We were at the pool this summer, and while we loafed around in the sun, Heidi turned to me and said “I want to wake up on Christmas in my own bed.” And, after moving from Texas to Germany last Christmas, I knew exactly why she felt that way. After traveling through four countries worth…
Category: CREATIVE LIVING
The Open Hearted Holiday Gift Guide
It’s that time of year! I love thinking almost all year for gift ideas for this season that show my loved ones how loved they are while preparing us for another bright, creative year ahead. I hope you love poking around for everyone on your list! Each button goes to a treasure trove of finds,…
Four Tips for Fostering Family Connection with Nature
I have been fortunate to have had a childhood with the magic of woods. When I moved away from that place in third grade, it was to the majestic mountains South America, a land filled with colors and flora I had never imagined before. Then, from fourth grade on I was in a more common,…
Living the American Dream (in Germany)
I don’t want to speak for everyone, but there seems to be a collective existential thing going on. There’s just a lot to consider with how much is both possible and falling apart. For some, it feels like angst, maybe depression or bouts of panic. For some it’s their new era to be excited, empowered…
What to Buy at the Germany Apotheke
Being from Texas, I know my way around makeup. It was once a printed statistic that our neighborhood Neiman Marcus sold more tubes of lipstick a year than anywhere else in the world. (Tales are also oversized in Texas, but by my family’s and friends’ known contributions alone, I can see it.) I think that’s…
Fall Hygge from Etsy
As someone who has spent most of my life in Texas, there’s almost a thrill in the Wild West’s distaste for following seasonal weather. I’ve gone swimming on Thanksgiving and Easter, worn a t-shirt and watched it snow on Christmas Day. Be ready for anything and you’ll be fine is really how it’s done there,…
Etsy Gifts Under $25: Kids Edition
Especially now that we live out of town, I delight in few things more than spoiling my nieces and nephew by mail. I remember being so excited to get a package from an out-of-town aunt or grandparent growing up. It seems like the cost of an average children’s gift is rising these days. Honestly though,…
How to Make a German School Cone
I know and I cannot believe that we are thinking about Back to School again. I am never the one to start these conversations, as you can usually find me at the pool feeding my family sandwiches until 9:00 p.m. the day before The Big Day. As much as it pains me, I think our…
IKEA Erktorp Slipcovers and Other Ways to Fancy Up a Rental
When I first considered moving from Texas to Germany, I pictured us in a chateau with vintage wood beams on the ceiling, an upstairs and downstairs and sprawling backyard. Hey, it could happen. The German housing market continues to humble those of us who flock to her nature and care, but I’m here for the…
Between Protests
As we round the corner into late July, I am resentful. In the rhythm of life, I view deep summer as the season of adrenal reset for Mothers. The children are feral, they eat fresh food off the vines with their bare hands half naked outside and run wild until they pass out. To touch…