Living in a small space - The Sitting Room

This is the smallest sitting room we ever had 
in any of the houses we've lived in.

It is tiny.

And it's not only a sitting room/good room

but also the children's play room.

So we decided to use shelves and boxes to store all the toys,

The Lego and Lego Duplo,

the cars and the train set,

the musical instruments and the cuddle toys,
the nappies and the wipes.

All these things live in individual boxes

which are kept in Kallax shelves.

The TV is a little oversized for the room

but we had it before the last move.

And it's actually fine.

The cables that connect the PS4 with the PS3 with the sattelite receiver 

and the DVD player, with the indirect LED lighting 

and with the surround system... all these cables being all over the place

drive me bananas sometimes.

But there's nothing I can do about them. 

Yer man NEEDS THEM ALL!

Gerd had the idea to put a few more Kallax shelves up high,

right under the ceiling, over the couch, 

to store our board games and his whiskey collection.

That was really clever and he did a brilliant job!

We used to have a bigger couch,

 but it didn't fit into this small room.

So we've replaced it by a smaller one

that can be converted into a double bed.

Smart, eh?

So now it functions as our 

nursing table, 

play area,

hiding place,

reading spot,

cuddle zone 

and guest room.

We love this space!

It's small,

it's bright,

it's colourful,

it makes us all happy,

it suits us.

A lovely room to make childhood memories.

Coming soon:

The Bedrooms.

Stay tuned!

Our pets

May I introduce you to our pets!?

We've got quite a few.

Well, we used to have more but this is our current zoo.

BOB.

He's a Labrador - Collie Mix and we've adopted him in August 2010.

When Gerd was visiting a customer, Bobby jumped into his van.

He was approximately 14 weeks old, had been found in a ditch with his 3 siblings

and nobody wanted him. 

He was in a very bad state.

He had mange and was malnourished and therefore needed very expensive medical treatment.

It was all worth it.

All the visits to the vet, the injections, the baths, the medicine... 

we wouldn't want to be without Bob anymore.

He's really gentle, very good with the kids, patient and calm.

And funny.

Look at him! Look what he does when I try to take a photo of him!

"Bobby! Look! Bobby! Look at me!

Who is a good boy, Bobby!? Look over here!

Aaaah... nearly! THAT's a good boy!

PLEEEASE! BOBBY! LOOK!!! 

I'm here... BOBBIIIIIE!!! 

WHERE'S MAMA!??

Look up! Just for TWO seconds.

PLEASE!

Bobby! BOBBY!

BOOOHOOB!!!!"

I don't know whether he is camera-shy

or simply taking the piss.

Then, there's 

MARLEY

She's a Labrador - English Setter Mix 

and we've adopted her in May 2012.

She's always living in her own little world,

likes to chase her tail and starts barking

as soon as we try to get the kids to sleep. 

Every evening.

She's very friendly, too, a lovely, lively, happy girl but quite nuts most of the time. 

She's a really funny, furry friend and adores the kids

and the kids adore her.

There's just this ONE thing she does that REALLY, REALLY annoys me.

She eats her own poop.

And Bobby's poop.

And Gizmo's poop.

And cat poop.

I'm sure she's got issues there.

Yuck!

Oh... and she doesn't like the beep-beep sound of my camera.

That why she looks at me like this when I forget to turn off that beep-beep:

(Did you get it? Bob and Marley... Bob & Marley...??

Aren't we JUST FUNNY!?? 

Admit it... German's can be funny!)

The youngest member of the gang is

GIZMO.

He's a Chihuahua and we've adopted him in March 2016.

He's smaller than a rabbit but he really is the boss

and he behaves like a Rottweiler.

A dangerous, 2 meter tall Rottweiler with shark's teeth.

He barks at strangers, doesn't like adult visitors and is very protective.

He's the only guard dog we have but he

gets on very well with the kids and the kids' buddies

and forgives them all those tiny "accidents" that occur

when a toddler lives with a dog that is as tiny as a toy cat.

Sorry, Gizmo.

Gizmo and Marley are great buddies!

He protects her and uses her as a cushion 

when the ground is too cold for his aristocratic, pure-bred, bare belly.

Last but not least:

The HENS!

We named them Henny, Henny, Henny, Henny and Henny.

They are rescue hens and used to live on a battery farm.

We originally had 9 hens but despite having the vet visiting to treat them 

and to give them injections a few times,

we've lost 4 of them to a parasite. :-(

But these 5 ladies live happy lifes now.

They had very little feathers and looked desperate when they moved in

but now they have fluffy bums and are really noisy chatty.

And they lay delicious, lucky eggs.

These are the animals that live with us at the moment.

Klara would love to have some guinea pigs

and I'd like to have two cats.

But looking after eight animals

and two children is enough for now.

I think.

Sunday, 28th Feb 2016

 

 We've started our Sunday with a baking session and made fluffy, buttery,

 croissant-like breakfast rolls.

 

 

They turned out great!

Really yum!

 

 

After a long breakfast feast,

we all got dressed and went outside

to get to know the new garden a bit better

and to do some outdoor spring cleaning.

 

 

We all got a bit hungry around lunch time,

so we had some defrosted apple crumble cake

and hot chocolate.

 

 

We ignored the mess in the kitchen and went outside again.

 

 

We found the first spring flowers and the garden toys

which hadn't been unpacked yet.

 

 

 

 

Alfie got bored of the garden after a while

and wanted to go for a walk in the field behind the house.

 

 

 

I started cutting the lawns after our little walk until it got too dark and cold.

 

 

 

Gerd bathed the kids while I tidied up the kitchen

and cooked a prawn curry.

 

And made a fancy dessert.

From a pack.

With whipped cream.

From a can.

 

 

Ta-daa!

 

I cleaned up the kitchen

and gift-wrapped this T-Shirt

I made for a friends' boy's 1st birthday.

 

 

The kids sleep

and Gerd and I spend the rest of the evening

together on the couch

before a new, busy week begins in the morning.

 

 

I hope your Sunday was as nice as ours!

 

Lena

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



No nap and a sick hen

Today, Alfie decided that he was a big boy.

And big boys don't nap.

 

Big boys play with toy cars instead.

 

 

 

And with toy cars storage boxes.

 

This was the first nap-free day in Alfie's life.

And it went quite well.

 

Later, he helped me to feed the hens.

 

And we discovered, that Henny,

the speckled hen in the picture,

has a sore leg.

She hobbles around the place,

the right leg held up. Most of the time.

Poor Henny!

We really hope, she'll be better, soon.

 

 

Alfie tried the

"I'll give her all the corn I have"-cure.

I'll let you know, if it worked.

 

Well... I kind of missed my midday-break today.

But the little man sleeps now.

And he went to bed not offering the tiniest bit of resistance.

 

Good boy, Alfie!

 

Maybe it's nap day again tomorrow.

Maybe not.

Klara gave up daytime naps at the same age.

Nothing would surprise me, so.

 

:-)

 

Lena

 

 

 

Fingerpaint Freakiness!

 

 

Today was the day for finger paint.

So the artist said.

 

 

No thanks... no brushes today!

 

They're called finger paints!

 

 

Not brush paints, you know?

 

 

 

 

Finished!

 

 

The artist has left.

 

Bath time!

 

Lena