schreibzeit

Hello Fall {Schreibzeit #9}

- Tobia 1 Comment

So, apparently fall is here. The other morning I rode my bike to work and it was cold. Not one of those sudden shivers more a cold that crept into your layers of clothes.

mushroom love in fall

I like fall. I like when the air feels fresher to breath. I like all the funny fruit things on trees. I like the smell of rotting leaves and mossy grounds. I love picking mushrooms and hardly ever get to do it. (Note to self: Maybe I should make a fall list?!) I love eating plum streusel cake and apple pies. When I was growing up I even sometimes enjoyed raking leaves in my grandparents backyard. Then you could also watch the squirrels hiding the walnuts and when dusk came the hedgehogs took a walk. And my dad would cut trees and we would build a fire and roast potatoes for dinner. Sometimes I miss those happy and carefree times.

squirrel love in fall

Now fall is all about “oh, soon it’s Christmas”, what do I need to get done, what didn’t I do during summer, why does time fly…

I find it sad that I do not appreciate the seasons properly. I run through life and hardly look left and right. But when I do it’s most likely a happy moment right there.

So for this fall I will walk around with eyes open. Observe the leaves changing color, discover a sparkling spider web, smell mossy grounds, take a walk and hopeful pick some mushrooms.

I will enjoy fall because it’s the pre-season to my favorite one: winter.

All seasons are dear to me. I mean imagine living in a area where there are no seasons? Where temperatures are mostly the same and it’s either raining or hurricane season or no other. I love watching the change. Do you? Or do you prefer hot temperatures throughout?

I will add this piece to Bines Schreibzeit as it has been a while. And I will grab a cuppa tea and read the other fall stories.
Happy fall y’all

Tobia

What is happiness {Schreibzeit #6}

- Tobia 2 Comments

Happiness is a hard word. Everyone using it, everyone says I am happy or unhappy, you make me unhappy, I am happy when you do this… But honestly do we know what we are talking about? I usually don’t think twice if something makes me happy or not and most of the times I rather know when I am not happy.

This is the reason why every once in a while I do my little happiness review – to be mindful of the things happening around us.

Most the times (at least for me) happiness is quiet. Happiness comes suddenly. You are feeling content maybe even smile to yourself and suddenly realize … Ahhhh it’s happiness!

happiness at the lake Spitzingsee

So I tried to collect a few of those moments:

  • Listening to rain while sitting on a roofed balcony or patio
  • Eating a yummy cake and really enjoying and tasting it (not just inhaling it)
  • Being on vacation and finally being there in the moment – no worries, no thoughts about work, no tax-laundry-email-to-do-lists
  • Cuddling on the couch with Mr. ♥ when watching a movie
  • Laughing
  • Sitting outside listening to the wind in the trees
  • Hearing nothing
  • Being at the sea/water/river
  • Driving without a destination or a place to be
  • Coloring with the godchild
  • Making jewelry
  • Going on a photo walk just with myself and forgetting everything around

I am sure if I think about it more and be more receptive for quiet moments I would come up with many more. Its all about hearing them.

What is your quiet happy moment?

Happy day to you,

Tobia

Bine has collected more thoughts about happiness in her series “Schreibzeit”.

At the Moment {Schreibzeit #5}

- Tobia Leave a comment

I’m a bit behind the topics Bine has announced for the Schreibzeit but here we go with a fun one…

at the moment

… At this moment:

.I think: Why can’t every day be sunny, happy and love filled. Why is it, that one has always fight to for just doing the job and having to proof oneself? I really don’t like being questioned when there’s no reason for it.

.I like: my new ice cream maker I just got for my birthday. So excited to give it a try.

.I don’t like: a lot currently, unfortunately. Life seems very energy draining at the moment and I hope it will get better.

.I feel: great and happy but tired today but somehow dread the workday as I fear this happy feeling will vanish.

.I wear: my only designer piece I bought myself. It’s a Lena Hoscheck high waist skirt and a bright pink top and actually some high heels. I feel indestructible. Edit: not so much after wearing the shoes a l l  d a y  l o n g . . . 

.I need: a vacation. Any vacation. But if time, money and circumstances wouldn’t matter I would want to sit in the Idaho mountains in the sunshine, feet in the Payette river and just enjoying the silence. It’s my happy place and I need some piece of mind.

.I’m annoyed by: certain people at work but I am even more annoyed by myself for being annoyed.

.I want: Happiness, more quality time with hubby, a perfect and done apartment, a shorter commute to work and about 6 more hours in a day

.I hear: country. Ups! I just blurted out my secret guilty pleasure. I am not that much into music and usually go with mainstream pop, R&B and HipHop but lately it’s all crap out there. Or maybe I am just getting old and can’t relate anymore. But country makes me calm and I can work really good with it.

.I’m making: not enough. I have a ton of ideas but they rarely leave the idea status. But last weekend I was in course for Japanese calligraphy and it was great to be doing nothing else than dipping your brush into ink and write.

.I eat: cake and burgers it seems like. I like it but it could be healthier.

.I drink: homemade lemonade. I just love summertime when I switch from tea to lemonade or iced tea.

.I smell: sometimes too much during my commute and I wonder how one person can smell this at 8am. Other than that my peonies a colleague gave me.

.I miss: life. Sounds weird I know. But as I wrote last months I feel like I am hustling through the day not having enough time to appreciate. Writing this, I remember my word of the year is appreciation!

.I regret: Being moody and easily annoyed. Is there a way to work through it? Please tell!

.I dream: of a happy long and adventurous life with hubby. I wouldn’t mind being my own boss but haven’t figured with what exactly.

.I think: I’ve got a couple busy weeks ahead but it could all be worse.

What is your “At the moment” looking like? Share and join.

Happy life living,

Tobia

Hey There 2015 * Time for those resolutions

- Tobia 10 Comments

Two times is a habit and three times a tradition, right? Well I’ve started this blog with my 2013 New Years Resolutions and continued to do so in 2014. So why change anything in 2015?

new years resolutions

But before I get started I need to evaluate the outcome of 2014. (Read up here what those points where.)

#1 We did have a magical winter wedding even though there was no snow at all, I lost my voice the day I didn’t need it and our maid of honor had to cancel a day prior. That’s life. But it still was the greatest day and everything fell into place.

#2 I miserably failed this goal. Instead of loosing weight and feeling healthier I rather increased the problem.

#3 I did try to be a nicer person but I guess you can always do more. And I am sure there are people who would object…

#4 Well, just three weeks after I wrote down this goal I lost my job again. Three days prior to the wedding. However I didn’t leave the job until end of May. And I really don’t know what’s worth – having to leave right away or struggling with motivation every day for 5 months. I grew with this situation and I know I can handle it and I fought for the job but in the end it was better to go and leave it all behind. I do have a new job but I won’t say anything – not jinxing it again.

#5 I did it! I opened a Dawanda Shop (platform no longer exists) and I am so proud I did. There are a few things in there and I already sold one piece. There will be more so make sure to check in once in a while.

#6 I think I did a pretty good job here. Let alone with my advent DIYs I brainstormed so many ideas. I do have a more and I didn’t get all the projects done I wanted to. However I didn’t start the dream dress.

#7 I did try new recipes. Lets see if I had three of each board:
yummy cakes & sweets: I baked zucchini brownies and I threw together two recipes and came up with a maple cream cheese pie and I also tried the pull apart pumpkin bread and cinnamon cake
yummy food: I experimented with grilled cheese variations, made a pumpkin risotto and the crispy cheddar chicken
yummy salad: I tried lots of avocado recipes such as avocado and white beans, avocado tuna, green bean avocado and my favorite beluga lentil with apple
yummy soup: I really didn’t get any soup up here this year and I hardly ate any new soup either. This needs to change.

#8 & 9 Yeah, I did work on my blog and there is a new layout. It is my place and I wrote about the things that matter to me. And the blog is growing – (very) slowly but steadily. So I do something right and you like what I do here. Thank you!

goals and guidelines for 2015

But now lets have a look at my goals and guidelines and resolutions for 2015:

♥ 1: Get healthy, feel better get back to yourself. This includes loosing weight, getting rid of backaches and knee problems, eating healthier and exercising a bit. I will do a whole plan for this topic otherwise I am not sticking to it. Good thing hubby is right here with me by joining in.

♥ 2: Be nicer, be more patient, listen better. Doesn’t seem to be a big deal, well it is. I am impatient, things need to go fast and I get grumpy when it’s otherwise. Unfortunately hubby is the one dealing with my moods.

♥ 3: Declutter! It doesn’t matter what: my closet, my cupboards, my emails, my computer, my craft room, my stack of fabric… you name it and I could do it. I should do it! And while we are at it cleaning would be a good idea too.

♥ 4: Cook more (healthy) food. One recipe from every cook and baking book I own. Unfortunately I own mostly baking books. But still put those books to good use!

♥ 5: Invest time, fun and ideas into my Dawanda Shop (platform no longer exists). I would love to make a few sales this year. However I am not to big giving myself shout outs or doing lots of advertising on my behalf.

♥ 6: Classics. I realized throughout the last year when watching “Once upon a time” I really never read certain stories (Peter Pan, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland…) and I also haven’t seen some classical movies (Casablanca, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Gone with the wind, Flash dance, etc.) I want to catch up and fill my void of not knowing.

♥ 7: Write more letters & postcards. I love getting mail unfortunately I don’t and that might be because I do not write myself. So here is to snail mail!

♥ 8: Invest in blogging. Work on this blog – still a few things I don’t like but I don’t have the skills (yet). So I will look into CSS. And I also feel like I want to go on a blogging event. I’ve been at The Hive and it was inspiring. Maybe an online course or a conference or just a meet up with blogger in real life.

♥ 9: Staying creative. Try new things, work with new materials and tackle those secret projects I carry around for years. Just remember the dream dress – and that is only one I told you about.

Wow now that is a list! Kinda overwhelming. So good thing that Elisa is doing a monthly link up with New Month Resolutions. I like this idea. But I like my long list too. But then you do get lost during the year… So I decided having my long & important list and breaking up tasks for the months so I can really do get something accomplished. And this way I might sneak in a few more things that didn’t make the big list. So I would basically get more things done?! Now that sounds like a plan!

Are you doing a list? How do you manage to keep on track? Let me know, need all the motivation I can get.

Happy planning, Tobia

Edit: Bine has asked about our plans for 2015 and what we think about it all so I have added this post to the linky.