Aggie Muster

I don't have anyone to Muster with this fine Aggie Muster day, I am saddened that there is no Muster ceremony closer to me and even sadder that I have no Aggie friend here to even just go to dinner.  But I am forever grateful for the dynamic Aggie family that I am so humbly a part of.  I believe Muster is the greatest Aggie tradition, it is important to pay tribute to those that have gone before us and there is always that great assurance that when your time comes you too will be remembered. 

I planned an Aggie Muster last year and I am inclined to volunteer to plan next year's Muster to ensure that there will in fact be some Aggie Muster ceremony in this dense Military populous area that I am positive must have plenty of Aggies.....softly call the Muster.

"Muster is the most solemn and sacred of all Aggie traditions, but it is a time of joy and happy remembrance. Those who have gone before us are those whose lives have touched ours. May we do the same for those who come after us. May we expect no less of ourselves." - Dr. E. Dean Gage '65

This past week, I have had the pleasure of watching this little cutie-patootie, Mrs. Heidi.  She is a young beagle puppy and I was watching her for a friend who went traveling around with her family for a few days.

 

Autumn and little Heidi got along fabulously!  They cuddled on the couch, on Autumn's bed and they rough housed a plenty. 

After a several hour long battle with persistent little Heidi, I decided that fighting her getting on the couch wasn't worth the effort, so I just put a sheet over the couch to keep it clean and dog hair free!  Autumn got to cuddle on the couch a few times this week too because I felt guilty when she would give me those little puppy dog eyes which were clear to say, "How come she's on the couch?  I am not allowed..."  

 She had it really rough while she was staying at Aunt 'G's house.

Heidi trying desperately to recover the many Autumn toys/bones lost to the couch over the past month.

  Drinking water at the same time...two peas in a pod.

Heidi had an obsession for chewing ONLY the bones that Autumn was chewing (even though I would give them both identical bones at the exact same moment, she would only want the one Autumn had).  

Autumn trying to evade her bone stealing attempts.

Heidi's persistence paid off and Autumn gave her the bone and got the one I had originally given Heidi.  Fortunately, Autumn is not possessive with her stuff at all, she just wants a bone she doesn't care which one!  She was such a fabulous dog this past week, I wouldn't trade her for a million dollars!

Andrew's gone but the dirt remains

My husband left yesterday and now I am left with tiny reminders of his visit: muddy bootprints, tiny chunks of dirt that fell off his yard work laden tennis shoes, blue jeans strewn on the floor, toothpaste remnants in the sink, and loads and loads of laundry!  All just tiny reminders that love resides in this busy though admittedly untidy (at the moment) household.

I am dog sitting for the next few days so I am doubtful that the mud on the floor will dissipate any time soon, even though I gave it a good go today!

I have a husband, I have a husband, hey-hey-hey-hey

I must admit, I am so happy to have my hubby home even if it is for just a short few days.  This is our first time apart, since the last deployment and having him away makes appreciate having him around so much more.  I am fine when he is away, I know it must be God somehow soothing and comforting me, but once he gets back home I remember just how much I actually missed him!  I love having him around...I just love it!  Though I will be sad to see him leave for another few weeks I know that when he comes back we will love each other all the more!

Decorating on a Euro - Master Bedroom

 

I was a bit nervous when we first looked at the house that our bedroom furniture wouldn't fit due to the slanted roof line.  Fortunately, Andrew and I both underestimated the size of the room and as it turns out everything fit perfectly - so relieved!  I am looking for a rug and a few more nick knacks but those will come with time...and travels!

 

Decorating on a Euro - Kitchen

For some reason Germans just do not have large, spacious, open kitchens and for the life of me I can't figure out why!  But, anyhow here it is my tiny, cabinet-less, minimal counter space kitchen.  Blogging about it made me recount the many reasons I dislike this kitchen so here it is, my top 5 reasons I do not love this kitchen:

#5 Limited cabinet/counter space.  Why would there not be cabinets on this wall?  And why would the cabinet/counter with the stove not continue all the way to the wall?  We purchased that little cabinet and without it I am not really sure where I would have fit all of my stuff as you can see it is pretty stuffed!

  

#4 - Tinsie-winsie one sided sink!

 

#3 - Tinsie-winsie tiny German refrigerator that is incidentally now my pantry.  We had to borrow a fridge from the housing office so we could have a normal sized American fridge! (The center door is the fridge and no, neither the top nor the bottom is a freezer!)

#2 - Tinsie-winsie German oven that none of my sheet pans fit in :(

 

#1 - The crazy recycling sorting that we have to do.  Now, let me just say that I do not mind recycling in fact I rather quite like to do so, but sorting 5 different ways is ridiculous!  The green sack is for plastics/metals, the larger metal can is for regular dumpster waste (which there is hardly ever any after you recycle and sort everything!) the little metal can is for biological/food waste, not pictured is paper/cardboard and glass!  Isn't that the most ridiculous amount of sorting you've ever seen???

April Fools!!!

Yesterday I got a Wii fit.  I was super excited about it and today I went to plug it in, with my workout clothes and tennis shoes on and ready for a Wii Fit workout when........

An error message popped up on the screen:

"Your Wii fit does not have the capability to be connected today."

And then......

Another message popped up:

"APRIL FOOLS!"

Can you believe that my Wii pulled an April Fools Day joke on me???  That clever little gaming system.  I was pretty sure it was pulling another April Fools joke on me when it weighed me but alas, the April Fools Day message I was waiting for never came :(

German Loofahs

Remember when loofahs first became a big deal? Those suckers would last for years! I am pretty sure I had the same white loofah all the way through college and it even survived the frequent washings (I believe that you should wash a long lasting loofah occasionally - for cleanliness's sake). Nowadays you are lucky if they last a month! I bought a loofah at the PX two weeks ago and this is what it now looks like!

A 2-week lasting loofah is pitiful!

Which brings me to my point: Germany's pain inducing loofahs. I always enjoy a nice refreshing shower, lathering myself with a sudsy soft yet, exfoliating loofah. After the annihilation of my pitiful PX loofah, I walked down to the Ilhr Platz (essentially a German dollar store) to find a replacement loofah. I found this pink loofah:
Which is essentially a Brillo pad with a loofah inside! It is horrible. I am debating whether I should throw it out or use it as my new kitchen scrubber.