We have had a great weekend. Yesterday, we had our church Thanksgiving dinner, which was a lot of fun. We got home just in time to watch the Sooners beat the Cowboys (Boomer Sooner!) on our new TV (our not-so-older TV was injured in the move).
Today we decided that we would begin Christmas market season. Oh, how I love Christmas markets - and everything else related to Christmas, mind you. I remember a year ago, being in Montgomery, AL, and so bummed because I was missing this time of year in Europe. I had no idea we would get to stay!
Anyways, the first of the markets I wanted to visit this year was in a town about a half-hour from here called Valkenburg, in Holland. I had seen this thing advertised everywhere. You see, the town has a hilltop castle ruin dating from the 11th century. There are caves in the hilltop beneath the castle, and the Christmas market is in the caves. Very cool, right?
So, we got out the GPS, and I got out my Holland guidebook. Plugged in the address to the caves listed in my guidebook. We got there, parked WAY up at the top of a hill, hiked down, waited in line, finally got in. Had a really great time. This was, in fact, worth it.
There were not only decent Christmas decoration vendors throughout the market, but there were also great gifts to buy. There was a restaurant/bar constructed into the caves for this, and it was just a really fantastic time. We were really interested in the caves themselves, and decided that we needed to head back eventually for a tour.
So, on the way out of town, I started to look back through the advertisement I had and my guidebook and noticed something interesting. They were called different things. One (the one we went to, the "oldest and largest subterranean Christmas market in Europe") was Gemeentegrot (Cauberg Caves) and the one on the advertisement ("the most popular indoor Christmas event" in Holland) is Fluweelengrot (Velvet Caves).
So, we went to the wrong one. There are, in fact, TWO cave Christmas markets in Valkenburg, Holland. I was actually wondering, because the one I wanted to go to had been talked up in regard to their theme - Charles Dickens Christmas village. The one we went to had some Christmas trees and fake polar bears everywhere, and I was thinking, "How lame, this is not a great Charles Dickens theme" the entire time we were there. I mean, it was a nice market, but not as Christmas-y as I had been hoping for.
And, I had remembered seeing the castle ruins, but then got turned around and didn't think we were under the castle at all. And, we weren't.
I have to interject here that I love Holland. I really do. But, their language scares the heck out of me. Good thing that most speak English amazingly well. And, I love foreign languages! I'm pretty good at learning them! But, I can't decipher or understand a word that comes out of the mouth of a Dutch person, and I don't think I ever will. So, it's no small wonder that I got completely confused.
But, Valkenburg looked so great, that we are thinking about going back. To the OTHER cave Christmas market. And to walk around the town.
Just an FYI, though, if for some reason you are reading this and want to go to one of these things. Be prepared for crowds and pushy pushy people.
On the way home, we decided to stop in to the Nikolaus Markt in Geilenkirchen, as today was the last day. It was OK. It had more of a festival feel to it, and it was fun to be back at a German fest. It reminded me of my childhood - the little amusement park rides for children, the candy stalls, gluhwein, bratwurst. In the end, we decided to support the Canadian NATO booth and got caribou burgers and moose milk. Nothing says Germany like that, right?
My favorite purchases today were the pretty Advent wreath I bought in GK and the gorgeous Delftware (blue and white porcelain) ornaments I bought in Valkenburg. Good shopping today. Oh, and if you are a family member, you will be getting some sweet treats in your Christmas packages from the markets.
I love Christmas in Europe!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving
"Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." Psalm 100
From the Cooper house to yours - Happy Thanksgiving! I am so thankful for God's provision during the past year. A wonderful husband who returned safely from a deployment; a beautiful baby boy who has given me joy; a smooth move from one foreign country to the next; a lovely home to call ours (scorpion-free) for the next few years; health and financial security; the ability to call myself an American; family and friends throughout the world who are amazing; and salvation I do not deserve!
Here's to another year filled with blessings! Now, I'm going to go get my turkey ready for the slow cooker (doesn't fit in the oven) and take my son on a walk on this very rare sunny northern Germany day!
Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." Psalm 100
From the Cooper house to yours - Happy Thanksgiving! I am so thankful for God's provision during the past year. A wonderful husband who returned safely from a deployment; a beautiful baby boy who has given me joy; a smooth move from one foreign country to the next; a lovely home to call ours (scorpion-free) for the next few years; health and financial security; the ability to call myself an American; family and friends throughout the world who are amazing; and salvation I do not deserve!
Here's to another year filled with blessings! Now, I'm going to go get my turkey ready for the slow cooker (doesn't fit in the oven) and take my son on a walk on this very rare sunny northern Germany day!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Odds & Ends
Do you like my new blog design? It looks pretty much exactly like my awesome Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bag. Seriously.
I have too much time on my hands.
Anyways, this week has been busy in our continuation of settling in. I joined a stroller fitness class, which is really a great group and workout. I kind of thought it would be lame, but it's not!
This weekend was the Geilenkirchen bazaar. We volunteered for a some of it. Chris played Santa Claus on Friday (I, of course, got Jackson's first picture with Santa).
The bazaar here is teeny tiny compared to the one at Aviano, but we still got some great gifts. Two of the vendors sold me out to the ladies running the event - they have already approached me about working on next year's committee! I agreed to it, but said that I do not want to be in charge of the actual event.
This week will be busy in preparation of Thanksgiving. Thursday will honestly be a normal day for us. Now that Chris works for NATO, he does not have Thanksgiving as a day off. We'll probably do a pared down version that evening. That's actually a lifesaver for me, because we have the smallest oven known to man now. If I make any turkey on Thursday (and let's be honest, I haven't been to the Commissary yet to see if there is anything left), it will have to be in the slow cooker.
So, we are doing a big Thanksgiving on Saturday with our church. That should actually be a lot of fun.
The fall is moving way too quickly!
I have too much time on my hands.
Anyways, this week has been busy in our continuation of settling in. I joined a stroller fitness class, which is really a great group and workout. I kind of thought it would be lame, but it's not!
This weekend was the Geilenkirchen bazaar. We volunteered for a some of it. Chris played Santa Claus on Friday (I, of course, got Jackson's first picture with Santa).
The bazaar here is teeny tiny compared to the one at Aviano, but we still got some great gifts. Two of the vendors sold me out to the ladies running the event - they have already approached me about working on next year's committee! I agreed to it, but said that I do not want to be in charge of the actual event.
This week will be busy in preparation of Thanksgiving. Thursday will honestly be a normal day for us. Now that Chris works for NATO, he does not have Thanksgiving as a day off. We'll probably do a pared down version that evening. That's actually a lifesaver for me, because we have the smallest oven known to man now. If I make any turkey on Thursday (and let's be honest, I haven't been to the Commissary yet to see if there is anything left), it will have to be in the slow cooker.
So, we are doing a big Thanksgiving on Saturday with our church. That should actually be a lot of fun.
The fall is moving way too quickly!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Naarden
Today we drove about two hours away to a cool town called Naarden in Holland. It's right outside of Amsterdam, but we were just going for a quick day-trip, so no stop in that city quite yet.
I hadn't dropped the news to Chris until last night as to what we would be doing there. He assumed it was a Christmas market, but it was really an event called "La Table" something or other. It was a fair to showcase things you would put on your table, like china, silver, and decorative items! It was actually held in the town's Gothic church, which was quite beautiful.
Chris was a good sport though and went willingly. It was actually a little disappointing. They had a lot of redundant vendors - LOTS of silver and china, but few furniture vendors, as an example. They had a couple cool things, like a Portuguese vendor selling beautiful plates and wool items, but in the end I didn't buy anything except some Italian-looking furniture tassels that I will use to decorate at Christmas.
Anyway, the event was not worth returning to, but the little town of Naarden was a must-see in our opinions. It is a city that was annihilated by the Spanish in the 1500s. The town then built up a fortress around itself that is in the shape of a star. It is surrounded by water, and the buildings are so beautiful. The town is packed with fun stores - antiques, wine stores, etc. We definitely want to go back when we have time to really look around. The springtime should be nice, because there are lots of walking paths and there were even people out in paddle boats on the water today (even though it was super windy and cold). We took a short walk out to see the outside of the fortified city, but then we needed to get back on the road.
I hadn't dropped the news to Chris until last night as to what we would be doing there. He assumed it was a Christmas market, but it was really an event called "La Table" something or other. It was a fair to showcase things you would put on your table, like china, silver, and decorative items! It was actually held in the town's Gothic church, which was quite beautiful.
Chris was a good sport though and went willingly. It was actually a little disappointing. They had a lot of redundant vendors - LOTS of silver and china, but few furniture vendors, as an example. They had a couple cool things, like a Portuguese vendor selling beautiful plates and wool items, but in the end I didn't buy anything except some Italian-looking furniture tassels that I will use to decorate at Christmas.
Anyway, the event was not worth returning to, but the little town of Naarden was a must-see in our opinions. It is a city that was annihilated by the Spanish in the 1500s. The town then built up a fortress around itself that is in the shape of a star. It is surrounded by water, and the buildings are so beautiful. The town is packed with fun stores - antiques, wine stores, etc. We definitely want to go back when we have time to really look around. The springtime should be nice, because there are lots of walking paths and there were even people out in paddle boats on the water today (even though it was super windy and cold). We took a short walk out to see the outside of the fortified city, but then we needed to get back on the road.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Disgusting Science
From Friday's Digest of The Patriot Post:
Achieving Youth by Exploiting It
In today's society that so highly values a youthful appearance for women, it's no surprise that cosmetics that promote their anti-aging qualities are big sellers. But one cosmetic maker is lending a new meaning to the term "baby-faced" and arousing controversy because of it.
The California-based cosmetic maker Neocutis trademarked an ingredient called Processed Skin Cell Proteins, or PSP. The secret behind PSP is the use of proteins derived from skin cells from a 14-week-old aborted male baby plus components from a postage-stamp sized skin sample from the same baby from Switzerland. This part of the formula for several Neocutis products is apparently designed to do everything from repairing burned and scarred skin to reversing the effects of aging.
While Neocutis defends their usage of fetal cells by comparing it to the development of polio vaccine from fetal kidney cells, critics charge that other cosmetic companies use proteins from postnatal placentas to create similar products, making fetal cell use unnecessary.
Regardless of the willingness of the donor's parents to allow the usage of the baby for research purposes, the exploitation of the unborn for such a trivial purpose reflects poorly on the priorities of our society and culture.
Achieving Youth by Exploiting It
In today's society that so highly values a youthful appearance for women, it's no surprise that cosmetics that promote their anti-aging qualities are big sellers. But one cosmetic maker is lending a new meaning to the term "baby-faced" and arousing controversy because of it.
The California-based cosmetic maker Neocutis trademarked an ingredient called Processed Skin Cell Proteins, or PSP. The secret behind PSP is the use of proteins derived from skin cells from a 14-week-old aborted male baby plus components from a postage-stamp sized skin sample from the same baby from Switzerland. This part of the formula for several Neocutis products is apparently designed to do everything from repairing burned and scarred skin to reversing the effects of aging.
While Neocutis defends their usage of fetal cells by comparing it to the development of polio vaccine from fetal kidney cells, critics charge that other cosmetic companies use proteins from postnatal placentas to create similar products, making fetal cell use unnecessary.
Regardless of the willingness of the donor's parents to allow the usage of the baby for research purposes, the exploitation of the unborn for such a trivial purpose reflects poorly on the priorities of our society and culture.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
There's No Place Like Home
It is so nice to have a house. A house where I am sitting on the couch with my laptop (complete with my Internet hooked up) and a good cup of coffee. And, LOTS of boxes that still need to be unpacked.
I am sitting here waiting for the Telecom guy to show up. I'm wondering why I need to be doing this, instead of going to Bible study, when we hooked up (we meaning Chris) the phone and Internet ourselves. Oh well.
Unpacking has been going slowly but surely. On move-in day, I went to the doctor, because of an in-grown toenail. He told me it was healing itself. Several days later, when I was completely confined to the couch, completely unable to walk, I went in for the dreaded toenail removal. I had this done several times in high school, and was so not looking forward to it. I'm so glad I went though. It's on the mend.
Anyways, we are in the part of the move where we have unpacked lots of things, but have no places to put them. Our dining room table is covered in serving pieces. Chris commented to me, "Did you leave any platters in Nove?" No, dear, I tried my best not to.
It's hard to move around to different places, because nothing you had in the last house seems to work. Especially when you go from one strangely-constructed European house to the next.
So, we broke down and went to Ikea yesterday for some cheap shelves. I was told that, if I did this, I could get really nice Belgian dining room furniture. So, I was in. I really don't enjoy Ikea, but it was nice to get out and do some shopping.
I'm also obsessed with my ongoing to-buy list. Last night, when I was up with Jackson, I was sitting in the rocker looking around the room and fidgeting because I wanted pen and paper to start listing all the things we needed for his room. I'm becoming crazy over it, I tell you.
One day, though, we will finally be done with putting everything away. I can't wait!
I am sitting here waiting for the Telecom guy to show up. I'm wondering why I need to be doing this, instead of going to Bible study, when we hooked up (we meaning Chris) the phone and Internet ourselves. Oh well.
Unpacking has been going slowly but surely. On move-in day, I went to the doctor, because of an in-grown toenail. He told me it was healing itself. Several days later, when I was completely confined to the couch, completely unable to walk, I went in for the dreaded toenail removal. I had this done several times in high school, and was so not looking forward to it. I'm so glad I went though. It's on the mend.
Anyways, we are in the part of the move where we have unpacked lots of things, but have no places to put them. Our dining room table is covered in serving pieces. Chris commented to me, "Did you leave any platters in Nove?" No, dear, I tried my best not to.
It's hard to move around to different places, because nothing you had in the last house seems to work. Especially when you go from one strangely-constructed European house to the next.
So, we broke down and went to Ikea yesterday for some cheap shelves. I was told that, if I did this, I could get really nice Belgian dining room furniture. So, I was in. I really don't enjoy Ikea, but it was nice to get out and do some shopping.
I'm also obsessed with my ongoing to-buy list. Last night, when I was up with Jackson, I was sitting in the rocker looking around the room and fidgeting because I wanted pen and paper to start listing all the things we needed for his room. I'm becoming crazy over it, I tell you.
One day, though, we will finally be done with putting everything away. I can't wait!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Some Updates
On Saturday, we went to Aachen, which is the closest city to us here in Germany. I think it will be our new Venice. I had not heard much about Aachen, really ever. But, it was the seat of Charlemagne's empire, so has one of the most important cathedrals and treasuries in Europe. Who knew?
Aachen also has a great shopping and dining scene. So, we wanted to just go and check out what the city has to offer. We ate lunch at a Mexican restaurant (I know, I know, but we have lived overseas now for three years and miss it) called Sausalito's. Decent food for not having Mexican options around us much. The restaurant is in a cute little square where the gorgeous Rathaus building is. There is even a Starbucks there (WOOOHOOOO!).
We actually skipped out on Starbucks to try a really great cafe/konditorei called Cafe zum Mohren, which was incredible. They had amazing desserts there, so we decided to splurge. I got a local treat called Reisfladen, which was kind of a rice pudding cake thing with cherries on top. Chris got an Eistorte (ice cream cake) that was black forest cherry-flavored. Incredible. We can't do that every weekend.
We then went to the famous cathedral, but most of it was closed off for an event. We got to see a little of the inside, though. It has beautiful mosaics and stained glass windows. I loved the churches in Italy, but this was equally beautiful.
We skipped out on the Treasury, as Jackson was getting fussy, so Mommy was also getting fussy. But, we'll have plenty of opportunities.
I was pleased to see that there is a Kathe Wohlfahrt (awesome Christmas store) opening in Aachen near the cathedral. Bonus.
We got home just in time for Germans to start ringing our doorbell for trick-or-treating. Who knew the Germans celebrated Halloween this way?? Not us. We were not prepared, so just stopped answering the door. We learned our lesson for next year. Isn't there something though about importing horrible American culture around the world? I remember just about all nationalities complaining about that...but they're trick-or-treating?? This definitely was not something German kids were doing when I lived here 20 years ago.
We have moved into our house! I am using our last Internet opportunity in the guest house until who knows when. So, we will be unpacking for awhile, but can't wait for guests!
Aachen also has a great shopping and dining scene. So, we wanted to just go and check out what the city has to offer. We ate lunch at a Mexican restaurant (I know, I know, but we have lived overseas now for three years and miss it) called Sausalito's. Decent food for not having Mexican options around us much. The restaurant is in a cute little square where the gorgeous Rathaus building is. There is even a Starbucks there (WOOOHOOOO!).
We actually skipped out on Starbucks to try a really great cafe/konditorei called Cafe zum Mohren, which was incredible. They had amazing desserts there, so we decided to splurge. I got a local treat called Reisfladen, which was kind of a rice pudding cake thing with cherries on top. Chris got an Eistorte (ice cream cake) that was black forest cherry-flavored. Incredible. We can't do that every weekend.
We then went to the famous cathedral, but most of it was closed off for an event. We got to see a little of the inside, though. It has beautiful mosaics and stained glass windows. I loved the churches in Italy, but this was equally beautiful.
We skipped out on the Treasury, as Jackson was getting fussy, so Mommy was also getting fussy. But, we'll have plenty of opportunities.
I was pleased to see that there is a Kathe Wohlfahrt (awesome Christmas store) opening in Aachen near the cathedral. Bonus.
We got home just in time for Germans to start ringing our doorbell for trick-or-treating. Who knew the Germans celebrated Halloween this way?? Not us. We were not prepared, so just stopped answering the door. We learned our lesson for next year. Isn't there something though about importing horrible American culture around the world? I remember just about all nationalities complaining about that...but they're trick-or-treating?? This definitely was not something German kids were doing when I lived here 20 years ago.
We have moved into our house! I am using our last Internet opportunity in the guest house until who knows when. So, we will be unpacking for awhile, but can't wait for guests!
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