Recent Posts

A Movie List

Hello and Happy Monday! I have mentioned my favorite movie “Annie Hall” several times in articles. I can watch and re-watch it over and over.  I saw Annie Hall at least twenty times by now and I still find passages and quotes that I have…

The Book Review: “Running With Scissors” by Augusten Burroughs

“I stood alone in the kitchen, listening to the dim electric buzz of the clock as it secretly counted the seconds, the minutes, the hours. Briefly, I fantasized about slicing my mother’s finger off with the electric knife that was hanging by its cord from…

A Day in Ottawa

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Hello!

My family and I are in Canada, eh! We made it safe and sound, being in the car listing to the horrible news on what happened in Paris/France. What is happening with this world? I am just feeling very hopeless for humanity at this point. It frightens and eludes me at the same time.  I am not getting into this now because it just upsets me too much. Most importantly, my husband’s family and friends are okay in France.

So, my “FRENCH” husband has his course all weekend and my son and I are exploring the area alone which is okay. We have been here all together several times and drive around and do whatever feels good with our car. We dropped my husband off in the morning and had breakfast at Tim Hortons. YUM! They have free wifi access which worked out well to do some more research on the area. Ottawa has it all, you guys! I am so in love with this city. After breakfast, our first stop was Carleton University  to see and explore the campus. It is very nicely laid out and we found our way around easily. I saw huge banners on most of the buildings on campus of Carleton graduates and their achievements. Singers, famous writers, you name it. I thought this was pretty neat and encouraging.

There was a Starbucks that we used to warm up in for a while. It is cold here! I don’t really like winter or cold weather too much but for some reason in Canada, it is different. It feels okay – crispy cold but good. The key is to have the proper clothing. It does not matter how you look in your Canada Goose Winter Coat. The only thing that matters is that you stay warm. Especially in Canada. Being from Germany, I do know cold winters too. There were some really tough ones and as kids we all used to have full snowsuits and hats that covered your entire head, just the face peeked out. My son has one too! 🙂 He also has rain pants, rain boots and waterproof jackets; so do I. As my father always says “There is no bad weather – just bad clothes”.

My son is pretty energetic. He needs to be outside every day at least for a while. There is no way to keep him indoors without loosing your mind. So by having all the right equipment it is easy for us to go outside no matter what. My siblings and I used to be outside all the time. Literally! There was no computer, Playstation, cell phones etc. and we did not have too many toys either. But what we did have however was imagination. We played for hours in the park close to my parent’s house. We built dams, tree houses and caves in the bushes. Then we came back home when it started getting dark; all dirty but happy. We had a great childhood and I believe my brother and sister agree. Thank you mom and dad!

Being inside all the time is just boring. I want to give my son the same opportunities I enjoyed as a kid. I read a great book about raising kids even before I had my son. Sort of to be prepared and then it all comes differently anyway haha!  It is by Harvey Karp and called “The Happiest Toddler on the Block”.  The book is really great. Do read it if you have kids/toddlers (it mostly addresses 1-4 years old kids)

We went to the playground a bit until his little nose turned red due to the cold and I could not feel my fingers anymore. But guess what? He was so much calmer and happier afterwards, so it was all worth it. We went to a Thrift Store which was paradise for both of us.  All the clothes and books made me so happy. And the toy section … well let’s say it was not the easiest thing to get him out of there. 🙂 Then it was almost time to pick up my husband but before, we stopped at Kardish! What an awesome store with a plethora of healthy food, supplements, drinks, creams, lotions and potions. I have to say it again: Canadians are the friendliest people. I have not met ONE rude person at any point while we were here. At Kardish they loved my son. They gave him a balloon that he has not taken off his wrist since.

We waited a bit for my husband and I saw this car:

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How in this world can someone be that messy? Of course I waited for the person to return to the car. How could you not!? It was a normal looking woman! Make-up, hair done, the whole thing!  I was just about to get out of the car and ask her a couple of questions but my husband came out of the building. We had dinner at HAO Sushi. I wrote a review about it here. Then we drove home. What a great day!

One more side effect of being outdoors when it is crispy and cold: You get tired! 🙂 My husband is sleeping after his long day in the classroom. I put my son to bed and he was gone within five minutes. Sleep well my loves – my son’s  balloon attached to his wrist. <3

Thank you for reading my blog. 

The Best Things in Life are Free

Hello! I am into saving money these days. Actually, I have been for a while. I like to find ways to go around spending money on things and rather make or grow them on my own. I am by far not an expert in saving…

Five Things

Hello! My husband is back, which means my little life is a-okay again! I do appreciate life and the little things a lot these days and I am happy he made it home! Of course we are fine here and do our daily chores and…

My Eight Favorite Quotes from Books and Movies

Hello!

Today I would love to share quotes that made me think, feel good, feel sad, changed my life and sometimes changed my attitude. Enjoy!

“ ‘Supposing a tree fell down, Pooh, when we were underneath it?’
‘Supposing it didn’t,’ said Pooh after careful thought.
Piglet was comforted by this.”
— A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

“Maybe… you’ll fall in love with me all over again.” “Hell,” I said, “I love you enough now. What do you want to do? Ruin me?”
“Yes. I want to ruin you.”
“Good,” I said. “That’s what I want too.”
— Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

Skylar: Maybe we could go out for coffee sometime?
Will: Great, or maybe we could get together and just eat a bunch of caramels.
Skylar: What?
Will: When you think about it, it’s just as arbitrary as drinking coffee.
Skylar:  Okay, sounds good. — Good Will Hunting, Movie

 Alvy Singer: After that it got pretty late, and we both had to go, but it was great seeing Annie again. I… I realized what a terrific person she was, and… and how much fun it was just knowing her; and I… I, I thought of that old joke, y’know, the, this… this guy goes to a psychiatrist and says, “Doc, uh, my brother’s crazy; he thinks he’s a chicken.” And, uh, the doctor says, “Well, why don’t you turn him in?” The guy says, “I would, but I need the eggs.” Well, I guess that’s pretty much now how I feel about relationships; y’know, they’re totally irrational, and crazy, and absurd, and… but, uh, I guess we keep goin’ through it because, uh, most of us… need the eggs. — Annie Hall, Woody Allen, Movie

“I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by
madness, starving hysterical naked,
dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn
looking for an angry fix,
angelheaded hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly
connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night,
who poverty and tatters and hollow-eyed and high sat
up smoking in the supernatural darkness of
cold-water flats floating across the tops of cities
contemplating jazz,
who bared their brains to Heaven under the El and
saw Mohammedan angels staggering on tenement roofs illuminated,
who passed through universities with radiant cool eyes
hallucinating Arkansas and Blake-light tragedy
among the scholars of war, ”
― Allen Ginsberg, Howl

 Emily: “Good-by, Good-by, world. Good-by, Grover’s Corners… Mama and Papa. Good-by to clocks ticking… and Mama’s sunflowers. And food and coffee. And new-ironed dresses and hot baths…and sleeping and waking up. Oh, earth, you’re too wonderful for anybody to realize you. Does anyone ever realize life while they live it…every, every minute?”STAGE MANAGER: “No. Saints and poets maybe…they do some.”
― Thornton Wilder, Our Town

“His heart beat faster and faster as Daisy’s white face came up to his own. He knew that when he kissed this girl, and forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would never romp again like the mind of God. So he waited, listening for a moment longer to the tuning fork that had been struck upon a star. Then he kissed her. At his lips’ touch she blossomed like a flower and the incarnation was complete.”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

 “Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.This is what we call love. When you are loved, you can do anything in creation. When you are loved, there’s no need at all to understand what’s happening, because everything happens within you.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

There are just many more, but I don’t want to go too crazy here! What are your favorite quotes? Have a great day!

Thank you for reading my blog. 

How to: Creamy Potato/Leek Soup with Bacon and Scallions

Hello! The last couple of days have been rainy and cold around here so I am craving warm hearty food. I am in love with soups, especially when they are homemade, healthy and filling. I could eat a different type of food every day. I…

How to: My son’s favorite Blueberry Banana Muffins

Hello and Happy Wednesday! I received some requests to share the Blueberry/Banana muffin recipe that I made for my son’s 2 birthday. I was never into baking things too much. Simply because if I bake a cake, my husband eats one slice, my son barely…

The Book Review: “The Blue Line”: A Novel by Ingrid Betancourt

Advance Reading Copy Disclosure:

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review. I have read “Until Death Do us Part” by Ingrid Betancourt and I loved it.  What drew my attention to this book the most was the cover and that I like the author and the book I already read by her. This does not affect my opinion of the content or the book in my review.

“She was already in the corridor with her suitcase in her hand when the telephone in her hotel room started ringing. Ulysses again. He’ll want me to get him something else. She hesitated for a moment, then retraced her steps. Ulysses could reach her on he cell phone. She opened the door, there her coat onto a chair, and sat down unsteadily on the edge of the bed to pick up the receiver. She already knew.” 

When I met Ingrid Betancourt, shortly after she was rescued by Colombian security forces in 2008, I was speechless. Ingrid Betancourt (born 1961) is a Colombian anti-corrupiton activist, politician and former senator. She was kidnapped by the Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in 2002. I thought about all she had been through and how she simply stands in front of me now.

The kidnapping received coverage worldwide and this is the picture of her that most might remember from the news. I would like to review her latest novel, “The Blue Line” 

The story takes place in Buenos Aires in 1970. Julia is the center of the novel. The book is about her struggle, disappointments and search for happiness. It is first described how Julia grows up and lives in Argentina as the “Dirty War” approaches. She met Theo and they fall in love. Then, Julia was tortured and imprisoned by military agents – as did Betancourt. There are just many similarities in this novel which makes it so interesting to read. Both have lived through criminal corrupt governments, and repression. You will find out that Julia is pregnant when she is arrested but the kidnappers don’t really care. She is tortured, starved and has to live in unsanitary conditions and is forced to undergo a C-section. I don’t want to give too much away from the story here so I leave it at that.

I think this is a great novel about fate, freedom, betrayal and love. One thing I did not really enjoy was when the  special gift Julia inherited from her grandmother is described. Julia had these visions from the future and she must prevent horrible events. The grandmother told her she has to do it, otherwise she will lose this gift. It just seems to “magical realism” to me for some sort.

“Get too close and love suffocates. The other person’s presence becomes oppressive. So you learn to live without seeing each other, the way you stop noticing the pedestal table in the hallway.”

If you love a story on individual courage, and believe in the future of humanity, this is your book. While reading this book you will keep in mind that there is always faith and hope. You will also learn about Argentina’s history. This narrative is just very profound and beautiful. I did not know too much about South America and these parts of the world I have to admit so I learned a lot. I also had been reminded that when one door closes, another one opens. There are always new beginnings. Betancourt’s latest novel is just a great read. Well done! Pre-order your copy here. 

Watch this amazing interview of Ingrid Betancourt’s survival after being kidnapped by the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia)

Thank you for reading my blog. 

My take on: Arrowroot

Hello! Have you heard of Arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea)? I have done some research on what I can use to thicken sauces without necessarily using flour all the time. Whenever I eat flour (especially in bread) I feel so bloated and I am hungry after a…


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