Season's Greetings!

Have a chuckle!

Why can't I ever think of these things?

Love in Venice

Love in Venice is the title of the piece which gives André Rieu's newest album its name. This original song was quite a surprise for me, as I am used to another, more easy-going style in his playing instead of the romantic, melancholic thoughtfulness of this one, so I thought I'd share it and see what others think.

Enjoy!

Rainy Day Biscuits

I've been asked by a co-blogger for a recipe for specific biscuits, the Rainy Day Biscuits. This is a recipe we found once in a library book of rainy-day activities. Therefore, we baked them when it rained, which wasn't often, so these were quite a treat.
As it is a rainy day today here, I thought it fitting to post it! The reason why I was asked to write it is this picture on the right: Xoc innocently looking at the camera as if his intentions towards the chocolate biscuits weren't obvious. I suppose the cookies do look promising, hehe!
My friend asked about the chocolate biscuits specifically, but I'll tell you something, they are the same as the others you see in the picture - they just have cocoa added.
So, without further ado, let me share with you one of the simplest recipes I've ever used, and yet, one of the yummiest!

Rainy Day Biscuits

Ingredients:

• 300 g of normal flour
• 200 g of margarine
• 100 g of sugar
• Decorations of your choice (dried fruit and nuts, candied fruit, chocolate chips, food colouring, etc.)

For chocolate biscuits:

• 250 g of normal flour
• 50 g of cocoa
• 100 g of margarine
• 50 g of sugar

Method:

• Mix the flour, margarine and sugar up to make a soft dough (if you've chosen to bake the chocolate biscuits, mix in the cocoa as well).
• Start heating the oven to 190ºC (375F)
• Form little balls with the dough, and place them on a greased oven tray.
• If you'd like coconut biscuits, take as many balls as you need and mix them back together, adding as many level tsp. of shredded coconut as balls you chose.
• Press the balls gently with your fingers to a flat (about half a cm), round shape. To differentiate between the normal dough balls and the coconut dough balls, press the latter with a fork (if you're working with cocoa biscuits, you're done! Jump to the last instruction).



Candied orange, toasted almond
chips, walnut, and pine nuts, plus a
coconut one on the top right.



Chocolate chips and chocolate
sprinkles.

• Decorate! Imagination is the highest kite one can fly, and the sky is the limit. On the right there are some pictures from my mum's blog from which you can get some ideas.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes and take out tray from oven. After 2-3 minutes of cooling (needed! Otherwise they stick) remove biscuits from tray and place on a flat cooling surface.

If you're a fan of baking and really enjoy it, then you'll have to decide which part you've enjoyed the most... the baking or the eating! Difficult decision, don't you think?

The Anatomy of the Foot

Here's something that made me laugh. Anyone who's had a little brother will probably understand this picture, and laugh with me!

Anyone ever experienced the pain that comes with it?

Laundry Companion

It happened

It seems that lately I am relying too much on the "better late than never" expression. I should have posted this announcement some seven months ago! However, as we didn't have engagement pictures back then, it is just as well that I waited.

So, what happened, you wonder?

This did:

On the 3rd of January 2014 the man of my dreams asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. I said YES!

How did he manage to pick out the perfect ring?!

Then, this did, about five months later:

On the 7th of June 2014 the love of my life and I said "I do" together and started our life as a married couple.

Do you realize what this means? This means I'm no longer living with my parents, but with my husband in our own sweet little flat some three thousand kilometres away. It means that I get to cook, clean and do laundry all by myself. It's no longer "helping mother", it's just me. It also means that I get to spend every day with the one that my heart loves for the rest of my life! I know it's cliché and cheesy, but... it is like having a slumber party every night with your best friend and you talk about everything till you fall asleep!

And people... I'm loving it!

Experience

This is something I've learnt from experience...

Babysitting in English

My Mum and I share the babysitting of a little German girl whose parents want her to learn English from an early stage.

She has just turned three years old, and is a little treasure to have around. The little darling is full of fun and spunk. Sometimes I'm surprised how such a tiny person can have so much energy inside of her at six and seven p.m.! She keeps me on my toes constantly.

She loves crafts, so a couple of days ago I was trying to come up with a different idea. We've worked a lot with colouring, play-dough, stickers, etc., and the challenge was to think of a method I hadn't used with her yet! As it was raining, my Mum suggested we had a rain-themed afternoon, and suggested several songs and poems about rain. She also mentioned colouring in an umbrella, and it was then when my light-bulb lighted.

Every time I hear the word umbrella I think of the family one we had a long time ago. It was rainbow coloured, and so big that all seven of us fit walking underneath it with Papa in the centre, holding it. From this memory I got my inspiration.

First, I drew the umbrella. I've always considered myself a disastrous drawer, even when it came to simple things. However, the drawing came out pretty well, so I scanned and printed to keep the original.

Then I armed myself with rainbow-coloured tissue paper and a stick of glue, and waited for the time when she'd come.

I had coloured in a small circle in each section of the umbrella to indicate what colour should be used in each. The idea was to tear small pieces of tissue paper, make balls out of it and "colour in" the umbrella this way.

She had tons of fun. At first, the pieces she tore were huge, and consequently, so were the balls. Later she started to tear smaller pieces as smaller spaces on the umbrella were left blank.

The beautiful end result! Such a lovely, rainbow-coloured umbrella! I am not sure who had more fun while doing this, if her or me. 

Anyone who'd like the scanned version of the umbrella need only ask! 

Late Wanderings

As things start to pile up and it seems like I can't accomplish everything because I lack time - planning for the future, helping Mum around the house, studying, working as a teacher every day, finishing project and starting new ones... the list goes on - there is always some thought or verse or poem that comes to mind and keeps me going on, encouraged once more.

I was just now working on an origami project (more to come on this subject soon). I doggedly folded and pressed and folded again, aware of the fact that it was late and that my head was starting to ache because of my sleepiness. However, I had previously told myself that I was going finish this today. I would have done quite some time ago, but one of the pieces of the project broke because of a weak fold, and so I had to start that part all over again.

My patience was running thin... I was thinking of my warm, comfy bed, of the hot chamomile infusion waiting for me on my bedside table, of reading a couple of chapters of my current book, all before letting the sweet waves of sleepiness submerge me in delightful, restful, peacefully dark oblivion. That much needed sleep.

*Shakes head* That won't do, girl. Not good.

And so the poem came to mind - a favourite of mine, which has walked by me many a late night:

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

-Robert Frost 

And, even though there are many things that are calling me sweetly, I have miles to go before I sleep.

Students and Rubber Bands

I have never felt sorry I got into teaching English.

Yes, there have been tiring, stressful, exasperating, patience-exhausting times, but fortunately not very often, and the good times have by far outweighed the bad ones. Every week something happens in one class or other which leaves me so happy, touched or thankful that it makes everything worth it.

Excuse the quality of the picture... both my cameras let me
down at the same time, and I had to take this pic with my
iPhone, which doesn't have a good camera.

An example? These days something new has become trendy and it is huge among the children, very much in style: bracelets done with rubber bands (to see a basic example, click HERE). Well, this week two of my girls from completely different ages, classes, and even days, have given me this as a gift! My ten-year-old gave me a yellow and black bracelet on Wednesday, and my six-year-old has given me a Spring-coloured bracelet and ring today (because we're studying Spring in English together [smile])! They're such sweethearts...

This is why I love teaching.

Sounds

Here's a link you might find interesting and useful when you miss any kind of sound you like! I have been using it to listen to rain while working, reading, writing, etc., and oh... what can I say? It's a wonderful thing.

Click HERE or copy and paste this link in a new browser tab/window:  http://mynoise.net/NoiseMachines/

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! :)

P.S.: I couldn't resist the kittens eyes any longer. I had to post, or die.

Please, please

It's already March and this Dreamy girl is busy, busy. Too busy, in fact, to remember to log out when she uses other people's computers...

Please, Dreamy girl, please post something new.

La Línea

Vienna New Year's Concert 2014

Happy New Year! I hope you all have a wonderful 2014 full of beauty and blessings.

Vienna, Austria, is where the most famous New Year's concert takes place every 1st of January. It has been a tradition in our family to watch it ever since I can remember, but this year we missed it because we had an engagement elsewhere. Therefore I searched it on the Internet, and found it on YouTube. In case you missed it too, here's a chance to watch it!

However, for some reason, Blogger won't let me find the video, so I will just post the link. You can click HERE, or go to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GlxUNue2MI

Enjoy! It is beautiful!