A week of Saturdays and the end of a year

Having a week off is so great...but not having any plans and just do what you would like to do is such luxury.

We decided to have "a week of Saturdays" and do all things we love to do on the weekends, like sleeping in, reading, crafting, going out for a coffee, to the museum, having afternoon naps, cook and eat good food. It has been such a good week so far....and I could have a whole month of Saturdays : )

The weather was beautiful on Monday, the sun was shining and and we went out for a walk through the city. I even found this pair of Jeans. I am not so easy when it comes to buying jeans but when I found the perfect one I will love them forever. It took me 2 years now to find a good pair and I am very happy with them.

We got our groceries on the Isemarkets a farmers market which just takes place on Tuesdays and had a great cheese lunch when we came home. I can't get enough of goat cheese with the plum jam I made this summer. It is so good.

On Wednesday we had a good coffee at this nice cafè "Mutterland". We ate a great poppy seed cake which was not too sweet which I thought was nice after eating a way to many cookies around Christmas..

Speaking of cake I found this nice recipe in Nigel Slaters new cookbook called "Tender" it is a beet root - dark chocolate - cake and it sounds so interesting, I am thinking of making it on the weekend.

Well, in the middle of all the Saturdays this week, today already is the 31st of December, the last day of the year. It has been and exciting year for me and I also decided to start this little space. A home for my images, thoughts or memories, and I think it is such a great experience and amazing how many amazing people you meet via this medium. Thank you for coming by and your lovely comments.

A happy new year to everyone!

Maria

The licence to knit

I remember when I was in year 5 I could choose between crafting class in which you learned how to knit and sew and in which you seriously made a sewing "drivers licence" (! ) and arts class in which you could paint and work with all sorts of materials like wood and papers and in which we went out in the park with our teacher to find inspirations and wouldn't just sit on a table with our needles. It seemed so much cooler and I loved it.

My mom used to work in a crafting shop and is just a genius in knitting. When I look at all the jumpers, socks, scarves and mittens she made for my brother and me when we were young. Norwegian patterns, knitted ice cubes or apple trees on a jumper, it seems there was nothing she couldn't make...

She tried to convince me to go into crafting class but as rebellious I was to this time I didn't want to and there I was painting and wearing my painting-apron: acquarell-like, with carbon pencils ....while the other half of the class was getting their drivers licence in sewing.

Now I really regret that I missed out on such things and also that I always did a little crafting at home with my mom and learned a bit to sew and knit the wish grew the last years to get better with such things. I wanted to be able to create things with my hands. Knit my own scarf and hat.

Well, I got some wool at home at my moms favourite wool shop and asked her to help me starting my own little knitting project.

She is very proud that I try and I am happy to see my little snood scarf growing and growing with every round I knit.

: )

quiet days

The last couple of days have been quiet, which was very relaxing and nice. My parents live on the country side and sometimes when I sit in my room after a while I am realizing how just super quiet it is compare to our apartment in Hamburg and all you maybe hear are the bells from the church every 15 minutes.

We were reading a lot the last days, watched the Royal Tenenbaums, played board games, went out for a walk, catched up with family and friends....and of course had tons of cookies especially at my grandmothers place. My, they are pretty tasty.

But it is now time to get back. The bags are packed and we will make our way back north tonight. I have another week off and I look forward to reading in the new cook book we got for Christmas and trying out new recipes. It is a gorgeous book with a beautifully made cotton cover wrap (the bar code is stitched on it at the back!) And I must admit I look also forward to coming back to the city...

Some quiet and relaxed wishes to all of you

Maria

Happy Holidays

I wish you all Happy Holidays...

Maria

2212

I am still pretty excited the night before my birthday.

Being at home, sleeping in my old bed...feeling Christmas in the air...and also me getting one year older...

This morning I woke up and found a little note from my sister which she put through the door slit before she went to school...it made me smile...and it is so nice to get post mail, emails or calls from people who think of you...

I got this beautiful red dress from my boyfriend...and I will wear it tonight at my birthday dinner party. A view friends are coming over and we start cooking now while listening to nice music... and enjoying the day.

Hope everyone has a nice day today.

Maria

More Snow

After a very long car ride of many hours standing in the snow we finally got to my parents place to spend the holidays with them.

I must say for a view hours waiting in the traffic jam because of snow chaos and not moving more than 5km within 4hours I started asking myself if I am really sure about my love to snow.

Well, this morning when I woke up and looked out of my window I thought, yes I am : )

The sun was shining the whole morning and I went out for a little walk. At some bits I thought it looks like I am in a snow dessert...Snow everywhere. I really love how it changes everything and how trees, branches, berries or leaves get this fine, icy "skin" and seem like they are in their hibernation.

I wanted to share some of the snow impressions with you, I hope you like them.

Oh and I wanted to say thank you for all your nice comments on my last posts. I am always so happy to read them and also to see what beautiful blogs are out there....

Maria

Snow

We had a bit snow the other day but since two days it is really snowing...

In a way that trees, cars and everything which doesn't move -at least for a while- is covered with a nice snow "coat". When I woke up this morning I could already feel and see the special brightness in the room which just appears when it is snowing outside. Everything seems so calm and so special. I really like it and I am happy that it seems like there will be a white Christmas this year.

I got myself this wool dress from H&M which will keep me warm, it is already -8° outside. Ah Winter, you make me realize how nice seasons are. How much I loved it as a kid to go out sledding all day coming back starving and eating fresh made cookies from the tray.

I will now start wrapping some gifts and listen to the nice Christmas album from Sufjan Stevens.

Snowy wishes

Maria : )

Something to read

The darker nights of the year are not just good to eat cookies and drink tea - they are perfect to hang out on the couch and read a lot.

I got my hands on some nice magazines and books this week. When I get a magazine I tend to read it with starting from the very end and working myself through it until the the first page. I am most of the times so excited that I usually examine the magazine by briefly looking through all the different articles...stop at some images and articles which attract me and than make a little list in my head which article I should read first.

The first little orange book shows very pretty drawings made by the Japanese artist Yuka Katagri it is her first published book and I think it is very nice.

There is this really great magazine store in Berlin called "Do you read me?!" which is in Berlin-Mitte and sells all sorts of great magazines which don't have a high circulation and are sort of hard to get. When I was looking for some Christmas gifts I saw the "apartamento" magazine and ordered it. It has such great images of all sorts of apartments all over the world in it and I was thinking to try to get the older issues too.

At a little book sale I could get my hands on this Berlin guide which is made very beautifully and shows a view special spots in Berlin, like Paul Knopf (engl. Paul Button) a store in which you will definitely not find any zippers but all sorts of buttons. I can't wait to go on a little trip to Berlin anytime soon.

The NEON magazine is a German magazine which I like because of their good topics and nice way of writing but especially because of their really great images. They are most of the times the cherry on the cake and fit perfectly to the articles...

"Tender is the night" I got as a gift from my boyfriend. It is one of his favorite books and I think I will start reading it tonight. I like to start reading a book but I need to know that there is enough time to at least read so many pages that I can sort of "find into the book"...it is the same with finishing a book...I stopped reading the last pages of a book in the subway the other day because I wanted to give it more attention and just waited until I was at home. : )

What are you reading at the moment?

Maria

A Monday evening

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Just a week and a bit until Christmas. We had the first snow today..how nice and surprising it was when I looked out the window and the flakes where dancing down from the sky..

And how nice it is to have a quiet evening at home.

A nice package from my boyfriends family reached us today with some gifts for Christmas and also some Panforte (for which we were secretly waiting for) made by his mum. It is so good with all the fruits and almonds in it. Ah we love it.

She also got me this cute tea pot. It has such a beautiful shape and pattern.

So we lit the candles and had the first slices of Panforte and some tea.

I like you Advent and I am glad the usual Christmas stress hasn't reached me yet. I hope it will pass me this year...

Maria