I was really glad for this Veteran’s Day Friday. I went back to work yesterday after getting back home Wednesday late afternoon. Everyone was surprised to see me since they were thinking I would only be back Monday. But since I did go back Thursday I did not have a whole lot of time to sort everything away, so I finished that up today.
Before getting started on the sorting I made breakfast for the kids since they had the day off, too. We had pancakes with apples. My husband did have to work today. I also fed my sourdough which was luckily still alive. It’s at that stage where it does not need to be refreshed every week what really helps. After all this I cleaned up the kitchen and took care of the dishes. We don’t have a dishwasher so hand washing it is for me. We have an old kitchen with shallow countertops so it would require some more extensive work to make room for one – I just don’t want to deal with it right now.
Unpacking round one took care of the suitcase contents. I already put away clothing on Wednesday night but the extra sweets and other goodies had find a home, too. Haribo Pico Balla is the family favorite and always has to be brought back. I found some paint brushes that were basically brand new, other small craft supplies, small pliers a pink leather satchel, a sponge, muffin pan liners, an ocarina someone in the household is playing nonstop (I regretted bringing it for a short moment but it’s also very sweet listening to the playing) – it’s really weird what stays behind after all these years. My sister gave us an advent calendar that I took of course. I can’t believe we are so close to december. I found another book that I thought my kids might like. My mother in law bought me a magazine that had some cookie recipes I might try out in the coming weeks and I also ordered a calendar that I may keep or may give away for Christmas.
Since I fed the sourdough I had some extra and decided to bake bread. It was ready just in time for lunch. There is nothing better than the smell (and taste) of bread fresh out of the oven in my opinion.
Unpacking round two involved the unpacking the three boxes I shipped. A former colleague who moved to France recommended ‘Send My Bag’ and since I did not want to deal with the boxes at the airport I gave it a try. DHL picked the boxes up and provided tracking throughout. It actually worked really well. The only downside was that they don’t recommend the service for anything fragile – I guess the pictures already tell you what I shipped. Most things made it but one of the boxes took a beating and some of its contents was broken. I see some mosaic making in my future but I was actually surprised that most of the china made it. The white one with the blue flowers I picked out with my mom and I am seriously sentimental about it (besides having a thing for nice china). Then I had to make room for it somehow and sorted and cleaned out the kitchen cabinets – one more box for a garage sale went into storage. Everything found a place and I vacuumed up the whole kitchen/dining/living room and hopefully got all the little china chips that I did not catch when pulling out the broken pieces. That pretty much filled the rest of the afternoon.
This was my Friday and now it’s almost time for bed. I don’t have specific weekend plans but I am sure we will fill it up with something. Do you usually plan out your weekend or just enjoy not having any plans?
Home here and there 
The bread looks both beautiful and utterly delicious.
And those dishes are lovely. I’m sorry some things got broken, but what a treasured set to have on this side of the Atlantic now.
Yay for treats that “taste like home.”
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I was actually glad that not more things broke 😂 And the best thing: I think one more trip and we finally managed to have everything overseas that we want to keep.
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Look at all the fun things you brought home! And I love all your china. I’m glad most of it made it intact, and turning the broken bits into mosaics is such a great way to preserve the memory of the dishes!
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I really do have a soft spot for pretty china. I may need a hutch for the dining room at some point 😉
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So many random, sentimental and weird things in the first photo. It’s fun to look at. And the China is beautiful. And it is blue.
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I did not really have time to go shopping this visit so I took what I could get 😉 We are visiting again for Christmas so I hope we can get all our favorites then.
Blue is my favorite color.
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I love the china!!! We have GZHEL – a white blue porcelain craft from a region near Moscow. Very famous. And, home-made bread is amazing. It doesn’t look hard to make.. I am not a baker- I don’t like the mess baking usually created in the kitchen. Do you eat it with jam and butter?
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Germans eat bread with anything really (cheese, cold cuts, jam, you name it). Yesterday I had it with butter and cheese but it is really good with butter and jam. My son ate it plain because why waste a perfectly good bread out of the oven with toppings 😂 (his opinion). And no, it’s not that hard to make.
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I am glad you were able to bring so many (random) things back from Germany. It always puts a smile on my face, if I pull a thing from Germany out of my cupboards. 🙂 I really love the blue china set that you brought back and I am surprised you were able to ship it and not have a lot of it broken.
And yay for a stable sourdough starter… mine is so easy to maintain now, too. Even if I neglect it for a couple of weeks, it’s usually “alive” again after a feeding or two. The bread looks delicious. I might try that recipe!
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Everything in paper made it – the bubblewrap did not work so well, or maybe it was the specific box? From now on paper it is for me if I have to ship again.
I was relieved that the sour dough starter is still OK. The recipe is pretty straightforward and almost always works out. I would be interested in trying your recipe, too 😊
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It sounds like a busy but very satisfying day. It must feel great to be home, and have all the things you wanted to bring from Germany. Glad most of it made the journey intact (mosaic making sounds like a good idea!)
That bread sounds DELICIOUS. I love making bread, but I don’t make sourdough. I really should get into that, since I love the taste of sourdough bread.
i hope you’re able to relax a little this weekend!
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Sourdough also seems to last longer than yeast bread if that is a factor. It’s a little harder to make though if you take it seriously. It’s a whole science. As so many others I started during the pandemic.
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I tried sourdough once and failed and never tried again. it requires so much patience! what’s your trick?
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I failed many times. I guess it gets easier? You get a better feel for when it’s right. This recipe is with yeast and sourdough what is much easier in my opinion.
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That bread looks so yummy. It looks like you found a great selection of treats to bring home. I LOVE that set of blue dishes – the ones in the photos next to the (sadly) broken dish. That is right up my alley. Unpacking is exhausting. I don’t make plans for the weekend – we just do whatever the kids have going on. I guess I do make lists of things I need to accomplish, or the things I hope to accomplish.
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I do love it, too. Mostly we have our list of things to buy down. I would have taken tea but did not have enough time to go shopping again this time.
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