Itsy Bitsy Adam

Can't you tell that Adam is *thrilled* that Mimi came and brought him a spider costume?

Eine verschneite Ostern

Happy Easter! You may remember the verdant beauty of last Easter. This Easter, however, was a different story:

We made due though. Eliza was very excited about her Easter basket which included such treasure as Princess Scotch Tape, Hello Kitty bubbles, books, sand toys, a game and of course, candy! We had a good day at church. It was an exciting day as Primary President as ALL of my teachers (and substitutes) were out of town. Thankfully, we only had 5 kids. So, we made a party of it. But enough of my babble. You want pictures, right?

In other news, happy birthday to my baby brother, D! Here is a picture of him looking like a cave man. Love you, brother!

Schokotraum

Lately, it seems like the trend is to add Oreos to everything. On Pinterest, I've seen Oreos added to cookies, brownies, pies, candy... Here in Germany, Oreos come in packs of 16. Yes, I'm serious. You buy a box of Oreos and there are only 16 cookies in there. Plus, they are packaged differently into 4 individual packs of 4. So, you feel like a complete cow if you eat more than an individual pack. Also, they taste different. They are a bit harder and less sweet. Needless to say, I prefer to US Oreos. However...

Last week in the Rewe, I came across this:

Normally, I'd pass by, but I was feeling frisky; so, I bought one. Oh.My.Gosh!!! They are sheer deliciousness. I hid this in the car and was savoring it every time I took a trip. One day, I was feeling generous and offered some of my stash to Claron. In less than a kilometer, Claron devoured the entire thing. I bought him one for his birthday and again, GONE! Trust me, either find a German to send you one or start sending Milka emails to bring them to the States. They are so tasty!

Announcing the Newest Ridge...

Let's welcome Adam "He-Man" Ridge, Prince of Eternia, Master of the Universe (Eliza obviously named him).

Adam is an 11 month old British Shorthair Colourpoint Seal. He is NOT Siamese. He is ridiculously loving and sweet. We got him from a breeder here in Germany.

We are hoping that he will be Kitzel's boyfriend. We still have not secured a flight for Kitzel, so things are up in the air with her.

Adam is TINY! I would bet that he currently weighs less or the same as our baby (4.5 lbs). We are hoping to fatten him up a bit.

Eliza loves Adam. She chose him. They are very gentle with one another (if there is any roughness, it is almost always on Eliza's part).

He is very playful. He wasn't sure about the camera. He wanted to rub on it.

**How many of you thought I had the baby?! In due time... Still two more months!

Spending Fast Wrap Up & An Announcement

The spending fast closed up successfully. Here are our results (not counting roll over).
Week 3: 30.30 Euro
Week 4: 24.46 Euro

In full disclosure, week 3 we were staying with our friends' kids while they were out of town, and they supplied groceries. Also, I did take the kids to McDonald's once and the pool, but our friends paid for their kids and I had some pocket money for us (<10 Euros).

I really enjoyed doing the spending fast. It was a perfect time for us to practice our saving skills, and it just so turns out that on March 1, we used our savings to buy a little beauty like this:

Her name is Peppi (short for Josephina). She is a 2004 Honda Fit (Jazz in Europe) with 60k mi. She was an excellent price and came with two sets of tires (required in Germany). She has new brakes, batteries, etc. We have gotten her registered and drove her to church on Sunday. She runs great!

Schönen Valentinstag!

Germany hasn't fully yet adopted Valentine's Day. In the stores there is chocolate and cards for your loved ones, but the practice of giving out valentines at school hasn't yet crossed the pond. However, Eliza wasn't hearing it! She wanted to make valentines for her class. So, we did! She personally cut and decorated all the valentines. I did draw the patterns to help her. I also wrote on the backs. But otherwise, she did everything!

**I bought the candy before February. In full disclosure, it took one bag of mini Chupa Chups that I bought off the clearance rack for 1.69 Euro. Shout out to Tamsyn for finding the paper! She is really the best!!! We had the other supplies on hand.

Spending Fast: Week 2

As I've already given myself away... Yes, this week was WAY more of a challenge. Last week, I was 24 Euro under, which may have contributed* to this week's overage (of exactly 24 Euro including the snow pants!) So, if you are a good mathematician, this week's total was:

74.06 Euro

But, the accountant in me wants to reconcile. So, let's take out the snow pants. That leaves 62.06 Euro, and then roll the previous week's surplus of -24 Euro. That gives us 38.06 Euro, and we allotted 50 Euro for the week; therefore, we have -12 Euro to roll to next week. So, for the month, we are still under.

*I say that last week may have contributed because when Monday came, we were out of everything!

**In full disclosure, I also bought a stroller, car seat and bassinet this week. I am not counting it because 1) It was a previously budgeted item that was WAY under budget (by 450 Euros!) 2) I've been searching for these items for months, and when the deal came up, it could not be resisted.

***Claron also bought a new hose for the shower this week. It broke and had to be fixed in the interest of hygiene and water spraying all over my bathroom. It was 15 Euros. But, do spending fasts extend to husbands fixing necessities?

Cheater!

I was bad. I cheated yesterday... well, kinda!

It is COLD here. Like -20 C cold and windy. As I was walking to church on Sunday, I swore to myself that I was going to buy a pair of snow pants... and soon!

Monday, I walk into our grocery store, and there among the clearance items.... only one pair of snow pants... the right color... in my size.... with room for a pregnancy belly... 70% off!!! So, I put them in my cart. They were a whopping 12 Euros! Considering I was under budget last week, I thought it might be okay. I felt guilty that I didn't put them on to retrieve Eliza yesterday. But today, I woke up to this:

I don't feel so guilty now... (By the way, it is still snowing out there and is supposed to continue until possibly tomorrow!)

Spending Fast: Week 1

I know many of you are curious to know how the spending fast is faring.

I would be lying if I said that there hasn't been temptation this week. I've had many times that I've had to close Amazon (and other websites) with a cart full of stuff. But....

Here are the results:
Amount Spent Week 1: 26 Euro (all grocery)

Also, I did our US Federal taxes and scored us over $1000. I'm trying to decide whether it is worth it to file our California Non-Resident taxes. They owe us a cool $52. Normally, those 52 big ones would already be in process of transferring to my bank account, BUT I have to file on paper or pay one of the stupid services. I'm sure I'll file, but for now a break. I still also have to file our German taxes on Elster (translates to Magpie... you know... the bird who likes shiny things. Clever, no?).

One thing that is exempt from the spending fast is the search for a car. It continues. Especially as temperatures have been hovering around -20 C, a car is needed. Also, no big deal, but the doctor has put me on "regular activities only." My cervix is measuring a little thin. As I said, no big deal, but she said I need to be careful with the walking. It would be really nice if we could find a nice car...

Spending Fast

I'm joining my friend, Jeannie (who is awesome, BTW) on a Spending Fast for February!

Here are the rules from her friend, Cammie:
"You don't buy anything for the month of February. Okay, there are a few exceptions. You can pay your rent and other bills and you can buy gas. You can also buy food, but you should limit and stretch in this area. For my family of three I spend $50 a week during the Spending Fast. You can choose what works for your family."

We are doing 50 Euros, of course. I'll keep you updated and let you know how we do.