Wedding Video

Video on youtube

Always on my mind

This is my first time taking part in this activity. While I realize it is mainly aimed at US sales, I thought it would be fun to give it a German twist. Maybe you are curious about costs of living in Germany, or actually living abroad and seeking out cheap meal ideas.

This weeks meal was purchased at Lidl

Sloppy Joes

Shopping list-

Sloppy Joe seasoning - I have yet to find this in Germany, if anyone knows somewhere please let me know as of now my family is sending it to me. On sale they cost about 1 dollar

500g Hackfleisch (ground meat)- I used mixed pork and beef one sale for 1.49 E

Hamburger buns .99 E

French Fries -On sale .99 E

Ketchup - I normally use tomato past but forgot to pick it up, ketchup actually worked out really well

Preperation-

Fry up the meat

Add the seasoning packet, ketchup or tomato paste

A bit of water- less if using ketchup

Serve on toasted buns with oven backed french fries

Total cost of meal: 4.48 E

For more bargain meals check out Bargain meal of the week

And don't forget to check out The Happy housewife for more tips of frugal living

Germans flip out over Google maps street view

"Google has bowed to demands in Germany to do more to protect people's privacy ahead of the launch of its Street View service in the country, officials said on Wednesday."

Read the the article at The Local

Germans snacking through recession

"The worst recession for decades is making Germans turn to sweets and snacks as comfort food, figures suggested on Wednesday."

Read the the article at The Local

Guess that explains DH's addiction to doublekeks and kartoffel chips. Hehe.

Darkest Secrets dun dun dun (Friend Making Mondays on Wednesday. Hey I never claimed to be good with timeliness))

What kind of friends would we be if we didn't confide our deepest darkest secrets with each other? 

1. If its yellow then its mellow if its brown flush it down. Why waste water? I don't flush the toilet every time I use it. I also hate washing my hands shhhhh. 

2. I love journal writing, but edit my journal content out of fear my kids will find it after my death and last thing they would want to do is read details of my intimacy.

3. My husband likes to yell at me in German, so I get my revenge by making up insults in English and teaching it to him as if it is an actual word. So if he ever says something really random when he is pissed of you can thank me. 

4. I sniff clothing to tell if it is clean. 

5. I leave empty yogurt containers randomly around the house after eating. 

6. I hate cleaning the bathroom, so I let it get to the point of disgusting when it bothers my husband, so that he will clean it. 

7. I have at least 100 pairs of underwear here in Germany, and at least 300 more in storage. I never throw underwear away, unless it gets holes.  I had a full size dresser drawer full of underwear. And it goes down the panty chain over time from brand new, still excellent condition, still ok, only for certain times of the month, and absolute depression I need to do laundry, after that it gets tossed. Usually after they have multiple holes. Horrible I know. 

8. I am scared to death of raw meat but have no problem eating certain leftovers even after they sit out all night. 

9. I wipe buggers under the car seat (no not the new car, but watch where you put your hands in the buick)

Thats all I can think of today. Now I will go crawl under my rock in shame lol. 

For more confessions check out All that is Good

Survey

How many people did you date this year?
just my DH

Why aren't you dating the person you want?
I'm married to him...

Would you ever want to go to Jamaica?
not sure, not at the top of my travel wish list

Do you believe what goes around comes around?
yes 

Is your birthday on a holiday?
nope

If you could have a plane ticket to anywhere right now, where would you go?
The US to visit my family, but I would need two plane tickets


Did you enjoy your day today?
had a laid back day its a holiday here. Ran errands this morning and just had a lazy day at home. Gave the blog a face lift. 

Does anyone think you are a bitch?
I am sure someone in this world does

Do you wish you could tell someone something big, but can't?
not off the top of my head

What were you doing at 1 a.m. this morning?
sleeping

Is there one person in your life that can always make you smile?
DH is pretty good at that

Do you have any tattoos or piercings?
Two piercing in each ear, and two tattoos- the year of the rat on my left shoulder and the german flag stripped in a star in between my shoulder blades

Do you think a lot of people think bad things about you?
I wouldn't say "A LOT," but again I don't really care. They're just misguided! 

Anything interesting happen last night?
no

Who last messaged you on myspace?
PCC Almuni foundation

What's currently bothering you?
Nervous about driving by myself to Heilbronn tomorrow

Do you miss your past?
Not sure I understand the question, there are always things or people we miss, but also misguided or bad decisions we made. I am happy with where I am now in life.

Are you jealous of anyone right now?
Envious maybe. But i wouldn't say jealous

Are you different from how you were a year ago?
So so so much. 

Do you wear sweatpants or pajamas to school or work?
All the time, yeah for comfort

What was the last thing you drank?
mineral water

Do you think you can last in a relationship for 2 months?
i'm pretty sure i can!

Is tomorrow going to be a good day?
I hope so.

You ever sang in front of a large audience?
does karaoke count?

What is the first thing you notice about the opposite sex?
posture, body structure, eyes, face

Have you shaved your legs in the past three days?
No, I have been in Europe too long lol

Has a boy ever called you babe/baby?
yes

Are your toe nails painted pink?
no, au natural

Has someone ever called you beautiful?
sure

Will you be in a relationship in 4 months?
I sure hope so.

Ever had a boy best friend?
yes

Do you think Chad Michael Murray is cute?
not my type

Do you enjoy wearing dresses?
on occasion.

Do you straighten your hair often?
rarely

Are you waiting for something?
not particularly 

Does anyone hate you?
once again...don't care, but I don't think so

What were you up to this weekend?
drove to Thueringen

Are you happy with life?
for the most part

Who did you spend most of your time with last night?
DH

Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance?
depends

Did you cry today?
naw

Are you a jealous person?
not really

Are you smart?
i like to think so.

Do you hate the last guy you had a conversation with?
not at all

Kiss with eyes open or closed?
closed

What's most stressing right now?
the unknowns

Do you swallow gum when you're done with it?
no, I spit it out

Do you like messages or comments better?
both i guess

What are you drinking?
nada

Who was your last call from?

Mom

What would you do if you had a time machine?
charge people to use it. and become a billionaire ( I like this idea, stole it from a friend) But also fulfill my morbid curiosity and watch live action shows at the coliseum. hehe

Has the last person you texted ever been mad at you before?
I am sure he has

Do any of your top friends have a tongue ring?
i don't think so.

When will be the next time you text someone?
whenever

How much money did you spend today?
7,40 Euro

What will you be doing tomorrow?
Meeting a friend in Heilbronn for lunch

Friend Making Mondays (on Saturday)

Oops My apologies for being a bit late on this activity, but I get an A for effort.

List 10 random things about yourself that people might not know or you just want to share:

1. I read magazines backwards. The individual articles I read in the correct order, but I start from the back cover and proceed forward one article at a time. I also read the ads, which may have to do with the limit English literature I have access to lol.

2. I have a scheduled routine in the shower: a) wash hair b) put in conditioner c) wash face d) wash body (including counting to 15 everywhere) d) rinse out conditioner e) rinse entire body f) brush teeth

3. Everyday I go online to the following websites: Thehappyhousewife.com (I do read other blogs but not as religiously), cnn.com, thelocal.de, neopets.com, myspace.com, facebook.com, and toytowngermany.com

4. I love to read, but instead of reading on book at a time, I tend to read 4 books and a variety of magazines at the same time and enjoy them over longer periods of time

5. I am a list whore. I make lists for everything, and then I rewrite the list if anything is changed, a screwed up list screws up my chi. I have a huge pile of scrap paper just for my lists

6. When I talk on the phone I have to look at pictures. Be it photos on my computer or in a magazine, I cannot just sit and talk on the phone without having something to look at

7. I love multitasking, I very rarely do just one thing at a time. 

8. I am horrible about writing letters, and even worse with birthday cards. I have a stack of partially written or un-mailed letters dating back to last year. I was even lame enough to try to pull of saying it must have been lost in the mail when someone received a 5 month old postcard

9. I love anything with Mermaids, Disney Princesses, or lambs

10.I usually wear clothes a few times before washing them. This rule does exclude underwear, or soiled or smelly clothes. But pants and shirts that still smell fresh and don't have anything like knee creases or visible signs of wear get a second run through before washing.

Yeah me!

So I ventured out of the house alone, and sought the companionship of a fellow English speaker for the first time today. While I had a blast, I also noticed how much lack of human companionship over times really screws up your sense of social cues and context. 

I rode the train by myself to and from Heibronn without issue. Met a friend for lunch (Chinese) and walked around checking out the shopping mall and district as well as the 1 Euro store Yeah!!

But I realized how long it had been since I had actually been face to face with another native speaker rather than just online, and further how long it had been since I made friends. I have avoided eye contact for so long, I suppose out of fear of people striking up conversation in German that I was totally self conscious about my communication behaviors. I didn't know when to make eye contact, what was to little versus too much, and further more I was so self conscious about myself I felt I just rambled on at times. I truly hope I didn't make an Ass out of myself. 

Now that I have broken out of my comfort barrier, I hope to make it a more routine activity to meet up with fellow English speakers as well as creating and maintaining new friendships. It has been rather isolating not getting out and meeting people. I think I have to just get past the self consciousness and be me. Underneath it all I am a great person, who can have great conversations, I just have to get past the awkward exterior I have built up this past year of isolation. 

But all in all, I also need to realize that these are people who have been in my shoes, and probably understand the emotional roller coaster I have embarked upon. 

I had a blast today. It was so refreshing to get out of the house and have someone to talk to. I hope I will get the opportunity to do it more often. 

Next on my list of things to do is join up one with one of the regular group meet ups in Heilbronn, and maybe even start one up of my own. Maybe one for housewives, or a cooking group which I know my friend also expressed interest in. 

I am adjusting, slowly but surely. That is step one. As of now, I continue to take life one day at a time. 

Magic's in the Makeup- No Doubt 

Can you tell I'm
faking it?
But I want to be myself
A counterfit disposition
Can't be good for my health
So many different faces
Depending on the different phases
My personality changes
I'm a chameleon
There's more then one dimension
I can fool you and attract attention
Camouflage my nature
Let me demonstrate...

Makeup's all off
Who am I?
Magic's in the makeup
Who am I?

If you bore me
then I'm comfortable
If you interest me I'm scared
My attraction paralyses me
No courage to show my true colors that exist
But I want to be the real thing
But if you catch my eye can't be authentic
The ones I loath are the one's that know me the best

My makeup's all off
Who am I?
The magic's in the makeup
Who am I?

The makeup's all
off
Who am I?
If the magic's in the make up
Then who am I?
Magic's in the makeup
But I want to be the real thing
But the magic's in the makeup
And I want to be the real thing

My makeup's all
off
Who am I? 

Disclaimer

It is a very sad day when people have to remind the world that personal photos are just that personal, and not meant for the distribution or reproduction for other peoples objectives.

All images and content of this page are copyrighted material of Lostintranslation08. 

From now on photos will carry a © watermark logo.

For information on reproducing any content or photos from this blog contact the blog author at Lostintranslation_08@yahoo.com

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On a side note to my family: Please drop me an email and I can send you copies of any images without the © watermark. 

Bratklüschen

Lost in Translations first German cooking tutorial (including my screw up)

Bratklüschen is a traditional German pork dish.

This is my totally lame as attempt at a recipe, note the lack of measurements I eyeball it.

Ingredients:

a little flour

2 eggs

a little panier mehl or bread crumbs

crumbled up bread ( a bit stale works great)

a bitt of milk

salt

pepper

butter

500 grams ground pork (note it is crucial it is just ground pork, I made the mistake of buying ground beef and pork and it totally screwed up my recipe.)

Prep Work:

1. Fill a flat plate with a bit of flour

2. Fill a raised edge plate with two eggs, a bit of milk (whipped together) and a touch of salt and pepper)

3. Fill a flat plate with a good portion of panier mehl

4. Put a god size frying pan on the stove and warm butter in the bottom of the pan

1. Take a small hand full of meat mash together the meat and a little bit of crushed up bread, make into a small round flattened patty

2. Dip the patty into a flour (works great on a flat plate with the flour spread out, this helps the next ingredients stick better)

3. Dip the flour coated patty into egg, coat it well

4. Dip the egg covered patty into the panier mehl, and coat well

5. Drop into the butter filled pan and fry

6. Repeat for each Bratklüschen

7. Cook till fully done, over 90 C internal heat

8. Set on a plate over a paper towel to absorb any excess grease or butter

You can serve this dish a variety of ways, and even keep extra as they make great sandwiches, and are good warm or cold.

I served mine with potato pancakes and salad.

Enjoy

Easter in Germany

This was my attempt at a Easter dinner. Sadly I did not get any photos of myself.

Random

What happened last night?
We watched Hellboy in German

What's going on between you and the last person you kissed?
Nothing at the moment, he is at work.

What did the first text you received this morning say?
Nobody texts me everybody hates me. I'm gonna eat some worms lol.

Who was the first person you talked to today?
Toni

Last time someone kissed you?
This morning I think. I wasn't that awake. 

Do you send over 1,000 texts a month?
Haha no, but I have in the past

If the year consisted of only two seasons, which would you choose?
fall and spring

If someone liked you, would you want them to tell you?
Not really applicable.

Relationship between you and the last person you texted?
Married.

How many true friends do you have?
a handful, they know who they are.

What are you excited for?
Talking to the integration course instructor tonight, Driving back to Ilfeld tommorow

Is it easy to make you smile?
most times

Are you a loud person?
sometimes, my husband would say often, I say cultural difference

Is there someone you don't ever want to be out of your life?
yes, definitely

Is there a person of the opposite sex who means a lot to you?
of course

Do you currently have any bruises?
no :D

Do you ignore people when you're mad/upset with them?
Generally not

If you could have something right now, what would it be?
a Plane Ticket

When was the last time you saw your grandpa?
years ago :[. Er ist tot.

If you're being extremely quiet what does it mean?
probably tired
or just cant think of anything interesting to say

Would you date someone right now if they asked you?
no lol

What was the first thing you thought this morning?
I didn't sleep well, and why is the bird screaming

Do you have a best friend you can count on?
Yes, a few

What were you doing at 2 AM?
Sleeping

Are you someone who worries too often?
Yes, but I have improved significantly

Have you fixed friendships with anyone lately?
not lately, not to say I haven't tried

How do you feel about chocolate covered strawberries?
yummy!

Who do you miss right now?
my mama and my dad

What time did you go to sleep last night?
1030 ish

Do you regret anything you've done this year so far?
no

What phone do you have?
I have a Tmobile wing, but am using a Samsung

It's 4 in the morning, your phone rings, who is it?
My mom trying to call the bank.

Looking back, did you ever think you'd be where you're at in life now?
no

Do you hold grudges?
i try not to

Does anyone call you by your last name?
No

Where is your phone?
next to me

Would you ever get a tattoo?
I have two

Honestly, do you hate the last girl you were talking to in person?
I don't remember the last girl I talked to, thats pretty sad

Do you crack your knuckles?
sometimes

Have you ever made someone so mad that they broke something?
I'm sure I have

Where is the person you miss the most right now?
Oregon

When you are home alone, do you still close the door when you shower?
yeah, otherwise the cold air gets in

What would you do if you received a love letter?
Wonder who was feeling funny

What was the last thing you drank?
water

What plans do you have for tomorrow?
Drive to Ilfeld

In the last 24 hours have you done anything you regret?
no

What did you do today?
nothing

Do you hate anyone?
no, but there is a person I am highly disappointed in, and waiting for him to do the right thing

Has a friendship ended recently that you wish had not?
no, most tend to fade with time

Can you watch scary movies?
Yes, I love them

Has anyone ever spelt your name wrong?
Yes, often

Would you rather have roommates or live alone?
Alone

Did you cry at all today?
nope

How was your weekend?
Ok

What were you doing at midnight last night?
sleeeeping

Is anyone on your bad side right now?
no

Has someone told you that they liked/loved you in the past week?
my family

Name one thing you love about winter?
snow

Have you ever cut your own hair?
no, but I have butchered my mothers 

Have you ever told someone that you loved them?
of course

Who was the last person you cried in front of?
Toni

Does it take a lot to make you cry?
Depends

What do you want for your next birthday? 
Plane ticket lol, clothes (I lost weight none of mine fit), junk food, letters from home

Do you have a secret that you've never told anyone?
yes

Has anyone upset you in the last week?
not really

What is something you disliked about your day?
Nothing sounds good to eat

How's your heart lately?
still beating

What ticked you off yesterday?
Everything being closed on Catholic holidays

What were you doing right before you logged into Myspace?
sleeping lol

Are you jealous of someone right now?
no

Who did you talk to on the phone last, why?
My Dad, why not

Besides this, what are you doing right now?
Listening to Carole King

What color shirt are you wearing?
A blue and white sleeping shirt

Who was the last person you gave a hug to?
Toni

Would you go into public looking like you do now?
No lol

What do you have to do tomorrow?
Driving

What color shirt were you wearing when you had your last kiss?
i dont remember

Without naming names, say one thing to someone?
I miss you.

Italian Eis

So Far away

So far away- Carole King

So far away
Doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore
It would be so fine to see your face at my door
Doesn't help to know you're just time away

Long ago I reached for you and there you stood
Holding you again could only do me good
Oh, how I wish I could
But you're so far away

One more song about moving along the highway
Can't say much of anything that's new
If I could only work this life out my way
I'd rather spend it being close to you

But you're so far away
Doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore
It would be so fine to see your face at my door
Doesn't help to know you're so far away

Traveling around sure gets me down and lonely
Nothing else to do but close my mind
I sure hope the road don't come to own me
There's so many dreams I've yet to find

But you're so far away
Doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore
It would be so fine to see your face at my door
Doesn't help to know you're so far away

Train ride

Monday Day Book

FOR TODAY Monday June 1st (Pre-made on Friday shhhhh)

Outside My Window...

Sunshine, Trees, and Flowers in bloom

I am thinking...

About going to get the new car, driving to Ilfeld, and what I ought to grab for breakfast

I am thankful for...

A new car and finding a integration course

From the learning rooms...

Still chugging away at German.

From the kitchen...

Not sure yet, need to go to the grocery store tonight.

I am wearing...

Pajama pants, with a new red tank top, and new red pullover hoodie

I am creating...

A new blog

I am going...

To pick up our new car and grocery shopping. On Thursday we will head back to Ilfeld to clear out the apartment. 

I am reading...

Dan Brown- Angels and Demons

I am hoping...

To make substantial progress on my German. 

I am hearing...

N24 Morgenreport

Around the house...

Need to tidy up, and deep clean the bathroom. 

One of my favorite things...

A hanging cloth photo of me and my father when I was 2. 

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:

1. Drive to Ilfeld and clear out apartment

2. Pick up the new car

3. Set up the old kitchen unit in the storage room

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

For more information on Monday daybook check out The simple woman