten zu schießen. Taschen, Taschen, Taschen! Als nächstes ist ein Sommerrock geplant, aber bis dahin warten noch ein paar Taschenmuster auf mich. :+)
Finally I managed to take some pictures of my latest projects. BAGS! I just love bags and purses, don´t you?! Next up is a summer skirt but I still have some bags to finish. :+)

Das Schnittmuster für diese Tasche findet ihr auf Rae´s blog.
This bag was made from a modified version of the buttercup bag pattern on Rae´s blog.

Die Anleitung für diesen kleinen Kartenhalter findet ihr hier.
The instructions for this little wallet came from this great blog.

Und für diese zwei hat mir Amanda netterweise die Schnittmuster geliehen!
And for these two I used Simplicity patterns 4673 and 5184 (thanks Amanda!).

Samstag/Saturday

2009-03-30T20:51:00.003-05:00

Okay, wir hatten einen ganzen Tag lang Schnee und das wars dann. Zwei Tage später ist es wieder Frühling hier. Gerade tobt ein Gewittersturm mit Hagel ums Haus - völlig normal für März in Oklahoma.
Alright, so we had one day of snow this winter. And the next day, puff! - it all vanished. Now we are back to spring again, which means thunderstorms and maybe even hail.

Fisch!/Fish!

2009-03-23T10:04:00.009-05:00

Gestern waren wir mit den Hunden im Mohawk Park. Der Park liegt im Norden Tulsas und umfasst ca. 1000 Hektar. Jesse und Callie hatten also jede Menge Platz zum Herumtollen. Die vielen kleinen Teiche hatten es Callie angetan und als dann Kevin die Angelrute auswarf gab es kein Halten mehr. Jeder Fisch den Kevin zurückwarf wurde aufgeregt verfolgt. Und als ich schließlich auch einen Fisch fing und er (natürlich) zurückgeworfen wurde hatte Callie genug. Sie sprang in den Teich und schwamm dem Fisch hinterher! Unsere kleine Fischerin!

We took the dogs to Mohawk Park yesterday. They had a great time running and getting all muddy. Callie was especially excited about the fishing. So excited in fact that she jumped after every fish Kevin threw back. Shortly after the little episode in the movie took place I did catch a fish too. Of course Kevin released it and Callie couldn´t take it any longer. She swam out in the pond after the fish! Needless to say she did not catch it but she swam quite a long way. Our little fisher-doggie!

Neue Schuhe/New shoes

2009-03-12T18:00:00.001-05:00

Nicht schlecht, oder?! Aren´t they cute!? :+)

Frühling?/Spring?

2009-03-12T17:44:00.003-05:00

So sah es bei uns noch vor zwei Tagen aus. Und heute - Schnee. Tja, es ist März in Oklahoma. Aber ich habe das schöne Wetter für ein paar Fotos genutzt.
Alright, where did the spring weather go?! If it wasn´t for these pictures I would not even believe it has been here at all.

Say cheese!

Besucher/Visitors

2009-03-12T17:23:00.004-05:00

Wir hatten zwei Freunde aus Taiwan zu Besuch; Chia-Li und Shr Han. Beide spielen Geige und waren auf einer Vorspieltour in den Staaten. Zwischen zwei Terminen kamen sie netterweise den ganzen Weg nach Tulsa, um uns zu besuchen. Danke Mädels!
We had some friends from Taiwan staying over; Chia-Li and Shr Han. They are both playing the violin and were on an audition tour. Between two auditions they came all the way to Tulsa to visit us. Thanks gals and we hope you have a good trip back home!

Interview

2009-02-21T15:05:00.009-06:00

Auf dem Blog Tasha does Tulsa ist gerade ein Interview mit mir erschienen. Unter dem Titel "Sindy does Tulsa" könnt ihr (auf Englisch) nachlesen was ich so von meiner Wahlheimat halte. Und auf Amandas Blog gibt es zwei besonders schöne Fotos von mir und Kevin zu sehen. Also nix wie hin!
This week two great blogs feature something about yours truly. Check out Tasha´s interview with me on her hip Tulsa blog Tasha does Tulsa. And Amanda kindly included two pictures in her recent post about me. Thanks sweetie!

Nähen für Anfänger/Sewing for Beginners

2009-02-08T22:58:00.003-06:00

Fürs neue Jahr habe ich mir vorgenommen, mich an einem Nähprojekt zu versuchen. Und damit ich die englischen Schnittmuster auch richtig verstehe hat mir Mom ein hilfreiches Buch geborgt. Am Preis könnt ihr sehen wie alt das gute Stück ist!
One of my new years resolution was starting a sewing project. And to help me understand the english sewing patterns Mom was nice enough to borrow me her sewing book. You can see from the price that it is a vintage edition!

Update update

2009-01-31T11:25:00.005-06:00

Keine Spur mehr von Eis und Schnee. Unseren Beiden gefällts, endlich keine kalten Pfötchen mehr. Dafür jede Menge Schlamm und Pfützen, das macht super Tatzenabdrücke im ganzen Haus! Ja, das Wetter hier ist ganz schön verrückt, aber wenigstens nicht langweilig.
No more ice and snow for us; at least for now. The doggies like it but they did track a lot of mud in lately. Well, at least the weather here is never boring, right?!

Ich habe das kalte Wetter zum Brotbacken genutzt. Mein Rezept ist wirklich gut, das Endprodukt hat eine Kruste und ist auch sonst beinahe ein deutsches Brot. Oder wie Kevin sagen würde, es fühlt sich wie ein Ziegelstein an. Verglichen mit dem amerikanischen Luftbrot.
I´ve baked some bread; whole wheat with a nice crust. Its almost a German bread or as Kevin would say "it is like a brick". Which is basically true and a sure sign of a good bread: you can eat it and use it as a weapon. Yum!

Update

2009-01-27T11:53:00.004-06:00

Bis jetzt hatten wir Eisregen und die Strassen sind ganz schön glatt. Aber morgen soll schon wieder die Sonne rauskommen! Hoffentlich, wir haben einen Zahtarzttermin am Donnerstag und es wäre schade, wenn wir den ausfallen lassen müssten. Nein wirklich, denn dann würden wir nur einen neuen Termin für später machen und noch mehr Vorfreude halte ich nicht aus!
Unsere Hunde sind geteilter Meinung über das Eis; Jesse findet das weiße Zeug toll und will darin herumtoben. Callie ist sich noch nicht so sicher, es ist ihre erste Wintererfahrung. Aber spielen will sie eigentlich immer, wie man sieht!
So far we had some ice and the roads are very slick. But for tomorrow the weather man promised sunshine so it might be all over in a couple of days. Lets hope so; we have a dentist appointment on Thursday and it would be too bad to miss it. No really, it would just get rescheduled; I hate having that hanging over my head any longer!
The dogs had to check out the white stuff; Jesse thinks its great fun and Callie seems to be not quite sure but wants to play anyway. As for me, I am gonna stay inside and enjoy the wood stove. And maybe some hot cocoa!

Sturmwarnung/Storm warning

2009-01-26T10:35:00.005-06:00

Wir haben eine Sturmwarnung, die Kaltfront soll heute abend mit Schnee, Wind und Eis hier ankommen. Ja, Eis wie in Eissturm. Unsere Eissturmvorbereitungen bisher: Feuerholz, Lampenöl, Kerosin, Lebensmittel, warme Decken - alles da! Und mit den Hunden war ich heute morgen noch schnell im Park unterwegs. Klingt extrem, aber ich habe andere Hundebesitzer und sogar ein paar Jogger getroffen. Wie auch immer, ich dachte mir, dass ich besser einen Post auf meinem Blog hinterlasse. Nur für den Fall, dass der Strom ausfällt (2007 waren wir eine Woche ohne Strom). Also falls ich für ein paar Tage nicht online sein sollte ist bestimmt das Wetter schuld. Oder ich habe mal wieder vergessen, das Modem anzuschalten; eins von beiden!
Here we go, a winter storm watch is on. The front is expected to hit later today with sleet, ice and wind. Yes, ice as in ice storm. Here our ice storm prep so far: Firewood? Check. Lamp oil and Kerosene? Check. Groceries? Check. Blankies? Check. Walking the dogs early Monday morning? Check. I was not the only dog owner out there either. There even were some joggers at the park, seriously! Anyway, I thought I better update my blog in case we lose power. 2007 we were without power for a week so this time I try to be prepared. Don´t be alarmed if I am not online for a few days; it might be weather related. Or I forgot to turn on the modem (again).

Quiche & Pizza

2009-01-25T22:36:00.004-06:00

Letzte Woche habe ich Quiche gemacht; Hühnchen-Brokkoli-Quiche. Und am Freitag hatten wir Hühnchen-Spinat-Pizza. Hühnchen war im Angebot! :+)
Last week I made some quiche, chicken-broccoli - thanks for the idea Andrea! On Friday we had chicken-spinach-pizza. Chicken was on sale! :+)

Holzofen/Woodstove

2009-01-22T19:37:00.008-06:00

Hab ich erwähnt, dass wir jetzt einen Holzofen haben? Wir haben einen Holzofen oder vielmehr einen "Franklin Kamin". Kevin und Dad haben ihn installiert und das Wohnzimmer ist jetzt wirklich gut geheizt! Hier sind ein paar Fotos von der Installation und dem Endprodukt.
Did I mention that we now have a woodstove? Well, we now have a woodstove or rather a "Franklin Fireplace". Kevin and Dad installed it, and it works great. I really appreciate any extra source of warmth - especially with the ice storm arriving tomorrow. So here are some pictures of the installation and the stove. Stay warm!

2009

2009-01-20T17:58:00.006-06:00

Das neue Jahr begann nicht schlecht; Kevin hatte mir ein spezielles Frühstück gemacht!

The new year started out pretty good; Kevin made me a special breakfast!

Gesundes Neues Jahr!/Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T16:31:00.003-06:00

Wir wünschen einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr!
Möge 2009 für euch alle erfolgreich, spannend
und vor allem glücklich sein!

We wish you a very happy new year!
May 2009 be a great year for all of you!

Weihnachten/Christmas

2008-12-31T16:14:00.005-06:00

Das Paket mit dem Stollen und den Geschenken ist rechtzeitig angekommen. Dankeschön! Am 24. gab es bei uns ein deutsches Frühstück mit Pfefferkuchen, Stollen und gekochten Eiern in echt handgetöpferten Eierbechern.
The parcel from my parents arrived just in time for us to have a German breakfast on the 24. We had gingerbread, Stollen und hardboiled eggs in handmade German eggcups.

Und abends gab es dann unsere Variante des erzgebirgischen Neunerleis. Ich musste leider die Klöße dieses Jahr weglassen, aber es war trotzdem sehr lecker. Ich könnte schwören, dass ich ein Foto von dem Ganzen gemacht habe. Na, in dem ganzen Trubel habe ich mir das wohl nur eingebildet, also müsst ihr mir einfach glauben: alles war sehr schön angerichtet und superlecker!
For dinner we had a traditional German meal (well, traditional in our neck of the woods). I was sure I took some pictures but it looks like I only thought about it and never did. Oops! But believe me; everything looked awesome and tasted even better.
Und hier ist unser Weihnachtsbaum; wie jedes Jahr sind wir wieder in Wald und haben uns einen wilden Baum gefangen. Isser nich schön!?!
Our Christmas tree; again we went in the woods and got a wild one. We think it is the prettiest so far!

Süsses/Candy

2008-12-31T15:09:00.006-06:00

Dieses Jahr habe ich mich ins Süssigkeitenmachen gestürzt und neben Trüffeln und Toffee auch Fudge gemacht. Fudge ist eine Art Karamell; meine Variante enthält getrocknete Cranberries und Pecannüsse. Und natürlich jede Menge Schokolade!
This year I decided to make candy: truffles, toffee and fudge. My 3 Chocolate Fudge is made with craisins and pecans. And a lot of chocolate!
Hier rühre ich gerade die Marshmellows in die Fudge-Mischung. Und unten seht ihr das Endprodukt - ca. 3 Kilo Fudge!
The pictures shows the fudge mixture with the marshmellows. Below is the finished product - 5 pounds of fudge!

Außerdem habe ich noch Pecan-Toffee, Himbeer-Trüffel und Orangen-Trüffel gemacht. Und hier sind die verpackten Köstlichkeiten.
Also I made Pecan Toffee, Raspberry Truffles and Orange Meltaways. Here are the packed goodies.

Dezember/December

2008-12-31T14:29:00.006-06:00

Hier ein paar Photos, die ich diesen Monat geschossen habe.

Here some random pics I took this month. Enjoy!

Kevin kocht gern asiatisch und ein bisschen scharf - gut, dass ich das auch gern esse!
Kevin likes to make spicy stir fry. Good thing I like to eat it!

Und Sauerbraten hat er auch gemacht! Hmm, lecker.
He did make Sauerbraten too, a German dish. So yummy!

Suchbild mit Callie: Wo ist das Eichhörnchen? Und so sieht Jesse aus, wenn sie mir beim Aufräumen hilft. Hund müsste man sein!
Try to find the squirrel! And the last pic shows Jesse helping me clean the house. :+)

Weihnachtsdeko/Christmas Decorations

2008-12-05T12:36:00.005-06:00

Hab endlich das Weihnachtszeug hergeräumt. Immerhin komme ich ja aus dem "Weihnachtsland" Erzgebirge; so etwas verpflichtet! Daher hatte ich auch einen genauen Plan, was wohin gehört. Aber irgendwie scheint unser Haus geschrumpft zu sein!
Das einzige das jetzt noch fehlt ist ein Weihnachtsbaum, aber das ist für das Wochenende geplant. Wir werden raus in den Wald gehen und uns einen wilden Baum fangen. :+)
Nebenbei, der Türkranz ist selbstgemacht, neben dem Geist der Weihnacht ist auch der Geist der Sparsamkeit bei uns eingezogen. Und ich bastele eben gern, was kann ich sagen!
Finally got the Christmas decorations out. Coming from an area in Germany called "Christmas Land" I just have to take that kind of thing very seriously! Naturally I had a masterplan as to exactly where and how to arrange everything. The only item missing is the tree but that´s on my weekend to-do-list. We´re planning to go out in the woods and catch a wild one. :+)
The wreath above is homemade; beside the spirit of Christmas at our house we also embrace the spirit of Thriftiness. So if you could need a wreath for under $8 just give me a call.

Diese Krippe kommt von meinen Großeltern, Opa hatte sie mit seinem ersten selbstverdienten Geld gekauft. Als Kind war ich immer total fasziniert davon, besonders das Jesukind hatte es mir angetan. Wenn man seinen Beinchen einen kleinen Stups gab, setzte es sich in der Krippe auf - ich konnte das gar nicht oft genug tun! Natürlich wurde mir regelmäßig verboten, mit der Krippe zu spielen. Und Oma klebte die kleine Figur immer wieder fest, aber der Leim hielt nie sehr lange. Jetzt stehen die Krippenfiguren in unserem Haus und ich geben dem Jesuskind immer noch gerne einen kleinen Stups.
Die Krippe auf dem anderen Foto gehörte Kevins Großeltern. Selbstverständlich haben wir eine Menge mehr Weihnachtsdeko, aber das hebe ich mir für einen anderen Blog-Eintrag auf.
Ich wünsche eine schöne Vorweihnachtszeit!
This nativity belonged to my Grandparents. Grandpa had bought it as a young man with his first own money. As a kid I was always fascinated by the little group; especially by the Baby Jesus. If you gave his legs a tiny little push he would sit up in his crib - I thought it was the neatest thing! Of course I was not supposed to do this; Grandma glued it back down countless times. But the glue never lasted. Now we have the nativity on our dresser and I still like to make Baby Jesus sit up.
The nativity below came from Kevins Grandparents. Obviously we do have a lot more Christmas stuff but I am going to save it for another post.

And if you would like to experience some German Christmas atmosphere visit the Christkindlmarkt at the German American Society this weekend. Here is the link to their website: www.gastulsa.org
See you there!

Thanksgiving

2008-11-25T21:51:00.003-06:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Bilderrahmen/Picture Frame

2008-11-11T13:59:00.007-06:00

Man nehmen: einen einfachen Bilderrahmen, ein Passepartout und diverse Scrapbooksachen.
Starting out with a simple picture mat and frame I decided to use some of my scrapbook supplies to turn it into a personalized display.

Schickes Papier, Schleifenband, Metallzwecken und künstliche Blumen,

I used patterned paper, ribbon, brads and silk flowers.

Acrylbuchstabe, Transfers und ein Datumsstempel.
Then I added an acrylic letter, rub-ons and a date stamp.

Und hier ist das Ergebnis! And here is the result!

Sessel/Chair

2008-11-11T13:45:00.007-06:00

Was für eine Verwandlung! Hab einen neuen Bezug für Omas Ohrensessel gefunden und er sieht super aus. Das Bücherregal hat Dad für uns gebaut, sieht super aus, oder?!
What a transformation! Got a slipcover for Grandma´s chair last week and it turned out great. Dad made the cedar bookcase for us - isn´t it beautiful!?

Hier der originale Bezug des Sessels. This was the original fabric of the chair.

2008-11-11T13:04:00.004-06:00

Callies erste Schwimmversuche - nicht schlecht für einen wasserscheuen Hund. Das Geheimnis liegt in der Motivation! :+)
Callies first tries at swimming - not bad for a doggie that was afraid of water only a couple of month ago. Well, its all about the motivation! :+)

Herbst/Fall

2008-11-06T12:06:00.003-06:00

Bunte Blätter überall! Such pretty leaves!

Unser Halloween/ Our Halloween

2008-11-02T19:46:00.007-06:00

Für unsere Halloween-Deko hatten wir einen handdekorierten Kürbis, Kerzen und ein paar alte Laternen. Und es kamen so viele kleine Geister und Gespenster, dass uns die Süßigkeiten ausgingen!
For our Halloween decoration we had an awesome handcarved jack-o-lantern, made by Kevin, and vintage lanterns. We also had so many trick-or-treaters that we ran out of candy!

2008-10-30T16:14:00.000-05:00

Lustiges Obst/Funny Fruits

2008-10-12T21:42:00.003-05:00

Birne mit Hintern! Musste ich einfach fotografieren.
Pear with a butt! I just had to take a picture.

Branson, Missouri

2008-10-12T21:34:00.003-05:00

Habe das erste Oktoberwochenende mit meiner Schwiegermutter in Branson, Missouri verbracht. Ein Girl-Ausflug! Kevin und Dad konnten leider nicht mitkommen, aber dafür konnten wir unsere volle Aufmerksamkeit dem Outletshopping widmen.
Und schönes Wetter hatten wir auch, der Sonnenaufgang am Sonntag war sehr hübsch mit nebligen Spezialeffekten. :+)
Went to Branson, MO with Mom on the first October weekend. Girl road trip! Dad and Kevin could not make it; that way we could give the outlet malls our full attention.
And we did have some nice weather too; the sunrise on Sunday morning even had some nice foggy special effects. :+)

Photos!

2008-09-30T13:00:00.002-05:00

So, habe jetzt endlich eine Auswahl der Urlaubsfotos auf der Homepage. An einer Begleitstory wird noch gearbeitet. :+) Viel Spass beim Surfen!

Finally a selection of vacation pics is available on my homepage. I am still working on the whole story of our Germany adventure. :+) Enjoy the pics!

2008-09-25T08:30:00.003-05:00

Wir sind wieder da!

Wir sind heil in Tulsa angekommen, diesmal sogar mit dem Gepäck. Und jetzt wartet ihr bestimmt schon auf ein paar Fotos. Bitte seid geduldig; ich werde sie auf meiner Homepage posten, sobald ich mich durch alle 464 Bilder gefitzt habe (immerhin hatten wir vier Kameras!).
Eine schöne Woche noch!

WE ARE BACK!

We made it back to Tulsa alright; this time even with our bags. Everybody is probably waiting to see some pictures, but please be patient. As soon as I sorted through the 464 photos (the result of having four cameras around!), I will post some on my homepage.

Have a great week!

2008-09-15T02:29:00.003-05:00

WE MADE IT!
Friday afternoon we finally arrived in Dresden - unfortunately without our luggage. Our bags were delivered on day later though. At first the weather was really nice; cool and sunny. Today however we have a bit of rain and it is getting colder. Hopefully it will get better by the end of the week.
So far we went to a German supermarket - oh, the cheese! the chocolate! - , visited a Renaissance market, the Folk Art Museum in Schneeberg and a concert in the church here. Quite a lot for two and a half days! So today we take it slow, maybe we will go shopping later (no idea, what the guys will do). I´ll keep you posted and wish you a great week!

Chicken Fried Steak Sandwich

2008-09-04T12:15:00.005-05:00

Chicken Fried Steak ist eigentlich ein Schnitzel; "chicken fried" ist die Zubereitungsart. Und es gibt deshalb auch "chicken fried chicken". Falls ihr mal nach Tulsa kommt, kann ich das Chicken Fried Steak Sandwich von Phill´s Diner empfehlen. Lecker!
Had a Chicken Fried Steak Sandwich for lunch yesterday at Phill´s Diner. I could only eat half of it and still felt stuffed; it was very yummy!

Labor Day Wochenende/Labor Day Weekend

2008-09-03T09:28:00.003-05:00

Das Labor Day Wochenende haben wir am See verbracht und ich habe nicht ein einziges Foto als Beweis, sorry. So langsam bin ich schon ein bissel aufgeregt, immerhin sind es nur noch ein paar Tage bis zu unserer Reise! Und jetzt muss ich wirklich anfangen, die letzten Besorgungn zu machen. Also los gehts! Habt eine schöne Woche und bis bald!
We spent Labor Day weekend down at Lake Tenkiller. And sorry, I did not take one single picture. Right now I am starting to feel a bit frazzled because we are going to Germany - next week! Holy smokes! With little more than a week left I have to get organized and finally run those last minute errands. So off I go - have a great week y´all!

Wandern/Hiking

2008-08-19T14:55:00.007-05:00

Nachdem Kevin die letzten 14 Tage in Michigan war, ist er seit Freitag zurück in Tulsa. Und hat auch gleich kühleres Wetter mitgebracht; jetzt sind es nicht mehr 40 sondern nur noch 25 Grad. Am Sonntag haben wir deshalb beschlossen, wandern zu gehen. Jesse war so aufgeregt, dass sie sich in die hinterste Ecke im Truck gesetzt hat und nicht wieder herauskommen wollte - damit wir sie auch wirklich mitnehmen! Natürlich war Callie auch mit von der Partie und wir hätten besser auch ne Machete mitgenommen, alle Wege waren schrecklich überwachsen.
Kevin spend the last two weeks in Michigan and he has been back in town since last Friday. It looks as if he did bring cooler weather with him; I really enjoy it even if it is a bit dreary and grey out. On Sunday we decided to go for a hike with the doggies. Jesse was so excited that she jumped in the back of the truck and would not come out again - to make sure we really take her with us! Of course we did and Callie as well; next time we might have to take a machete too, the paths were dreadfully overgrown.

Aber wir haben es dann doch bis zum Teich geschafft und ich konnte meinen Angelunterricht fortsetzen. Kevin meint, mein Auswerfen wird immer besser (bin nirgendwo hängen geblieben :+) und ein paar Fische habe ich auch gefangen. Keine Angst, wir werfen sie immer wieder rein, ist ja nur zum Üben! Und Callie war total fasziniert von der ganzen Sache; sie hat ständig versucht, einen Fisch zu erwischen.
We made it to one of the ponds though, where I could work on my fishing abilities. Kevin said my casting is getting better, which means I have not hooked anyone lately :+). And I did indeed catch some fish, took some pictures and threw them back in. Callie was completely fascinated by the whole thing, she tried to catch some fish herself and even went into the water a little bit.

Einen wirklich großen Frosch haben wir auch gesehen; Kevin versuchte mich davon zu überzeugen, dass Froschfleisch eine Delikatesse ist, aber ich habe dankend abgelehnt.
We also saw a pretty big frog; Kevin informed me that frog is very tasty and that I should try it but failed to convince me. Ewww!
Ach ja, und dann waren da noch jede Menge Schmetterlinge. Leider saßen sie nicht lange genug still und ich konnte nicht näher ran, so dass man auf dem Foto ihre hübschen Farben nicht genau erkennen kann. Ihr müsst mir halt glauben, dass die Flügel auf der Oberseite kornblumenblau sind. And then there was a bunch of butterflies (or is it a gaggle? Mom, what does your list say?). They were very pretty but also very fluttery so I could not get a better picture. You just have to believe me when I tell you that their wings were a bright blue.

So, das waren meine Wochenendabenteuer, hoffentlich habt ihr auch was Aufregendes erlebt. Eine schöne Woche und bis bald!
So far my adventures in the Oklahoma wilderness; I hope you guys have some exciting times yourself. Enjoy your week!

Frühstück/Breakfast

2008-08-18T17:39:00.004-05:00

Das war mein Frühstück (und gleich auch Lunch) letzten Donnerstag: Eier-im-Körbchen (d.h. in Sauerteigbrot), Schinken, gebackener Zimtapfel und Kaffee. Schön fettig und sehr lecker! Und eher eine kleine Portion verglichen mit dem Rest der Frühstückskarte. Ich habe mich dann auch gleich bemüht, die Kalorien beim Shoppen wieder los zu werden. Trotzdem war ich aber erst etwa 7 Stunden später wieder hungrig!
This was my breakfast last Thursday: eggs-in-the-basket, bacon, cinnamon apples and coffee. Yummy! And it was a rather small portion compared to the rest of the breakfast menu. I tried to get rid of some of the calories by going shopping. But still it took me 7 hours to feel hungry again!

Umfrage/Poll

2008-08-04T22:33:00.002-05:00

In der rechten Spalte findet ihr eine Umfrage zu meinem neuen Layout. Ich wollte schon immer mal ne Umfrage in mein Blog stellen, also bitte stimmt ab - bin schon ganz gespannt was dabei rauskommt. :+)
I added a poll to my blog, you can find it on the right side. Please vote to let me know if you like my new layout (or even if you don´t). Thanks, I am looking forward to the results!

Hitzewelle/Heatwave

2008-08-04T22:15:00.004-05:00

Hitzewelle! Heute waren es über 40 Grad Celsius und fühlt sich noch viel heißer an! Unsere Klimaanlage muss Überstunden machen und ich gehe so wenig wie möglich raus. Und damit ich mich nicht langweile, habe ich das Wohnzimmer in mein Scrapbook Hauptquartier umgewandelt. Yes, it´s hot - 105 today! And our AC hardly ever shuts off. Well, I am just gonna stay inside and scrapbook like crazy. I already turned the living room into scrapbook central. Now all I need is some inspiration. And maybe some adhesive. And more paper. And ... I guess I need to go shopping. :+)