New Years Eve

All I need for NYE is:

Fireworks

Friends

picture found here

Food for hours

picture found here

Have a wonderful last day and night of the year! And a great start into 2011!!!

2010 retrospective

January: My new beginning – starting this blog

February: My last summer birthday – no beach party but no snow either

March: My last camping trip – the most beautiful national park in Australia

April: My big break – no work, just preparing and waiting for my little one

May: My greatest joy – my adorable daughter is born

June: My big change – starting life as a family

July: My big goodbye – to Australia, to Melbourne, to my friends, to friendly people, to wonderful weather and amazing beaches

August: My big hello – to Germany, to Berlin, to family and friends, to grumpy people, to average weather and green forests

September: My new home – centrally located, high above the city and with a great view

October: My greatest sorrow– my beloved granny dies

November: My new wonder – the first snow in 3 years

December: My new tradition – Christmas with my extended family

How was your year? What was your greatest joy? What your biggest hello?

I ♥ Fireworks

On Wednesdays I share everything wedding with you: tips, projects, organisation, photos, faux-pas, fun things and golden rules I ‘learned’ from my own wedding. I feel I need to give something back to the fabulous blog community who helped me stay sane and enjoy every second of my ‘big day’.

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Today is the day when the fireworks sale starts in Germany. And I was among the pyromanias, who couldn‘t wait for the stores to open their gates. For me this feeling is better than the start of Myers Boxing Day sale ;-)

I ♥ fireworks . I ♥ the visual effects. I ♥ the sounds. I even ♥ the smell. I ♥ it’s magic.

Of course, I know that it is dangerous (yeap, I hear all the horrible stories about people losing their eyesight or important limps while playing with fire). I know, it is bad for the environment. I know that you could do so many more meaningful things with the money you spend on fireworks.

BUT

I ♥ fireworks . I simply cannot help it. It’s beauty always makes me very emotional. And it makes me gasp in astonishment every time. I feel like a child, marvelling at it’s beauty.

So, I HAD to have fireworks at my wedding. Because I wanted to have all the things that really matter to us. And fireworks definitely ticked this box for me.

So, the first thing that I did when we got engaged was organising some fireworks. I knew our budget wouldn’t allow for professional fireworks, so I needed to find an affordable alternative. I also knew that you couldn’t get fireworks in Australia and take them home on the plane. Or buy fireworks in Germany in October.

So, I needed another plan. Fortunately it was shortly before New Year’s Eve and therefore I was able to ask a friend to buy a 100shot-firework box at the supermarket. Thanks again, J.!!! I think it was about 20 Euro. Then he stored it away for about 10 months and ... I got my fireworks at the wedding. It was beautiful. It was breathtaking. It was very emotional. It was a wonderful surprise for everyone. And it was a dream come true for me.

Virtual fireworks here and here

Christmas Cards – Part II

Yes, I know, Christmas is over. After all the excitement and the anticipation the three Christmas days passed as quickly as any three days during the year – if not even quicker.

Therefore I didn’t manage to share my Christmas card with you until now. Well, to be honest, I haven’t shared it with most of my friends either ;-) The reason is simple and probably very common: we just haven’t managed to take photos pre-Christmas. Therefore we decided to use photos we took on Christmas Eve and send them out post-Christmas, pre-NYE. I think that counts as “Christmas cards send”. Especially since I am not sending mass emails but individual ones.

So but now without anything further, ...

Tata...

... here is our Christmas card:

Like us it is a bit blurry, a bit fidgety, a bit fun, a bit love, a bit crazy and a bit silly.

Not exactly what I planned. Nothing like here. But I still LOVE it. So, merry Christmas one last time ;-)

Favourite toys of my 7-months-old

Every Monday I will post something related to babies: inspiration, craft projects, baby news, and discoveries I have made in this new and exciting world for me. I hope you come along on that rollercoaster ride with me.

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Being a first-time mum, I struggled to find pressies for my little one’s first Christmas. There are so many things out there – beautiful and hideous ones (http://ninotschka13.blogspot.com/2010/12/pressies-for-little-ones.html) – and it is really hard to judge for me what babies or children of different ages like and what is more made for the mums and dads ;-).

So here is some inspiration. Things that my almost-7-months-old LOVES to play with:

You know things which are not toys in the first place are the BEST, e.g. a pack of tissues ... (what a beautiful quiet crackling sound, so good to hold, lightweight so it doesn’t hurt too bad when you hit yourself with the pack)

... or some plastic containers from the kitchen. Maybe filled with rice to make them even more fun. (something from the grownups, a bit bulky but sooo cool, such an unusual sound, soooo interesting)

From the ‘real’ toys this teething rattle is definitely top of the list... (good to hold, lightweight, so many interesting textures to explore with your hands and tongue, so colourful, a wonderful quiet rattling sound)

... and this cute squeaking bunny is also loved very much... (so good to hold by the arms or the body – even for clumsy little hands, so soft, so great to bite into – especially the body and the ears, so good to bash against the floor or the own body – without hurting yourself, makes funny sounds)

... and this book with different textures, cracking and squeaking noises and animals is also great entertainment. Especially if mum or dad makes the matching animal noises with the pictures. Muuuuuuhhhhhhhuuuuu! (good to eat, too and to try to turn the pages)

Happy Boxing Day

Happy Recovery...

... from the feast(s)

... from the present-unwrapping

... from you dear families

... from the Myer bargain hunt

All pictures found here

Merry Christmas!

Happy Chrissi, to all my dear Australian friends and to all readers (from the UK, the US, ...) who celebrate Christmas today!

Frohe Weihnachten!

Merry Christmas!

Buon Natale!

Joyeux Noel!

Enjoy your Christmas traditions (and change the ones you don’t like)!

Enjoy your loved ones (family, friends, pets,...)!

Enjoy the giving (and the receiving of wonderful presents)!

Enjoy the snow (or the heat)!

Enjoy the food & the drinks, the decorations & the music!

My favourite Christmas CD

One of my favourite Christmas traditions in my family is that my siblings and I are decorating the tree on the 24th. First we pick up all the Christmas decoration boxes from the basement, then a huge discussion starts about the style and the colour code of this year’s tree, then my naughty brother sneaks some hideous decorations onto the tree, which I try to prevent, while my sister is on the phone, trying to organise some Christmas drinks with friends, then there is bit of dispute who has to clean the old wax out of the candle holders (yes we still have real candles and never had a fire despite 4 little kids over the years), ... and in the background this CD plays:

unfortunartely only in German

The story about two little mice who celebrate Christmas with their family and Katinka, the cat, is just heart-warming and it is long enough to finish the tree decorations.

Unusual wedding card

On Wednesdays I share everything wedding with you: tips, projects, organisation, photos, faux-pas, fun things and golden rules I ‘learned’ from my own wedding. I feel I need to give something back to the fabulous blog community who helped me stay sane and enjoy every second of my ‘big day’.

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found here

I love the no-nonsense style of this wedding card. No doves. No hearts. No rings. Instead these beautiful types.

10 catastrophes when baking cookies with your kids

Every Monday I will post something related to babies: inspiration, craft projects, baby news, and discoveries I have made in this new and exciting world for me. I hope you come along on that rollercoaster ride with me.

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Picture found here

Today I want to share a hilarious list that I read in the paper the other day. Here are the 10 catastrophes when baking cookies with your kids:

1. Der Dreijährige will das Ei aufschlagen - es landet daneben (The 3-year-old wants to crack the egg – and it doesn’t hit the target)

2. Die Vierjährige verknetet per Hand Puderzucker und Wasser (The 4-year-old mixes water and icing sugar with his hands)

3. Geschwister streiten unter Einsatz einer Packung Mehl (Siblings are fighting using a bag of flour)

4. Kreatives Ausstechen führt zu kopflosen Engeln (The creative use of the cookie cutters results in headless angels)

5. Mitten im Kneten: "Jetzt hab ich keine Lust mehr zu backen" (In the middle of the kneading: “Now I don’t want to bake anymore.”)

6. Die Plätzchen verbrennen, weil aus dem Bad "Abputzen" geschrien wird (The cookies burn because someone cries “I need help” from the bathroom)

7. 500g Zuckerstreusel pro Blech machen die Plätzchen ungenießbar (500g of sugar sprinkles per tray makes the cookies uneatable)

8. Die Reinigung der Küche kommt einer Renovierung gleich (The cleaning of the kitchen equals a renovation)

9. Das Kind muss sich übergeben, weil es zu viel Teig genascht hat (A child has to throw up because it has eaten to much dough)

10. Die Frage danach: "Mama, backen wir bald mal wieder?"(In the end, the question: “Mama, when do we bake again?”)

Article found here

Oh dear, and I have such fond memories of baking Christmas cookies with my mum. Although I do remember some of these situations. Sorry, mum ;-)

4.Advent

Picture found here

My cup of tea

Today I want to show you a very clever and yet simple idea, which I found over at Craftlover’s amazing blog.

Cleverly decorated tea mugs:

Idea and pictures found here

Erika made these beautiful tea mugs as teacher gifts, but I think it is also a wonderful idea for all other tea lovers; people who share the tea kitchen in an office; grannies; best friends; and and and

This great idea is definitely my cup of tea ;-)

Beautiful nativity sets (Kripperl)

We always had a beautiful nativity set at home. My dad made the hut out of wood, little stones and plaster. It even has a mini electric light inside. Then every year he adds fresh moss as lawn around the house and we children were allowed to choose one new figure for the setting at the Christmas market. Unfortunately I don’t have a photo of our nativity set (I will definitely take a picture this year!), but it looks similar to this one.

Found here

Although I love our traditional crib, I was also delighted to discover that there are more modern alternatives out there:

Simple&beautiful: words nativity set

found here in Ute’s wonderful blog – available in German or English here

Kitsch&heartwarming: Mexican fold-out nativity set

Found here

TOP 5 Taschen Books

It is the 15th again – so it is time for reading. And time for sharing my favourite books with you. This month it is all about Taschen books.

The other day I passed the wonderful Taschen shop on Berlin’s Friedrichstrasse in my daily lunch walk with the little one. I spend ages in there. Just gazing at all the amazing books they have. And these are my favourites:

Costume History

Great Escapes Around the World, Vol. 2

Audrey Hepburn

1000 Signs

The Polaroid Book

With prices starting at EUR 7.99, they make great Christmas presents too!

Ruby Tuesday

found here

This beautiful ruby jewellery-scarf would make a wonderful Christmas present four your mum, your sister, your best friend or yourself. And it’s on sale. Very hard resist ;-)

Pressies for the little ones

Every Monday I will post something related to babies: inspiration, craft projects, baby news, and discoveries I have made in this new and exciting world for me. I hope you come along on that rollercoaster ride with me.

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With Christmas just around the corner, my mailbox is filled with toy catalogues every day. Fortunately my little one is still too little to grab them and turn them into wish lists. Nevertheless today I had a closer look at one of them and recognised that there are presents, which I love, which I would like to buy straight away, which I am so looking forward to play with, ... and there are those, which I don’t like, which I find absolutely stupid, boring and unbearable to look at.

To start with the pleasant ones – these are the toys I look forward to:

And these are the toys, which I dread:

 
I am afraid, however, that my little one will love the ones I dread the most. Or at least that is what happened when I was a child. ;-)

So here are the toys, which my mum dreaded and which I absolutely loved:

All pictures found here and here

Oh well, I am glad that my little one won’t give me a wish list this year. I need more time to prepare myself for this ;-)

12 on the 12th – 3.Advent

My favourite blog initiative ever. On the 12th of each month, bloggers around the globe take 12 photos of their daily life and post them. Not only great for getting to know other bloggers but also as a personal visual diary. So please join the fun with Caro here

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The little one has a cold – again. Therefore I have to ‘torture’ her with these 2 innocent-looking tools. I hate it!!!

Hurray! The little one has managed to turn onto her tummy again. She is so proud of herself.

My Christmas decoration this year is all red (like the amaryllis)...

... white...

... green...

...and silver.

In the afternoon I went to the trendmafia Christmas market, where you can find beautiful handmade things by very creative and talented people. If you are looking for unusual presents for your loved ones, I can highly recommend this market. It is open next weekend as well. These were my favourite shops and products:

RenewFabrics – beautifully handprinted fabrics

Cuadrado – cool baby clothes with integrated bib made out of special, washable foil

Limo – amazing purses and butterfly decorations

SupaRina – stylish jewellery

Is not only festive inside, also the churches have dressed up...

... and the boulevards like the Friedrichstrasse as well.

Hope you enjoyed the third Advent as much as I did. I jump over to your 12-on-the-12th now to have a look.