A gnome garden and Manacotti

So Blake and I went for a walk down to and then past the bakery this morning. We came across a gnome garden. I thought it was strange, so I took a picture of it. On a completly different note, I made manacotti earlier today and it turned out great! I'm still learning how to make things that taste good, so I'm pleased when things turn out. Blake doesn't really like any type of red sauces, so I assumed he wasn't going to want any, and he didn't. He tried a bite of mine and immediatly wanted a plateful for himself. He even took leftovers to work with him. I was very pleased. This is one recipe that's going in my recipe box.

Snow!...and a lost cat

We finally got snow! It's beautiful. Blake, however, is not as pleased. He had to drive in it last night and this morning, and decided to stay at work for another hour because it was still too slick. He is new to driving in snow, but it better to be safe than sorry :). It's Saturday, so the kids are out in the streets sledding and laughing. It's such a joyful noise! The cat decided to run away last night. Somehow the door got left open (or he just opened it. he's awfully smart) and he decided to go see the great out doors. I was quite worried as it was midnight and I couldn't find him in the house anywhere. Blake said he would come home eventually since this is where he eats and drinks. And his favorite string is here. I put on all my gear to go out looking for him, and wouldn't you know it, our "adventurous cat" decided to be adventurous out on the deck. I was so thankful. He was quite cold, but not hurt in any way. We really don't know how the door was opened, but now we are going to always just make sure its locked. Just in case he can open it.

New Baby Neice!!

Born: January 24, 2007

Time: 2:49 p.m.

Weight: 7' 8 oz

Length: 20"

No snow for us...

So, we were supposed to get snow here...finally! However, it never came. Maybe the next cold snap we'll get some. It's almost spring, though. Blake was pretty happy about the no snow. He is not looking foward to driving to work every day on a road they call Snake Hill road. He says the longer we have no snow, the better. Do you know what I've been craving lately? Wendy's and Jack in the Box. It's just becuase we can't have them here. We do have Burger King and Taco Bell. The germans have Mcdonalds too. We haven't been to a german McDonalds yet. So the cat has been even more strange than normal. He's into this wierd yowling things. He's fixed, and we play with him every day with his favorite string. I think he sometimes forgets we're in the house and starts yowling like he's lonely. As soon as I call him, he comes running and immediatly starts purring. He's so very strange.
On a completly different note. I'm having problems with being on night shifts (Blake actually is and I'm keeping his hours) and keeping the house clean. I need a schedual. I'm trying to make one up for myself to keep me on track. We don't have a dishwasher, so I have to do dishes everyday. I'm not complaining, but they sure do pile up if I don't "feel" like doing them one day. Laundry is another thing that gets away from me. Our laundry room is outside, so it makes it inconvenient to do it. I am getting better with that, though. kind of...
Well, I guess I've griped enough. It's really not that bad, I'm just going through a lazy stage. I need to snap out of it...:)

My first blog..

So, here we are in Germany. It's been a wonderful couple of months so far. Blake and I are loving everything here, espescially the food! I can see why people gain so much weight while their stationed here. The schnitzel is fabulous!! I havn't really learned anything German yet, but I'm hoping to take a class in the spring. It would be great to be able to communicate with our landlord a little better. The Germans are so super nice. They go out of their way to make sure we, as americans, are not offended in any way. The driving is another story, however. The autobahn is defenitly crazy. Thankfully, we live in an area where the speed limit isn't unlimited. The fastest you go is about 90 mph. Everything is in kilometers, which takes a little getting used to. So does the money. It's all Euro. And, for anybody paying attention, the euro to dollar ratio sucks!! It's been getting better over the last month, but we are still waiting for it to be equal. That would be nice. Oh yes, have I mentioned the 19% sales tax the Germans have on everything? Yup, that was 19%. Military members can still get things tax free at the BX and Commisary. That's always nice. Speaking of the commissary and food....Our fridge is super tiny!! It's almost the size of one of those fridges you would put in a dorm room. It happens to fit us, however. I don't really cook a whole lot, although I am getting better. I made cornish hens the other day and they actually turned out super delicious! I was happily surprised. So was Blake!!
Needless to say, it's way different here..the drivers are a little crazy...we don't speak the language..but we are loving it! It's so immensly different than anywhere we've ever lived before. It's a wonderful change from Texas (not that TX is bad, just 4 years of it was enough for me!!), and we are looking foward to a wonderful 4 years here.
Just on a side note, guess where Blake want's to take me for my birthday?? Cairo. Yup, that's in Egypt. I'm excited to be blessed with the oppurtunities to be able to go to so many different places and see so many different people.
Well, I guess this is enough for my first blog.