Dracula Castle Transylvania

The myth of vampire and Dracula will never die!
I remember when I was little I use to love to watch horror movies. Very rarely then they scare me. Even as I am older I still love horror. I love the suspense, the anticipation, and how it pulls me in. Well this summer John and I went to Romania with friends and one of our stop was Dracula Bran Castle in Transylvania. It was great…we end up celebrating our wedding anniversary in Transylvania. How cool is that. I made a very short video of Dracula Castle in which I made and edit myself. Let me know what you think:)

I Can’t Wait!

Gingle bell gingle bell gingle all the way!

I can not wait for Christmas! I know your reading and thinking what about Halloween and Thanksgiving. Those are also my other 2 favorite holidays but here in Germany the celebration is different. They do not have Halloween here. Don’t get me wrong the American tradition of Halloween is slowly being adapted here but no one go house to house to get candy. Just costume wearing and little party. The German Halloween is call Fasching. It is a period marked with great joy and occasion. Fasching as a term derived from the word Fastnacht, meaning “eve of the beginning of the fast.” Linguists speculate that “Fasching” also developed out of the Middle High German “vaschanc” or “vastschang” (Fastschank), which means the last drink served before the Lenten fast. Typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party. People often dress up or masquerade during the celebrations.

Thanksgiving is an American holdiay. It started when the pilgrims wanted to thank the Indians for all their help. However, Christian Germans too celebrate a day of Thanksgiving to God for a plentiful harvest. On the first Sunday of October visitors to German churches will find a plethora of fruits, vegetables, sheaves of grain, and also baked goods, as decorations around the altars. Visitors to market places and fairgrounds will oftentimes find Erntedankfest (literally: harvest gratitude festival) dances, displays, booths, a special Erntefeuer (harvest fire), and other festivities to celebrate this occasion. Thanksgiving is just a Christian event usually on a Sunday but not a dedicated party or celebration event. Sometimes peoples have some special decoration for church service and/or kids having a special performance. No turkeys around.

For Christmas they go out all the way. Christmas is so much fun here. The celebration begins 11-24 to 12-23. Almost one month of celebrating Christmas! They have a Christmas market (Weihnachtsmarkt also know as Christkindlmarkt). It pull in tons of residents and visitors from different cities and all over the world. All of Germany have this market in pretty much each cities. The bigger the cities ofcourse the bigger the markets and festival. Here in Esslingen they have two: Traditional Christmas market and the Medieval Christmas market. They sells crafts, have games, drink Gluhwein (hot wine that taste so yummy and keep you warm on a nice cold night walking through the market). Plenty of eating and performance on stage. Does not cost a thing to get in or watch. It is totally free. Just have to pay for drink, beverage, and crafts. I will talk more about that when time comes. Want to also share with you that they have Christmas market in different part of America that is also nice. Not as big as here but atleast you can get a taste of feel of a typical German Christmas market, taste some Gluhwein and traditional German food! The vendors from what I learn when I attended a few in the USA that they are really Germans who travel to America once a year to share their customs and I think also in Canada. I think this is so cool. Let me give you the link encase you would like to see if it happen in the downtown of your city: http://www.germanfoods.org/consumer/events/christmasmarkets.cfm
This link is for people who live in Canada. I notice the market there is only for a few days! http://www.christkindl.ca/

How to make Lazy Day Pizza quick and easy – “What Sha Cooking”

I love to make pizza on my lazy days. I never make the same one though. Sometimes I have a vegetable only pizza with cheese, or a meat lover pizza, a tuna fish pizza with bell peppers, onions, and mushroom. The list is enlist how I make my “Lazy Day Homemade Pizza”. This video will show you one of my Lazy Day Pizza creation that anyone even a 6 year old can replicate:)

What the Doctor Order

This morning before John went to work he asked me to runs some errands for him. When I was on my mission to do John errands I got lost. I wrote out the direction but I still got lost, lol. I went into the drug store to ask them where is Olgastrasse. Found out I walked too far from it. A little lady told me that she will take me. I was surprise I understood what she said. So I followed her to the street and talked to each other about where we both came from. It was so nice. I had to apologize to her about my bad Deutsch. She said it is not that bad she can understand me. I was shock again. Because in the past people would look at me funny and not understand anything other than hello and good bye. So she showed me the street as I was walking a person came up to me and ask me where is the bakery and I directed her to it and she understood me. I even stood there to watch to see if she was going where I directed her too and she did! Too cool. So as I was walking even though I found the correct street I was still walking the opposite way that I needed to find the another street. So I stop a lady and ask her where is the next street. She ofcourse told me I was going the wrong direction and told me how long that street was. I told her it is okay..today will be a day for fitness; we both started to laugh. I thank her and went on. I found the place told the guy what my husband needed. He told me a time to come tomorrow. Continue on to finish John errands then went to do a little errand of my own.

On my walk I stop into a few cooking store with utensils. Since I been cooking more than often cooking tools are starting to interest me. This morning I was on Meals by Sheri I saw a photo of a tools that she use to fill in eggs. I was totally amaze by it and wanted to see if they sold it in the stores here. So far no:( All her meals look delicious and I love how she present her meals! Also Life in a Recipe Both of these ladies on here rocks! I know a few others that are not on here that also can cook their butt off on Facebook at What Sha Cooking.

I also check out the department stores cooking ware and went over to the curling irons section. Which was no good. They get hot and burn my hair that you can smell it..sinks. I have to wash my hair later! So I went to another store to see if they had better curling iron. None, but what I did found was a German keyboard. For 10Euro. It was only a display left so I ask the guy if I can have it but for a cheaper price the guy said yes. But he can take 1 Euro off. I told him better than nothing. He say you don’t want more off..I told him if he can do so why not. I got my keyboard for 6Euro! I was like a child in a candy factory. I thank him and left. Walking back home I stop at a coffee order a cup of water and pretzel. Sat down and relax by watching and observing the customers. Walked back home stop and talk to my neighbors. Came back to my flat, prep dinner, jump back on the computer…This was my day. This is what the doctor recommended. I really need to do this more often instead of wasting my life away “only” in front of the computer and get some fresh air and do something. Stop limiting myself not to speak to people because my Deutsch is okay but did what I did today and try. If I don’t try how will I grow!

How to make an Open Mouth Burger healthy, quick, and easy – “What Sha Cooking”

One night ago I was running late to cook dinner and John came home hungry. I needed to cook something quick, fast, on the healthy side, and something he will eat. Sorry to say I married a picky eater. So I decided to make an Open Mouth Burger. We found the ingredients in one of my many cookbooks. He saw the photo and said he want that one, lol.
I tend to never follow any cooking direction too well. I am always improvising, lol. In the video show how to make an Open Mouth Burger my way,lol.

How to make Jamaica Rum Raisin Ice Cream

Yesterday I made Jamaica rum raisin ice cream. I wanted to treat myself to something cool to cool down a little from the heat that we have been getting. Plus I wanted a drink. So why not make a cold treat that was not only freshing but relaxing:)

German Knodel making it quick and easy

A few weeks ago I did my first Youtube video on how to make German Knodel. I got the idea to make this video because the last time I visit the State I gave my mother and brother a box of Knodel with the Germany instruction on it. It is like reading codes if one do not know how to read them.

This is the video I made with step by step direction:

My Garden

For the last 2 and a half months I have been growing a garden consist of potatoes, cabbages, carrots, onion, scallions, bell peppers, prune, orange, pear, mango, tomatoes, and watermelons. It is interested to go out there literally everyday and see growths. The mango, pear, carrots, bell peppers, and tomatoes were the first thing I planted two and a half months ago and the carrots are growing like wild bushes. The pear and mango are not showing out of the dirt as yet. The bell peppers and tomatoes just shoot out last week since it was pretty hot here, now it is cold and rainy again.

I planted the scallions and cabbage three weeks ago and they both started to grow with the quickness. The onions I planted a few days ago, so far nothing. Watermelons were planted two weeks ago and so far nothing. Yesterday I planted the prune seed. The orange amaze me how it grows after one week. The potatoes are my favorite they are growing bigger each day. My only problem will be that all my vegetable will be small due to me being cheap on the soil. I have two bags left and still put only a little bit of dirt in the container. My husband laughs at me how they all are going to be miniature. I said oh well this is my little experiment to see what can grow and what cannot. Next year I will know what to do and what not to do, lol. I have post a picture of my little project of the things that are growing so far.

Oh ya, everything was grown from seeds and I only water everything once a week. That is all the water it need since the bottom will eventually holds the water. Thank goodness for the law of gravity.

Not all Nuns dress a like

Today John and I decided to go swimming since the fitness center was closed. On our way walking to the bath house I saw a nun. I at first thought that she was Amish because she dresses like an Amish lady from head to toe. John explained to me that she is a sister that dress uniform is black and grey. Keep my eyes open because I will see as he calls it the pink penguins. Meaning there are nuns that wear white and pink. So I went up to the nun to ask her, just to confirm that she was a sister, and of course she said yes. I was pleasantly please.

I once wanted to become a nun. I was very spiritual back in the days, but when I have learn once I begin studying to become a nun that I could not have sex…I said forget it. I love to have sex. Therefore, I left that idea behind. I sometime think about the different path of life I would have played out if I took them. How different my life would be today.

On another note today is a German holiday for the workers. Mostly all stores were close today and many restaurants. Today was also Esslingen 15 years anniversary of Flohmarkt (second hand sales) for miles and mile in the city center (stadtmitte). We did not find anything of interest. We walked back home eating an ice cream cone and stopped by the bakery. We bought a few rolls and ate my first slice of onion cake. It was delicious. It is called Zwiebelkuchen a Swabish traditional desert, but to me it felt like lunch, lol.

Life is always full of Surprises

Last weekend my husband and I went over a few quotes. As usual we were bumping heads. We are just too much alike and too stubborn at times. We both know what will work; however, I know a little bit more about the products then he does. He knows about the profits, taxes, import, export, and etc. I know about fashion, beauty, and what is going on in the world. We both yell it out then laugh it out. We contacted a few suppliers in which we are interested. It was just team work. All this took more than 4 hours. I really enjoyed this. Normally I would do all the work by myself and via email him the information and he would via email me the info back. Yes, strange since we live together, but this is the best way of not bumping head so much. That is why this weekend was nice since we actually sat down together in our home office and look over my spread sheets and etc. Later we took a break from business and went downtown Stuttgart to enjoy the beautiful weather, shopping, eating, and strolling along with a tasty ice cream cone like big kids.

When we came back home we was looking at pictures that we took earlier. I have a new Nikon 90 camera and it is really cool. It is like a miniature professional camera like John has. He has the professional Canon D90, I think that I am afraid to touch. I am highly clumsy and I hate to hear is mouth if I accidentally break his expensive toy, lol. So he bought me mines almost two month ago. Well when we were reviewing the photos. My husband in a way complimented me. He said that I look more and more beautiful as I get older. I was not for sure how to take that, so I just laughed and said thank you I think, lol.

Yesterday I went for a walk to handle some business. I was out the house for over 2 hours. I am always proud when I do things on my own here. In America I am very independent and here I am handicap since my Deutsch is kindergartenish. On my way walking I took some pictures of wine yards, building structures, and monument. I am a very strange person. I find the beauty in things that many people over look. I love old factories, statues, sculpting, and structures of homes and buildings. I think they are pleasantly beautiful. I walked and walked that I end up In Mettinger, a neighboring city. When I seen that I walked too far, I told myself I better head back home. On the way home I stop at a little corner store and a little old lady just walk in front of me and a guy in line and set her things on the belt. The guy look at me like can you believe this. I just look at him and smile. I am sure the little old lady knew what she done but of course used her age to get by, lol. I grabbed a liverwurst sandwich for the walk home from the baker. Now this is not normal of me. I am not a believer of eating and walking on the street if it is not an ice cream cone. Living here in Germany this is normal and I am slowly getting accustom to some of the norms here that I would call abnormal!