Saturday, November 30, 2013

Advent


s'ist Advent, schau, wie die Kerze brennt
seid bereit, die Weihnacht ist nicht weit.

Advent - die Zeit im Dezember bis Weihnachten, sie ist besonders für mich. sie ist besonders für mich, weil sie gefüllt ist mit Erinnerungen...
Adventkranz-binden mit Mama
Kramperl-roazen mit Freunden
Mandarinen und Erdnüsse
Duftlampen und Kerzen
viele, viele Advent- und Weihnachtslieder
Schneeflocken und Adventmaerkte
Kekse backen und essen
Herbergsuche
Adventkonzerte
Rorate
Papa liest Karl Heinrich Waggerl...

jedes Jahr versuche ich meinen Kindern ein paar dieser Erinnerungen, denn viele sind Rituale, weiterzugeben, neu zu gestalten.
das Leben in oft, nicht sehr weihnachtlichen, Ländern hilft da nicht sehr, doch jedes Jahr schaffen wir es, unser zu Hause so weihnachtlich und stimmungsvoll wie möglich zu gestalten. es gelingt mir mit den Kindern einige, wenige Weihnachtslieder zu singen und jedes Jahr hoffe ich auf mehr Zeit dafuer...wie lesen jedes Jahr Karl Heinrich Waggerl...

so auch heuer...der Advent"Kranz" ist fertig (die Grosse war nicht sehr erfreut, dass es kein Kranz ist, aber nicht immer ist alles möglich), die Engel sind bereit und mit der Eröffnung von Ikea in Kairo, werden auch die Teelichter nicht ausgehen :-)

wie fast jedes Jahr, werde ich auch heuer wieder jeden Sonntag um 6Uhr Früh eine "besinnliche" Yogastunde unterrichten, für mich, eine etwas andere, meine, Form der Rorate.

es fällt nicht immer leicht, in einer Umgebung, die kaum etwas in diese Richtung bietet, all diese Dinge aufrecht zu halten und in den oft dichtgedraengten Zeitplan vor Weihnachten unterzubringen, doch auch heuer werden wir es uns jeden Samstag Abend gemütlich machen und ein kleine Adventstunde als Familie verbringen - ein paar Kekse, Adventkerzen brennen, eine Geschichte und Lieder!

Heute Abend gilt es noch den Adventskalender für die Kinder fertig zu machen...eine Kleinigkeit jeden Tag um die Wartezeit aufs Christkind zu verkürzen...ja, bei uns kommt das Christkind...

Hier motechte ich auch eine Art Adventskalender für euch machen...jeden Tag ein Bild, ein Moment, aus dem Jetzt oder Vergangenem...

wie verbringt ihr die Adventszeit?

Saturday, November 16, 2013

gratitude week: day 6

today I am grateful for...

...a family breakfast!

...the comfort of a piece of "Sachertorte" at the right time!


joining Michelle:
this is day six of gratitude week 2013.  wanna join the party?!
click on the picture below to read about gratitude week.  
remember…there are no rules.  you can share in this space or explore gratitude in the quietness of your heart.
{if you’re posting on your blog or on flickr, please leave a link to that post in the comments so we can all visit your space and enjoy}


Friday, November 15, 2013

gratitude week: day 5

today I am grateful for:

...a beautiful day on the Nile with great friends!

...a babysitter who comes in at any time, day or night!


joining Michelle:
this is day five of gratitude week 2013.  wanna join the party?!
click on the picture below to read about gratitude week.  
remember…there are no rules.  you can share in this space or explore gratitude in the quietness of your heart.
{if you’re posting on your blog or on flickr, please leave a link to that post in the comments so we can all visit your space and enjoy}


Thursday, November 14, 2013

gratitude week: day 4

today I am grateful for...



...having the time to join my little girl on her school trip this morning!



...a backpack I love, that holds all I need AND my travel mat ;-)!


joining Michelle:
this is day four of gratitude week 2013.  wanna join the party?!
click on the picture below to read about gratitude week.  
remember…there are no rules.  you can share in this space or explore gratitude in the quietness of your heart.
{if you’re posting on your blog or on flickr, please leave a link to that post in the comments so we can all visit your space and enjoy}



Wednesday, November 13, 2013

gratitude week: day 3

today I am grateful for...

...the shop that finally imported unsweetened soy milk!


...a knitting project I finished!


joining Michelle:
this is day three of gratitude week 2013.  wanna join the party?!
click on the picture below to read about gratitude week.  
remember…there are no rules.  you can share in this space or explore gratitude in the quietness of your heart.
{if you’re posting on your blog or on flickr, please leave a link to that post in the comments so we can all visit your space and enjoy}

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

gratitude week: day 2

today I am grateful for...

...this (and one more pair) little hands helping me AND supporting me in so many ways!

...lunch and some reading time on the terrace!


...the girls joining in :-)


joining Michelle:
this is day two of gratitude week 2013.  wanna join the party?!
click picture below to read about gratitude week.  
remember…there are no rules.  you can share in this space or explore gratitude in the quietness of your heart.
{if you’re posting on your blog or on flickr, please leave a link to that post in the comments so we can all visit your space and enjoy}

Monday, November 11, 2013

gratitude week: day 1

today I am grateful for...



... a "small" gift that, who would have thought, inspired my little girl to learn how to tie her shoelace in about 1min! with that confidence she chose to wear above shoes for PE this morning and not the velcro ones :-)



...the man I love, as sometimes he just picks the "right" thing for me!


joining Michelle:
this is day one of gratitude week 2013.  wanna join the party?!
click picture below to read about gratitude week.  
remember…there are no rules.  you can share in this space or explore gratitude in the quietness of your heart.
{if you’re posting on your blog or on flickr, please leave a link to that post in the comments so we can all visit your space and enjoy}

Saturday, November 9, 2013

week-end


a girls weekend that started with a very glamorous party, Thursday night! you might imagine, Cairo is not the place for people to get stuck in lift, at the moment, so a lot of our friends are leaving Cairo and at the moment it seems we're invited to leaving parties and nothing else. so friends of ours decided to have a "we're not leaving Cairo - party"! well done, wonderful location, music, good people, great food - nothing else to wish for, and the perfect start into the weekend!

Friday started with pancakes for the girls and then the little girl went of on a playdate. time for the big girl and I...lots of talking, looking through her "baby-box" and creating a new space in her room. so the "project-corner" came to live and we finally put up her photo-wall again.
once the little girl was back home it was crafting and talking until dinner in front of the TV - oh, what a special treat!
after the girls went to bed I watched this and finished a pair of these for myself!

the girls let me have a sleep in Saturday morning, so we had a late start with french toast and orange juice. happy girls created a "welcome back" board for Daddy and the day went with all the little things one starts doing around the house...
in the evening, Papa made it back just in time for "Laternenfest" - a german speaking tradition where kids walk along with their lanterns, singing songs...
very tired kids to bed once we were home...lucky me, going through the man's suitcases with oh, such a lot of treats from Austria :-)

I am joining Michelle for "gratitude week 2013", starting tomorrow! would be great if you'd join in as well, in whatever way you feel like!

Friday, November 8, 2013

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

inspired by "soule mama"

Saturday, November 2, 2013

making

in the last week quite a bit of making happened in my kitchen, and it was mainly pumpkin-making. so much, my little girl asked one time at breakfast, looking at the fresh orange juice :"is it pumpkin?"

as usually when I have pumpkin it's pumpkin-soup,but I really wanted something different and also I knew I need a bit of variation, as the girls won't eat soup every day...

so here is what happened...



I started off with pumpkin muffins...and while writing this I just realised I shared this recipe with you already and linked you there. I did not put walnuts in and topped the muffins with some crumble I happened to have left - yes, delicious, even for the girls - a good start!



Another day I decided it's time for "Strudel", so why not try pumpkin-Strudel!? I looked through different recipes and in the end did my own thing:

Pumpkin-Strudel filling:
1/4 piece of a pumpkin
1/2 pack feta cheese
1 small egg
onion, garlic
nutmeg, salt, pepper

cut the pumpkin small. heat up a little oil and start by putting the finely chopped onion and garlic. add nutmeg, salt and pepper and then the pumpkin (either grated or chopped into small pieces). turn heat down, put lid on and let steam just until pumpkin is a little soft.
let the pumpkin cool off a little, then add the egg and cubed feta cheese. gently mix together and fill your Strudel!

I served with a yogurt-mint dip...definitely something I'll repeat!



After that it was time for something sweet again...a wonderful spicy pumpkin bread. I found the recipe here. I did leave out the walnuts, as I took it in for my yoga students and I just feel there is too many nut-allergies around. I did add one banana and made it into a spicy pumpkin-banana-bread :-)



In between I made some pumpkin-fries to make sure some pumpkin is on the table with for example this wonderful dinner one night...

Soba noodles with fried greens
And to finish it all off a bit more colourful, here is my favourite lunch from the past week:

rocket, avocado, carrot, pumpkin seed, pomegranate - bliss!
what have you been making recently?