Moments of Delight

Just some perks from my week.  It's been raining and dreary (and one day so cold I was wearing a fleece and wool pashmina) and my moods are definitely affected by the weather.

Rain doesn't have to put a damper on the whole week, though.

I was skyping with my sister when my nieces came in dressed in their matching Mexican dresses singing "La Cucaracha".  It was quite the show:

I have also learned in the past couple of weeks we will be blessed with a new nephew and a new niece in November! (from different siblings, not twins.)

Finding a new delicious Spanish tapas restaurant with Shyla and Lee: 

 

Bringing home some pastries on a Sunday morning. 

Left to right: a honey & cinnamon drizzled puff, a Himbeer-Joghurt Stangerl (Raspberry & Yogurt Cream in a sweet brioche-type pocket) and my fave: Schoko Croissant.  

I picked these two weeks ago!  Ok, so this picture was about a week ago, but they are still holding pretty strong:

Since I've cut milk (not all dairy like cheese...impossy) out of my diet for skin purposes, I've had to substitute the summer gelato with some greek yogurt mixed with honey and cinnamon.  If I make it look pretty, I feel like it's more of a real dessert:

Seeing a great spread about Heidelberg in Lonny Magazine:

And getting the hang of designing in the Thesis template in Wordpress.  You peeps have no idea how much time can be spent figuring out how to code one dang small detail.  It's a good feeling to click refresh and see the fruits of your labor live and well on screen:

Tschüß und Schönes Wochenende!

Keeping House

I didn't know that there are fields of flowers outside of Graz where you can go pick your own and drop some change in a coinbox!  Check out this Gladiola field some girlfriends and I hit last week on the way home from some Trachten browsing:

 

We had friends over for dinner on Saturday and they add a nice perk to the room. 

Do you find it appalling that the dog sits on our couch?

Well, going to make the bed this morning (I find that making the bed in the morning is one of those things that starts the day off right...with a feeling of productivity and order)...and honey badger (if you haven't seen this video (beware of the language), you won't get that) makes herself quite cozy in there.  She would never do this if I weren't in there making the bed.  She has to be in the way.

 (those eyes are the cause of our demise)

Have you ever seen cuteoverload.com?
 

I've heard guys in America complain about girls and their ever-growing sense of entitlement these days.  I believe my dog has a sense of entitlement.  A damn big one. (and none of it's our fault.)

 

Just ended up making the bed around her.  I mean...some people use stuffed animals thrown in...I just leave honey badger in there.  Problem is, when I leave...she most definitely will leave too and my whole 'order and productivity' for the day will have been trampled upon.  

I think it's time to sprinkle in some discipline to the morning routine as well.

A Rendezvous with Rachael & Robby in Maribor

Several weeks ago, I got to meet up in Maribor, Slovenia with my long-time, friend-since-third-grade friend Rachael and her boyfriend, Robby.  

 

Maribor was their first stop on a trip that led them through Slovenia and ended at the delicious beaches of northern Croatia.  Luckily, Maribor is just an hour train ride from Graz.  Art was in the States at a conference, so I took my booty over there to meet up with them and spend the day (which turned into spending the night after a long, fun day at the wine festival (which we learned was to celebrate Slovenia's 20 year independence from Yugoslavia).

Ah, we had perfect, cool sunny weather and it was so fun to hang with my old friend and laugh, drink and eat all day.  I had kinda forgotten what it's like to be with someone who knows you so well and is just as crazy quirky as you.

Maribor's not a tourist destination or anything, but a cute, small town on the river similar in look and feel to Graz.

That wine vine behind us on the building?  Oldest in the world.  That's Maribor's claim to fame.  Pink Rosé wine is this region's specialty and it is sehr gut.

ending the night with some Sangria...yes, I had a headache the next day.

Rach's pic of Maribor:

And then Rach and Robby headed out to Ljubljana, Slovenia and Lake Bled:

(these are all her pics)

 

And Pula and Split, Croatia:

Um, Art?  I've got somewhere we can go this weekend!

Doppel Whammy

Canada Day:

three days later: July 4th.