A Double Dose of Happiness

We sold our house in Georgia today. After months and months of worrying about the poor real estate market and coming oh-so-close to selling several times, the papers were signed this morning and we are no longer homeowners. We can breathe a bit easier and cross one big item off our to-do list.

Here's a picture of the inside while it was on the market. The downstairs was "staged" and looked much more elegant than it ever did while we were living there.

I don't think it will really hit that we don't have our house anymore until our next trip home when we see another family living there. We lived there for over 10 years and have so many great memories. But we were starting to feel like we were outgrowing the house. There was no basement, little storage and Emilie and Rebecca had to share a tiny room. We loved our neighbors, the subdivision and the area so much, though. The thought that we may have moved within the area if we had stayed in Georgia has made letting go of the house a bit easier.

In even bigger news, our good friends Jim and Valerie and their 4 kids arrived today for a 5-day visit. Jim and Valerie had lived in Germany for 3 years when they were first married and so had planned a visit back to visit old friends and show their kids where Mom and Dad used to live. Oh, yeah, and show them incredible historical sites and beautiful castles and expose them to a different culture.

It means so much to us to have visitors from home. It's reconnecting with people we miss, the assurance that America still exists across the ocean and that one day we'll move back. And the kids are excited to show their friends their new home.

In preparation, rooms have been tidied, floors swept and a trip to the American Commissary to stock up on American snacks was in order. This was my second trip there and I was sure to stock up on those things I haven't been able to find elsewhere: lemonade mix, doubling-acting baking powder, soups for recipes, chocolate chips, Fruit Roll-Ups, Swiss Rolls, Goldfish, macaroni and cheese (the good Kraft kind), peanut butter (the good Jif kind), etc.

A few nights ago, David and I opened cans of the much-missed Fresca I purchased there, but we were both surprised when we found it so....so....so much! Just so sweet, overly flavorful.

We've gotten used to drinking room-temperature unflavored fizzy mineral water everyday like a typical German and buy it by the crate, just like a typical German. At this moment, there are four crates of mineral water in our basement. We experimented a bit and found that mixing Fresca half and half with mineral water made for a perfect, refreshing drink.

Payback

After enduring gentle taunts of "How could you not know more about football (soccer) and handball?" Micaela and her American friends at school got a little payback on their German classmates these past few weeks.

In phys ed class, American football and baseball were the games of choice. Micaela and co. got a kick out of how the German boys picked up the American football and tried to throw it long ways, holding the ball perpendicular to the proper way. Micaela recounted, "Mom, I had to go over to the boys and show them how to throw the ball!"

But playing baseball ended up being even funnier. The non-American coach told everyone to get a glove out of the bin and next thing Micaela knew, the boys had put gloves on both hands. Micaela and co. just laughed and laughed, harder still when the boys looked at them and said, "What? What's so funny?" The coach explained that you only use one glove, so the boys removed one, leaving a glove on their throwing hand. Micaela and co. chuckled when the coach said, "No, no! Put the glove on the other hand!" The kids protested, "But, how are we supposed to catch a ball with our bad hand? Why not put it on our good hand?" After further explanations, the kids were ready to play.

The laughs weren't over yet. The first pitch was placed perfectly, and missed by the batter, so the coach yelled, "Stroke one!" then, "Stroke two!" Micaela and co. just rolled their eyes. After 9 months of feeling like you're constantly being corrected, it's nice to be on the side that knows best.

Emilie Grace's Birthday

Just four days after Micaela's birthday, it's Emilie's turn. Things have been busy this month, so we've promised both girls they can have parties in June. For now, they need to content themselves with picking dinner, eating cake and opening gifts. Not a bad deal.

For dinner, Emilie chose pizza and here blows out the six candles on her princess cake.

An Equestrian Barbie and...

...Enchanted DVD are nice, but...

...a new featherbed and pillow are the best!

Micaela Marie's Birthday

Twelve years ago today......the kids love hearing the stories of the days they were born. Today was Micaela's 12th birthday and all during the day we reminded her of what was going on at exactly that time twelve years ago. Since things got going at about 4:00am and she was born just before midnight, there's a lot to tell.

For her birthday meal, Micaela picked chicken fried rice and I found frozen spring rolls that weren't as good as what you find in the U.S., but were better than nothing.

I haven't been able to find American-style cake mixes and frosting, but a little frozen chocolate cake from the supermarket was perfect for the six of us.

Still not too old for a kiss from Dad. That's Guinness, by the way, at Micaela's side, just hoping she drops a fork full of cake.

Micaela feigns surprise over her gifts. You see, she picked out most of them at IKEA on Saturday, but makes her Mommy happy by expressing shock at the big stack of presents.

Micaela requested a carpet and some bedding for her room. She got an ultra-shaggy carpet and then a pillow, featherbed and featherbed cover.

The featherbed is rather ingenious. What we got Micaela was a set -- a lighter-weight one for warm weather and a heavier-weight one for cooler weather. In the winter, you snap the two together for extra warmth. Then, you put them inside the cover, which is like a huge pillow case. You can have many different covers, so you're not tied to the same comforter or quilt all the time.

And it's easy to make the bed. You have a fitted sheet on your bed and then directly on top, the featherbed. No extra sheet or blankets to fiddle with. Just give the featherbed a fluffing and you're done.

Here's a typical pillow.

Happy Birthday, Micaela!

Transient Synovitis

The last few weeks here in the Nylund household have been full of illnesses. A severe stomach bug made its way through the family, then, I had a sinus infection, Rebecca got croup which turned into bronchitis and Emilie had a few days of fever. But this week, we had the strangest illness yet.

When we picked the kids up Tuesday, James was sitting in the cafeteria reading, instead of practicing soccer with him team. He could barely limp over to me to tell me that his leg hurt, that he could barely walk. He swore that he didn't strain or pull anything. The only way he could walk was to bunch his pant leg up into a ball and lift his leg by lifting his pants. It took forever for him to get out to the car.

We kept assuring James that he would feel better the next day. He must have pulled a muscle and all would be well soon. He was in tears at bedtime, though, saying that he couldn't climb the stairs. We thought he was carrying the drama a bit too far.

The next morning, James flat out informed us that there was no way he could go to school and he wouldn't listen to us telling him that it must just be a strain or pulled muscle. So, we told him it was either school or a trip to the doctor's.

An hour and several piggyback rides later, we were at the pediatrician's office. Rebecca and I stayed in the waiting room while David and James saw the doctor. When James and David came to get us, James' face was all aglow. "I have to stay on the couch for 3 days, Mom!" he announced excitedly, clinging to his Dad's back.

David explained that the doctor, remembering that we were just in last week with Rebecca's croup and bronchitis and had mentioned the stomach bug, knew right away what the problem was. A quick blood test confirmed that James had transient synovitis, more commonly known as hip flu. Whatever virus or viruses that have been lurking around our house settled in Jame's hip joint, inflaming the lubricating lining, or synovial membrane around the joint and making moving the leg very painful. This condition occurs in children (usually those aged between 3 and 10 years) and is more common in boys than in girls.

The cure is bed rest and James also got a prescription for a strong pain reliever. By the next day, he was much better, but the doctor wanted him to come in today for a check. A quick ultrasound showed that the hip was still inflamed, so two more days of rest. Two more days of David and me hanging our heads in shame over doubting our son.

At least James' fingers are getting exercise -- he's never played so much Nintendo DS in his life.

America- Week at Lidl

One of the three grocery stores we have within walking distance is Lidl, a discount supermarket chain. You'll always find the basics, but if you're looking for something a little out of the ordinary, such as Mexican ingredients, a certain spice, or better-quality diapers, you need to go elsewhere. Along with food, they'll have other household items or clothing, but it changes every week and you never know what you'll find. One week there are men's dress shoes, electric mixers and Barbie DVDs, the next there is scuba gear, vacuum cleaners and paint sets.

This week is Amerika-Woche. I couldn't wait to see what foods they would have for America-Week. Would there be items I haven't been able to find, like Fresca, Raisin Nut Bran, Cream of Chicken soup for casserole/crockpot recipes, decent salsa and Taste of Lime tortilla chips, or at least a close equivalent?

In the end, I was not displeased by the selection. Everything was from the red, white and blue Lidl "American" brand -- McEnnedy. There were things I have never seen at this store, such as microwave popcorn, marshmallows, cranberry juice, chocolate chip cookies and bagels. There were pasta and cheese packets, which I think were supposed to be like mac-n-cheese, but were not particularly tasty. We fared better with the red beans and rice packets. There were American-style hotdogs in a jar, apple and raisin cookies and beef chili potato chips, among other things.

If only they would have Campbell's Soup, Kraft, Chik-Fil-A and Frito-Lay week!

A Quick Trip Home

Rebecca and I just returned home from a whirlwind visit to the States. We left Friday afternoon and arrived back in Germany today. One nice thing about working for an airline is the free (or almost free) flights and often being able to fly in business class. Yes, the food is better in business and you get your own personal movie screen and can watch the film of your choice, but there's nothing like being able to stretch out when it's time to get some sleep.

Bex and I stayed in Marblehead, MA with my mom and dad and brother and his family. The jet lag took a toll on me the whole time and letting everyone else take care of us and do all the cooking was such a treat.

In Marblehead (above) we visited with my Aunt Mary Margaret and Aunt Anne. Then in Beverly (below) we had a very nice visit with Aunts Jane, Maureen, Nobby and Uncles Teddy, Bernie and Robbie. And that was far from all my aunts and uncles.

And, I got to go shopping! James needs to build an Aztec house for social studies class and with no stores like Michael's or even a decent craft section in Wal-Mart-type stores in Germany, I didn't know where we were going to find the necessary materials. I found everything I needed in a craft store here and then I even got to step foot into a Target! You have no idea what that meant to me. In one stop, I stocked up on clothes for the kids, contact lens solution for Dave, toothpaste, barrettes, snacks, shoes...it was absolutely wonderful.

We're already looking forward to our next visit back to Marblehead at Christmastime.