Cold and rain call for...

...more waffles with hot cherries! These are homemade. I made them with lactose-free milk, since I'm lactose intolerant, and instead of the red goop that usually accompanies restaurant-bought waffles, I simmered the not-too-sweet cherries lightly, and added a bit of cornstarch to thicken the juice. The waffle is lightly dusted with powdered sugar. Yummy!

The tote bag goes to...

Thank you all for participating in my giveaway. It was so much fun! As I mentioned yesterday I decided to hand pick the winning entry myself :) I allocated a number to each of your comments in consecutive order (1 through 71), printed them, cut them out, and folded them up. I put all the numbers in my pink polka-dot box. Now, find out who the lucky winner is...

Yay! Congratulations!

I will be contacting the winner by email shortly! And to everyone else - there's always a next time :)

Stay in or go out...

...that is the question. ♥♥♥ Quick Reminder

You have five more days to enter my tote bag giveaway. Don't miss! The response so far is great, and your comments are too kind! Some of you have a great sense of humor, and it's so thoughtful of the male entrants to think of their wives! This is the kind of interaction that makes this giveaway so much more fun :) Oh, and just to clarify: I will be shipping to anywhere in the world - but please understand I do not have any control over what happens once it arrives in your country. There shouldn't be a problem, normally. So, what are you waiting for? Leave a comment on my giveaway post and you're in! It's that simple. The winner will be chosen by a random number generator and announced on Monday, 26th October. Have a nice day!

'Lovely Purses' Giveaway!

Hi everybody! From today, 18th October, until Sunday, 25th October you have a chance to win this tote bag - designed and made by me! Everyone is welcome to join. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post including your contact information! The bag measures approximately 30 x 22 x 10 cm (12 x 8.5 x 4 inches), and is made from a rich, dark brown fabric featuring tumbling flowers and leaves and delightful birds! It is fully lined with a dark brown soft linen and includes a zippered pocket. Those handles are real bamboo - not plastic. It closes with a magnetic snap button. I will ship this bag via registered mail to wherever you happen to live, but please be aware that certain countries may levy custom-related taxes/duties, for which I'm not responsible. Meanwhile, I wish you all a pleasant Sunday and good luck!!

New fabrics

In the coming weeks I hope to be able to sew a few new tote bags with the new fabrics I bought. These fabrics are all decorator-weight cottons or cotton blends, and are printed with bold patterns. Also, watch this space for my new purse giveaway...

Bumpy ride - but safe landing!

Hey everyone! I'm home again! I have missed you guys and look forward to getting back to my usual blogging routine. The flight back was awful. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared getting on that plane - particularly since the flight was delayed due to a technical defect. Thank you, airline staff, for being so brutally honest ;-) Typically we landed at Frankfurt Int'l Airport in the middle of a rain storm. There was massive security over there too, due to recent terrorist bomb threats. The Federal border police were even lined up right outside the plane when we got off, checking each and every one of us, but I was horrified to see that Asian passengers in particular were singled out! My apolgies to our Asian guests on behalf of the rather grumpy officers. When we collected our baggage hubby and I experienced 'a moment' while passing through the immigration. There were about five burly officers standing there watching us in complete silence. It was so intimidating. I don't know why, but I felt like I had to arrange my facial expression to neutral, you know! I mean I've got nothing to hide, so why was I feeling guilty?! I was even holding my breath while I shuffled past. It was so strange. I had to swallow the urge to say something, like 'good morning' or 'hi'. I didn't even dare look at my husband, because I knew exactly what he was thinking and I didn't want to burst out laughing! Those were the longest two minutes... Sammy greeted us from the top of the stairs then dropped straight into my arms! He must have been pretty bored, because every table cloth, blanket and kitchen cloth was lying in a heap on the floor! Hahaha. Did I get a tan? No. And not because of the fickle weather. It's because I later remembered that my skin has become more susceptible, due to the medication I'm currently taking. Oh well. Despite the freakish weather we had a lovely time! I really enjoyed eating out and not having to wash up afterwards. I'll tell you some more in upcoming posts. Till then,

Fireworks and other stuff!

Last night there was a harbour fireworks display. It went on for about half an hour, but due to intense fog we weren't able to see the last ten minutes. I captured some of it with my digital camera, although I wasn't sure it would work, due to impaired visibility. You can see the beginning for yourself in the above mini-video! Meanwhile I'm saddened by all the disasters happening in quick succession in this region. Normally, back in Germany, we would hear only a few snippets on the main news, but since we are currently in Asia I feel quite affected and a bit helpless by all that's been happening. The rain has eased now, but more has been forecast for the weekend, by which time we'll be packing up and ready to depart for back home. My deepest sympathies go out to the families of all the victims and the thousands of people made homeless by the recent typhoons and earthquakes. Here we donated to the Ketsana/Ondoy cause, which we were happy to do (not forced - see previous post). According to the latest weather report there is another typhoon on the way...