MERRY CHRISTMAS

Merry Christmas to all!!!

M.I.A

So sorry to have been MIA in the past week or so. I owe you all more information on the move, a post about our trip to Munich and our weekend in Dallas. One of my best friends is getting married this weekend, so I will owe you pictures of that, too!

Hopefully everyone is getting ready for Christmas!! If you are travelling, safe travels!!

I'll be back soon!

WE'RE MOVING

So, the cat's out of the bag!!!

James and I are moving to Atlanta, GA in January. James and his friend R are going into business together. Not sure what I will be doing yet as I am trying to work through some details with my current employer. I will post more details as they come along.

But, as we have finally let work know, I wanted to share with all of my readers the great news!!

So, look in the coming weeks for updates on house, job, move and life in general!!! (Oh, and I will change the blog name, but I haven't come up with a new name yet. If you have any ideas, please comment!)

YEA!! BACK TO THE US AND THE EASTERN TIME ZONE FOR US!

Background Color Change

As we're in the holiday spirit and I have been typing posts in RED, I decided the pink background did not work. Not to worry, the pink will be back after the holidays!

German Christmas Markets

From Sinterklaas to Weihnachstmarkt, we're getting in the holiday spirit. We arrived in Munich this morning for dinner with the German team tonight. We will spend the rest of the weekend exploring Munich and of course, visiting the Weihnachstmarkt. Pictures and report after the weekend!

(oh, btw, Starbuck's exists in Germany, so I did have a very tasty vanilla latte after lunch! AHHH, so good!)

Sinterklaas

Today is Sinterklaas. Its a very interesting European tradition. Below is information from http://www.wikipedia.com/

Sinterklaas (also called Sint-Nicolaas in Dutch (pronunciation (help·info)) and Saint Nicolas in French) is a holiday tradition in the Netherlands and Belgium, celebrated every year on Saint Nicholas' eve (December 5) or, in Belgium, on the morning of December 6. The feast celebrates the name day of Saint Nicholas, patron saint of, among other things, children.

In the Netherlands, Saint Nicholas' Eve, (December 5) is the chief occasion for gift-giving. The evening is called pakjesavond ("presents' evening"). Traditionally, presents are ingeniously wrapped, and are therefore called surprises. Also, presents are traditionally accompanied by a poem from Saint Nicholas.

I think the most interesting part of Sinterklaas is Zwarte Piet:

Sinterklaas is assisted by many mischievous helpers with black faces and colourful outfits, modelled after 16th century Spanish clothing. These helpers are called Zwarte Pieten (Black Petes) in Dutch

The arrival of Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet in towns all over the Netherlands generally involves some sort of parade and "official" arrival. Kids line the streets to get treats from the Zwarte Piets. In fact, they dress up like them. That's right, clothed in jester outfits and faces painted black. Now tell me, would this ever fly in the US? No, I don't think so. And in fact, as I read further on Wikipedia, I see that its even getting some attention here.

From about 1850, Pete was said to be an imported African servant of Saint Nicholas. Today however, a more politically correct explanation is given: Pete's face is said to be "black from soot" (as Pete has to climb down chimneys to deliver his gifts).

That's all for your history lesson, ladies and gentlemen. I just wanted to share a local tradition with you all!

May Sinterklaas bring you wonderful treats tonight!

Sundays

Sundays are usually relaxing days for us at our Home Away From Home. Many shops are not open on Sundays, so the days are pretty quiet. This morning we were relaxing with our coffee and realized that we will be waking up in different places for the next 5 Sundays before returning to the Netherlands.

Today - Netherlands
12/9 - Munich
12/16 - Dallas, TX
12/23 - Columbus, OH
12/30 - Venasque France
1/6 - Netherlands

Guess we are going to have a busy December!! So, in light of that, we are going to relax today, watch some movies and I am going to bake Christmas sugar cookies (but not until this load of laundry is done, because as you may recall, I can only use 1 major appliance at a time).

Happy Sunday!

Decorating

Below are some pictures of our Home Away From Home decorated for Christmas:

This is our dining room table set with decorative plates. The second picture is a close up. I can't wait to use our china on with the set up, I think it will look fantastic!

















This is our mantle. We have snowflake stocking holders, red and white stockings, a snowman, and the poinsettia plate.











Yes there is a theme....I really like red, silver and white for decorating at Christmastime. We're getting in the spirit and counting down the days to visit friends and family for the holidays!