Performances and Parties

This week has been busy as it is the girls' final week before their three week break from school.

Monday morning, Adeline attended Snow White at the local theater with her class and a few other classes from the school. The play was put on by a company, but they asked a few of the older students to participate. A few of the girls who were asked to be in the show were her friends she plays with during their breaks. 

In the afternoon, Adeline's dance class had a small performance for the parents. We invited Uschi to join us and Adeline did a great job demonstrating everything she has learned this fall in class. Adeline even convinced Uschi to join her along with Emmie as they taught a few poses to the parents. Afterwards, we enjoyed an ice cream snack and coffee downtown to celebrate Adeline's fantastic performance.

Adeline performed again for us on Tuesday afternoon. Her class had their Christmas party in the school. In the beginning, the teacher read a story about the birth of Baby Jesus and the children played an instrument to accompany certain sections of the story. Adeline was right on cue with her cymbal. when the teacher spoke of the star. The shades were then closed and the 25 students each took a votive candle in a glass jar and sang a gentle winter song while walking in a circular procession around the room. 

I was a little nervous with all of the lit candles, but it was a neat sight with a calming tune. For their activity, the families then went on a winter hike up into the forest. Emmie and I did not attend, but Adeline had a fun time with her friends walking in the dark with their flashlights. 

Wednesday afternoon, I started packing our suitcases. With careful placement, I have been able to get our clothes, chocolate, and gifts in the four suitcases. However, I think the chocolate outweighs our clothes.

On Thursday morning, the kindergarten staff put on Snow White for the children. Emmie's two teachers were in the play, so this made it even more exciting for Emmie.  Sabine was Snow White when she was little and Anna was the blue dwarf. Emmie enjoyed watching it with her friends in their school gymnasium. 

Eric was stuck in Sweden on Thursday evening due to another snow storm. Initially, he was able to book an earlier flight since his late night flight was canceled, but after waiting at the airport for the earlier flight and over an hour delay, they canceled it as well. The airlines canceled it five minutes too late for him to take an overnight train home as well.  After an early morning delay of four hours, Eric made it back to Frankfurt early Friday afternoon.

Adeline completed her week with her good friend, Rebecca's, sledding birthday party in the afternoon.

Tomorrow, us gals fly back to the US for the holidays and Eric will travel to London for his company holiday party.  

Düsseldorf

This weekend we did a road trip to Düsseldorf. The weather was cooperative for the two hour drive north to the quaint city as we only encountered a little bit of rain along the way.

After our picnic lunch in the hotel, we ventured off towards the Weihnachtsmarkt. On our way, we walked along the luxury shopping street and window shopped. The Christmas Market is in a few clusters around the city, so it made for an enjoyable stroll throughout the day and into the evening. Düsseldorf Christmas Market Each cluster has it's own theme, so it was fun to wonder through each section, see the decorations, and glance at what the vendors had to offer. We enjoyed the sights and sounds of the festival, as well as the treats. The girls found the carousel for one last seasonal ride. On our way back to the hotel, the main street's trees were beautifully lit to make an enjoyable stroll back to the room.

Sunday morning, we left early as it was going to be a busy afternoon with our church small group Christmas party and Eric had to leave early in the evening for work. When we arrived home, all of the snow and ice from earlier in the week was gone. We also learned the party was canceled due to illnesses, so my vegetable tray for 25 people will make for quick and healthy cooking this coming week. We took an afternoon walk downtown in the sunshine and warm air before it turns bitter cold again.

The Miracle Of Friendship

There is a miracle called Friendship
that dwells within the heart
and you don't know how it happens
or when it even starts.

But the happiness it brings you
always gives a special lift
and you realize that Friendship
is God's most precious gift.

- Jean Kyler McManus -

Eric and I learned that our dear friend, Kathryn, lost her battle with cancer late Thursday evening. This poem represents the start of our friendship as we were freshman roommates at Michigan Tech. We had opposites personalities, but God brought us together as we dealt with the various ups and downs of being away at college. We have continued to be a part of each other's lives since we first met and have created many memories together. She was an amazing individual. Eric and I are blessed to have known Kathryn.

Thank you to all that prayed and supported her and her family. Please continue to pray for her family as they deal with this loss of their beloved one.

QUINLAN, Kathryn E. MD Age 33 December 9, 2010 Beloved wife of Timothy Schneider. Dear mother of Cora and Quinn Schneider. Cherished daughter of Thomas and Suzanne Quinlan. Dear sister of Ryan and Patrick Quinlan. Beloved granddaughter of Elizabeth Lenhardt. Also survived by aunts, uncles and cousins.

Nikolaustag

Nikolaustag was Monday, which made for an eventful day. The day started with Adeline and Emmie opening our door to leave for school and finding their boot full of goodies and a present. The girls were excited to discover nuts, fruit, and a few little items stashed in their boots. At school, St. Nikolaus visited them, too. In kindergarten, Emmie sang songs with him and her stocking had been filled with fruit, nuts, and chocolate. Emmie was so happy about her treats in her stocking, she carried it all the way home. Adeline also received a bag full of nuts, fruit, and chocolate from St. Nikolaus. She commented on his appearance of dressing like Santa and how he was tall like Daddy, but skinny like Mommy.

Eric also received a gift from St. Nikolaus on his Lufthansa morning flight. He received a tasty sandwich, a clementine, lebkuchen, and a Lindt chocolate packaged in an small appliqued cloth sack.

On Tuesday morning, I visited with my lady friends from church. We had a fun time conversing about living abroad, winter vacations, and planning for the Christmas party on Sunday.

Adeline got to find out what was in stocking #7 in her classroom as this was her number for the Advent calendar in their classroom. She was so happy to find a little stuffed tiger to hang on to her packback.

Wednesday afternoon, we baked peanut butter kiss cookies. After three dozen cookies of baking one sheet at a time, the girls were finished in the kitchen, but I still had a few more items to make to complete our cookie tray.

Wednesday evening, Melanie and I attended our 2nd cooking class on making edible Christmas gifts. When we arrived to class, the lights were on, but the stoves did not work. After a half hour and numerous phone calls, the stoves were on and we were underway making our treats. Melanie and I made a honey, apricot mustard, Glühwein jelly, and a Christmas liquor. After 25 minutes of us holding the electric handmixer to beat the Christmas liquor ingredients which are similar to eggnog, we were happy this was the last item to make. We ended up with 10 different recipes for drinks, spreads, and condiments and had numerous little jars to bring home to try it all out. The evening finished with punch and poppyseed eggnog accompanied with cake before heading out in the snowy weather.

Thursday morning, we woke to a Winter Wonderland. We had another huge snowfall and the snow covered trees and buildings were beautiful. I was happy I had no place to go except to the girls' school as the roads were difficult to drive on as there was ice underneath the snow. After school, we went sledding near their school. Emmie has learned how to slide down head first on her belly on the hill from watching the other kids. This is hilarious to watch as she does better in the snow then she did on the slip-in-slide. The girls also made a snowman in our yard later in the afternoon.

Eric made it home safely in the evening after a delayed flight, but not until he informed the taxi driver to take him to his house as the driver wanted to drop him off at the corner due to the snow mess on our hilly street.

Tis the Season for...

Friday evening, the girls built their Gingerbread house with Eric. They each decorated a side of the roof and then the front lawn. I believe the same amount of candy that decorates the house was  consumed during the construction of it. 

We spent Saturday afternoon at the Mainz Weihnachtsmarkt. The Christmas Market is a very nice market set in the historic city center. We arrived early to enjoy walking around and browsing the various stands with Sarah and Jorge. The festival also has a very old nativity wood nativity scene and a large pyramid from Eastern Germany. Click for Mainz Christmas Market pictures  The girls picked out a doughy snowball covered in white chocolate while we sipped on our hot beverages. When the sun went down, the city looked very pretty with the festival lights. We had a nice time in the festive atmosphere to pass the cold day.

Sunday afternoon we spent in downtown Hofheim as they were having their Christmas Market this weekend as well. Hofheim's market is small with numerous local vendors, but seeing people we know as we were strolling through the festival made it fun. The Wendel family joined us as we spent the afternoon sipping on Gluwein and hot orange juice. Adeline also saw a few of her classmates which brought a smile to her face. While the girls were eating their nutella crepes, we sat around a bonfire to warm our toes. The evening weather was pleasant to be outside, so we took our time journeying home to enjoy the sights and tastes of the season.

Let it Snow!

Monday began with a huge snowfall. Eric returned home early Monday morning after his morning flight was cancelled and then stayed home as his early evening flight was also cancelled. The girls had fun playing in the snow at school. Adeline chose to walk to dance, which was very pretty walking through town with the first big snowfall. In the early evening, Eric and Adeline went sledding.

Tuesday afternoon we celebrated the Advent season with Emmie's class at her school. The children sang holiday songs for us to start the festivities. We had a fun time enjoying the various sweets and treats brought in and socializing with the other families. We made Christmas wreaths to share with everyone. The green cookies were bright on the table with the other cookies, but this just made everyone more curious as to how they were made. When I told them the recipe, they were amazed at how easy it was and how pretty they looked even with the silver sugar balls since I could not find red little candies to decorate them with.

Eric dined at a very nice restaurant in Sweden with his colleagues Tuesday evening. The restaurant's "No Menu" concept resulted in an eight course meal with an accompanying glass of wine for each course.   The portions served were petite, but artistically displayed and full of flavor. The courses were as follows: bread plate with cheese bread, pumpernickel raisin bread, and a sourdough bread; pumpkin soup with venison heart; pork cheeks; inverted sushi with whitefish; lamb; tenderloin with gravy; melon sorbet; and orange marmelade.  The chef also would not inform them ahead of time what they were eating and drinking till after each course was over which created interesting conversation around the table. Eric did correctly guess that one glass of wine was a late harvest Riesling from the Mosel. Bloom in the Park met their goal of ensuring it is a unique experience when dining with them.

The weather turned frigid for the rest of the week. The forecast showed a thermometer in the blue zone since the daytime temperatures were in the negative Celsius. In addition, the sidewalks and streets have ice on them, so it is not easy getting around town. One of Emmie's classmates cannot park by their house on the hill due to the ice on the street. The girls had friends over in the afternoons to pass the time which worked for me as I did not have to go out again.

First of Advent

We woke up to snowfall Friday morning and what a fabulous way to get into the holiday spirit. The snow fell in large flakes in the morning, so the girls were able to enjoy it during their school breaks, but it melted by the afternoon.

Saturday, we hopped a train to Stuttgart to meet up with the Dagefoerde family. We had our own compartment for us to enjoy our lunch and the journey. The train's view was  gorgeous and peaceful with the fresh snowfall in the forest. However, about 45 minutes south of Frankfurt there was no snow, but the sun was shining. We arrived in Stuttgart on time and walked around the Christmas market with Nele, Jonas, and Finja looking at the different wooden items for sale amongst other numerous gifts. We also stopped to enjoy some Gluhwein and Kinderpunch.  

In the afternoon, we went to Esslingen. It brought back many good memories of living there a few years ago. After a rest at the Dagefoerde's home, we explored the Middle Age Market. They have candles and torches lit in the evening amongst their wooden stands, serve food made in wooden ovens or over an open flame, and sell items related to the era. To top our evening off, we enjoyed some fried apple rings and then some more seasonal beverages. The girls feel asleep as we were on our train from Frankfurt to Hofheim. 

Sunday morning at church, our family was asked to do a reading and light the first candle of Advent during the family service. After a few Christmas hymns, we were called up to the front. Adeline started the reading about Hope and Eric finished it.  An additional candle is lit during each subsequent week. By the fourth Sunday all of the candles will be lit except for the middle one, which will be lit on Christmas, celebrating Jesus's birth. There are many beautiful advent wreaths around town to celebrate this occasion as the advent wreath is big tradition practiced here.