The Devil is in the details now!

We arrived home on Thursday after a wonderful flight.  Don't know how we managed it but got upgraded to first class both ways!  Man, it's awesome and the only way to fly but alas we're too broke to pay for that kind of flying ourselves.  The seats recline, they are huge, personal tv sets, great food (no really I mean great food) and even warm chocolate chip cookies.....yummo!  Anyway, we are wanting to walk off the plane and Mark said "you have the parking ticket so you'd better start searching for it while we wait".  I said "Nope you didn't give it to me" and before he even responded this funny look came over him and he remembered that he left his car keys in the ignition of the rental car!  Now I'm thinking Oh, fudge if I'd been the one that left them it would be hell to pay and I'll just keep my mouth shut about it.  Ha!  Well long, really really long story short, we called Morgan to drive us the extra set of truck keys to the airport.  What a guy and I'm gonna miss them so much!  He brings them and we head for home only to get here and realize that we're locked out of the house.  Now suddenly that's all my fault but I kept my cool just walked next door to get my extra house key.  Oops, Morgan's not home from the airport yet and my extra house key isn't on the hook so I bet it's in his pocket.  So I grab Mark and we pile up in their house until Morgan gets home.  Poor guy took the wrong exit at the airport and looped Atlanta before he could get turned around and back home.  I felt horrible!!!!   We now have several copies of keys but since this is the only time in 25 years that we've ever done this I still think it's funny.

We got approved for the apartment and it's really wonderful.  It's in a 300 year old building with hardwood floors, big windows, 3 balconies and best of all it's right across from the park so no neighbors just green lush park views.  I've sketched out several different furniture layouts, surfed ebay and the German version  of craigs list to find some furniture.  I can't buy anything until we go back next month because I have no where to store anything or even pick it up before we move over but at least I know there are some options.  We got the kitchen measurements and are working with Ikea to get a kitchen built.  The issue is that it takes them 6 weeks to install it so we'll be finalizing the details from here and that's scary to a control freak like me.  of well it'll all work out....it has this far right? Oh and not only do you buy your own kitchen but no light fixtures come with the apartment either.  It's crazy!

I also got very exciting news while I was gone.  I won Patti at wanderingvines blog giveaway.  I never enter any giveaways because well, I never win but her blog is just delightful and she was giving away these marvelous buttons, keys, tomato full of pins, strawberry, ect and I was just so enthralled with it all that I entered.  And I won!!!! I have already picked out a wooden bowl to display them in when I get to Germany.  I just see these all nestled in the bowl on a table in the entrance hallway so I can see them all the time. 

Front of building and we're the 2nd balcony

View from Balcony to Park

Another view

Living Room with cove ceilings

Entrance hallway

Dining Room 

Ok gonna attached a couple of photos of the apartment then it's off to actually clean house and start packing again. 

Feeling European

Well we have been in Germany for a week now trying to sort everything out. We put an application in for a apartment over the weekend and just waiting to hear if we've been approved. Keep your fingers crossed because it is a marvelous old place complete with view of the castle in Durlach and across the street from the park. What could be more charming than a gorgeous view of trees, flowers and fountains without any sweat equity required on my part? I'm so not a yard person because I just don't do sweaty very well so this is a perfect solution. It's got 3 balconies, hardwood floors, right in town but it has a parking garage so Mark is happy. I would be in the oldest part of Karlsrhue with access to the tram and train station just a block away so I would be able to go anywhere with ease. I'm so excited but still trying o figure out how I'm gonna train Clarice to not jump out the windows. Remember no air conditioning here so windows must be open....any ideas will be much appreciated. I haven't stitched more than two or three times since we left home. I'm engrossed in reading a couple of new books and that seems to be easier to set aside right now. The only English speaking tv we have at the hotel is CNN so hat gets old rather quickly. I know I could watch movies on the iPad but frankly just not that interested right now. Mark has worked every day so I have breakfast with him then retire to the patio at the hotel to surf/research stuff, read or just kinda chill out. It's just so pretty and cool sitting here that I lose track of time and before I know it, mark is home from work asking what all I got accomplished...hummmmm, not everything I planned on doing.LOL Well I need to call the realtor to check the status of our applications, go exchange mony, open a bank account and hopefully go take measurements of the rooms in the apartment if we got approved. I'd like to order my kitchen before we leave for home on Thursday. Cheers Donna

Ahhhhh, Retirement is Great!

I am loving my new status of unemployed but have accomplished nothing which feels wonderful.  We are going to Germany on Sunday and will be gone for 2 weeks.  Hopefully I will find us housing then it's back home for 3 weeks then the permanent move will transpire.  I'm still so excited and just relieved to be on a path now.

I had all these plans on cleaning house this week but nope haven't started yet.  I'm still getting up every morning (just an hour later than I used to), doing my makeup routine then getting online for hours upon hours on end.  There is still a lot of "stuff" that I have to research, calls to make and general blog searching that I must attend to every day.  Seriously, I am working at least part of the day on moving stuff but no real stitching until after dinner every night just like before.  Dang it and I have cooked every night.  I'm trying to use all the food in the freezer and pantry stuff before we move.   Mark's loved it because home cooking every night and at least one dessert every other night so he feels very pampered.  We turned my car into the dealership last Thursday so I'm stuck at home without a vehicle now.  It just didn't make sense to keep it parked in a garage, make lease payments plus taxes and insurance while we are gone.  I actually pushed to do it because the payment is due the first of every month so before June's was due, I wanted it done.  I'm just a nervous Nellie because even though we can live without my salary, we never had to and I draw my last paycheck this Friday.  I just have adjust my budgeting a little bit and getting rid of the car gave me a head start on doing that.

Okay now for fun stuff again.  We went home to Arkansas on Friday for the weekend and what a great time we had seeing everyone.  We hadn't been home since Christmas 2010 so we had a lot of catching up to do with all the family and friends.  My folks threw a drop in party on Saturday evening and it was wonderful!  My parents are so proud and supportive of our adventure that they wanted all of loved ones to wish us well.  There were probably 40 or so people that came and oh my gosh, did we have lots of Food!  Of course, like all southerner's my momma and daddy worry about running out of food so they went way overboard.  Everything was delicious and we laughed ourselves silly.  We stayed with Mark's folks and had a chance to visit in depth with them about our move.  Mark still hadn't told them until Friday night....that man!  I think they expected something like that was in the works but Mark just never talked about it with them because why????  He's a man!  So strange but again I just love them and know I'll never ever be able to change that family!

Now stitchy news:  I finished Pumpkin Farm, Gathering Basket and Sweet Thoughts Of You.  I have no picture of Sweet Thoughts because I framed it along with a lock of my baby hair and gave it to my parents when we were home.  I chose not to use the perforated paper to stitch on but instead used an older piece of 14 count fabby that I had in my stash.  It really turned out nicely and maybe I can convince my momma to take a picture and send it to me so I can show it to you guys.  I also started La-D-Da's Old Crow on the plane home.  I'm using the called for fabby which is a rich chocolate brown and looks nothing like the fabric on the chart.  Go figure but I love, love this brown but  just wish I had bought more of it.  Me thinks I might have to make another stash run when we get home the end of June.  Oh wait....budget, budget...oh screw it, I can feed him beanie, wienies a few times.  LOL!

I'm gearing up for the move by stocking up on "girl" movies to watch and added the Downtown Abbey to my collection last week.  I got seasons 1 and 2 because so many of my stitchy and prim pals said they were excellent.  I also put the Hatfields and McCoys on the DVR because I loved that mini series but I've got to figure out how to get them off dvr and onto my dvd.  We have a dvd recorder if I can just figure out how to turn the crazy thing on.  Anyway H&Mc may have become my favorite show of all times because of all the prims I could see in the homes.  I just sat there enthralled or at least enthralled until they started shooting then I'd look away and Mark would tell me when to turn around again.  It's funny how that stuff makes me so queasy now when I grew up on all the Nightmare on Elm Streets and Jason movies and still love all the crime shows on tv but couldn't watch the shootings on H&Mc.....maybe because that really did happen and those people really did die like that. 

Anyhoo, I'm off not for a little more research time and then head upstairs to my stitchy chair for at least an hour of quality stitching time this afternoon.  I'm exhausting Clarice because I'm home all day and she's  not getting all her catnaps in during the day so maybe if I take a break this afternoon she can get a little shuteye.  The things we do for our kids!