TP fun!

Luckily this is not my vehicle, but it could look something like this on the morning of May 1st!!
Hexennacht fun occurs every year on April 30th! In Germany, Walpurgisnacht, the night from April 30 to May 1, is the night when witches are reputed to hold a large celebration and await the arrival of Spring. My neighbors warned me on our first Hexennacht to take in everything from outside the house that could be moved. Didn't really get why, but followed their advice and soon figured it out the next day.

On this evening each year it is ok to play pranks in the neighborhood. AKA...hide people's belongings that are mistakenly left outside, toilet paper anything, ring doorbells, and my favorite......toothpaste carefully wrapped in toilet paper and strategically placed so that it can be stepped on.....well you get the idea.

My kids were very excited and looking forward to the mischief! As soon as we got home, Sarah was having a great time moving everything inside. I was glad she volunteered herself so I wasn't questioning the pots and lanterns that were now in our foyer. Last year I forgot to bring in the door mat and it was found on the side of our house and this year the strawberry pot was next to our neighbor's house (oops, she missed that one).

So I did as any good parent does and I sent the kids off with a roll of toilet paper to decorate the neighborhood....and this is completely acceptable behavior on THIS night. Germans are VERY tidy so this is a lot of fun for the kids!!

What are they ever going to do when we move back to the states???

On our last day of Spring Break......

We visited the Potzberg Wildpark on April 16. The kids really love going and it was a beautiful day. The goats are always a hit and happen to be the first stop along the path. The older kids were in with the goats, but Jacque and Ian just fed them through the fence. Goats are always a little pushy, but today they were exceptionally pushy!! I think they were hungry since we were the first visitors feeding them!!

Next stop were the horses.
The colt was less than 24 hours old!

As we were heading down the path we saw a peacock showing off his feathers. He was doing a little dance and then........ it was like he knew I was going for my camera!

Here he is acting all innocent!

Sarah was VERY prepared to feed more horses and deer....

Ate lunch at here.....beautiful and peaceful up here!
This is the backside of the castle.
Colton's JROTC Ball was also held here.

Our day ended back at the playground over by the goats.

The kids had a great time playing with each other.

Great ending to a wonderful day!

Not an ordinary wall....

My husband is stationed in Baumholder which happens to be one of Hitler's old training grounds. This is a closeup of one of the buildings that is currently being renovated.

Well, here it is a little closer....

Do you see it now?

I had heard that there was a swastika on one of the buildings, but I have to admit that I was looking for something more like this....

It took a couple of trips around the building and then my husband asking one of the German construction workers where it was located before we found it. I just assumed it would be painted on, but instead it is a little more permanent!

I love surprises!

My husband left for training almost 4 weeks ago just before our 11th anniversary which was April 8th. This is the 3rd anniversary IN A ROW that he has missed (2 while deployed to Iraq and now Grafenwoehr). I guess it comes with the territory:)

Anyway, he is very thoughtful and wanted to surprise me with a little gift while he was away that he knew I'd been wanting, but probably wouldn't just order myself (and he'd be right). He went to all the trouble of having someone else place the order so I wouldn't see the charges to our bank account or possibly pick it up from the post office before he could get there since I seem to be obsessive about checking the mail!

He is horrible about keeping gifts a secret so he was doing awesome so far because I had no idea. He had a plan to hide it and then send me on a little "treasure hunt" until........the package arrived! So, what does he do???

Gave it to me as soon as he gets home!!!

I love it!

He knew I had been checking out this French handmade rolling pin on Etsy. This was a real surprise because I didn't even think he knew what Etsy was...sorry Babe:)

I love you...you're the best!

Great help in the kitchen......

If I were to recommend a first attachment for a Kitchenaid mixer it would be to purchase the meat grinder!!! I LOVE mine!! You won't buy prepackaged ground meat again....I'm certain of it.

You'll have ground meat in no time.

Start off by cutting up some better quality beef.....
Turn on the mixer and you're on you're almost there......
End results which ended up in lasagna......

Jacque and Ian will stay in the kitchen for the entire time I am preparing food or cooking.In fact, they bring stools in and love to help out!

Here is Ian (and a tad bit of Jacque) taking a break this weekend......
Ian and Jacque were taking turns "reading" this Thomas the Train book.

Making the best of a snowy day.....

The kids were supposed to go on their big end of ski school trip to the Black Forrest a week ago. My husband got up at 4 am to get them to the base by 4:45. The snow was so bad that he was barely able to see to drive. He was almost to post when he received the call that the trip was canceled due to the road conditions!! So, he turned around and slowly came back home.

I caught the girls outside making snow angels since they were so bored!

I on the other hand was not so bored as I was slaving away in the kitchen when I looked out the French door to see them making snow angels...they were on their 2nd set in the yard!
Lauren...

Sarah...

Luckily, the trip has been rescheduled for this coming Saturday.....they are ALL really excited!

JROTC Ball

On Friday evening, Colton attended his first JROTC Ball.
It was held at the Potzberg Castle which is only about 10 minutes from where we live.

The Castle....
At the entrance.....
Dinner was served in the Knight's Hall.....
This castle also has a Wildpark which we visited last summer. Check it out HERE.