its the little things

Lately I have been riding along on my bike, searching out areas near my home to find respite, meditation and a place to take my 2 year old.  We've been exploring this new land of ours with much enthusiasm, and the beauty along the paths has been pretty, as the season begins to change.

 There are times where I feel uninspired and life feels stagnant and depressing.  I have a wanderers heart, and I think my soul thrives not being contained.  I need to be outside, in the city, in the country, but there must be beauty.

 Besides being a busy mama of 3 very active children, I love to cook!  I bought a dutch oven in France right before we left.  We lived only 20km from the French border, so we often did our shopping in France.  I am a definitive Francophile to the fullest extent!  I spent as much time as possible exploring french life and staying in Paris every chance I could.  The dutch oven looks Le Creuset, but minus the big price tag.  50 Euros!!.....and probably better!  haha

So, today Im taking a cue from David Lebovitz and having some Rose with some crushed ice. So Perfect.  One last little ode to the warm weather.  By the way, any good places to buy affordable French wine around here?

fall'ish

Fall is descending upon Kansas City, if you look closely, you can see it all around.  The moment is nature taking one final sprint before she decides to chill out for a bit and take a long winter's nap.

My favorite time of year is Autumn, fall or whatever you like to call it.

I often check the temps in Germany now, I dont know why, but I guess I really miss it.  Right about now fall is in full force.  Rain, Rain and more rain, and mild temps.  I can only imagine, the morning fog, the greenery, the still in the mornings.  So romantic.  With the heavy Catholic influence, this is a time to mourn the dead, the people we've lost and loved, to honour them with love and light, as the darkness of winter looms.

I miss it there, but I am looking for the signs of fall here.

mill creek

lonely

golden leaves kissed by the evening sun

summers final kiss

making a house a home when you live in cookiecutterville

When we moved back to the States, we searched high and low for a new house.  I prefer old fixer uppers, always seeing the potential to make the house your own.  My husband on the other hand prefers, easy, no maintenance, cookie cutter house styles.  

There is definitely no lack of his type, and when faced with some neat older homes that needed a lot of care-and costly repairs, the new house market became the more desirable choice, along with great schools and safe neighborhoods--so cookie cutter it is!

Given that, there is no reason why you cant make a new home fun and curate a style all your own.  So far we are only in the beginning stages of "decorating", because I am firmly trying to believe and instill a 'less is more' regime to my design aesthetic.  ITS REALLY HARD (if your a pack rat).  I think we are doing a good job at getting there.  We've been unloading a lot of things that we know we aren't going to ever use or have no real purpose.  There is a long road ahead in the process, but we are getting there.  It is also a bit hard when you have kids because they have a lot of stuff!  I do notice, compared to other kids in the neighborhood, our kids have much less toys in the yard or motorized mini corvettes to drive around.  Just what we need I guess.  We will see how it works out though ; ))

When defining my "style", I would like to think I have an eclectic, old world meets funk style.  I love modern, industrial to mid century, to hippie, to funk!  --see why I love to collect things?!  But, I think if you have pieces in your home that you love, that you want to hold onto and simplify the clutter, like get pieces with the potential for storage, etc, it can keep that simplicity vibe going (just hide the clutter where no one can see it).

Anyway, I'm no designer, but I love style and design.  Here a few pics of what I have going on here, and trust me, things will change, furniture will be moved, rearranged before I settle on one spot.  Its the fun of moving into a new home and seeing what works-aesthetically and functionally!

Et Voila:

just ordered a nelson bench to go against this wall and Picasso will float above

adding more plants to the mix and planning on making my own plant stands out of wood dowels, i'll let you know how that one goes ; )) (notice teeny tiny cute toddler, awww!)

found this cute little midcentury dresser on craigslist! woot!

We need some fun art hanging in the walls of this room: kinda boring, but simple and nice

So that rounds up just a few areas in the house.  I want to entirely paint the walls, they are an ugly light brown color and it is just so dark in the house, its a bit depressing.  My husband looooooves the boring brown color, so it will take some more convincing, but I usually end up getting my way, babysteps!

More to come!  : ))

finally Rain!

The rain falls hard, the rythmic pitter patter often get interupted by giant forces of thunder, but it soothes my soul.  By candlelight i embrace the cleansing, the waters washing over the earth, nourishing and then only to recede.

What is life like in the States, specifically Kansas City?

We are back in the States!  Yeah!!  Its been quite the adjustment returning to our home land and taking in all the new sights, customs, etc, etc.

In the last few months, we have started new schools, bought a house, traveled a bit, explored our new neighborhood, shopped at Target (alot), spent alot of days outside, spent some severely hot days inside (boo), rode bikes, found a pediatrician for the baby, got braces on one kids teeth, went on some roller coasters.  Yeah, I would have to say its been one overwhelming ride so far.  But its going great, and Im glad there have been no major hiccups along the way.

Our vehicles made it safe and sound across the ocean, as well as our furniture!!

What can I say about this specific area we live in?  Well, Im still figuring it all out.  The biggest thing I notice is how super friendly people are here.  Strangers in our neighborhood wave and say "hi", which is new and a lot of people ask a lot of personal questions, such as "what do you do?"--close to short of asking "how much do you make a year".  Not really, but it may be coming, haha.

This is quite an adjustment after living in Europe.  You are only really friendly to people you know well.  It took a few years for the people in our village to even wave hello to us!  It is impolite to ask personal questions unless you are VERY good friends.  I really, really, really miss "home" (Germany), but I am also excited at the possibilities we have in this new place.

Oh the differences...and there are many, but I will take in all the good and the bad and find a way to accept and move forward!

We hardly know our neighbors, but everyone is friendly and we haven't made any friends to hang out with yet, but we have been so busy with our house, unpacking, etc, that we haven't had a chance to socialize, or maybe we're just really weird and have to meet like-minded weirdos, who knows!?!?

Regardless, i'm excited at the chance to build our lives here and learn about what makes this place awesome!

Spring is Here!

In Europe this year, we enjoyed a very mild winter.  Lately, spring has made her entrance, all the trees have bloomed, the grass is green, and well, the pollen is thick in the air.  With the warmer temps, we are enjoying being outside.  Enjoying the land, sopping up the last bit we can, before we leave.  I try not to remind myself we are leaving too much.  It's too sad.  But for now, I will bask in the beauty of my home.  I will be thankful for these moments.  Building memories.

Life

Life lately has been weird, awesome, and overwhelming.  We have traveled so much, last week we were in Amsterdam and on the North Sea in the Netherlands!  Got to see the tulip fields in bloom and enjoy yummy pancakes and waffles. 

The latest and greatest is that our adventure in Germany is coming to a close.  We are moving back to the States. 

Im in a bittersweet, melancholy state of mind about this. 

There are too many lovely things to be said about living in both places.  But I find myself anxious over a lot of the "cons" of living back in the States.  Safety for the children, crime, etc.  A lot of it to be blamed on sensationlised media, Im sure.  I am trying very hard not to focus on those things.

I want to blog about the new adventure we are about to embark on.  I think for me, most of all, it will be therapeutic.  Writing and venting and just reflecting are helpful to a person such as myself. 

Part of this move and why we wholeheartedly (sorta) decided to take the plunge is because this move will put us very close to family.  We have lived in Europe for nearly 6 years and there have been a lot of awful things take place with family in that time.  Now that my mother in law is a widow and my 2 grandmother in laws as well, it is important to have a strong family unit near these lovely women.  My husband is a good man and he is now THE man of his family.  Im glad to be near them and it will mean a lot not only to them, but to us and our children.

I hope that moving improves the quality of life for not only them, but US as well!!

This experience of living here in Germany has been the most monumental, wonderful, growing, awesome experience I have ever had!  I have no regrets!!!

so cheers to us and I will keep this going as best as I can!!!  : )))xoxoox