Showing posts with label Wednesday Hodgepodge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wednesday Hodgepodge. Show all posts
8

High & Low - Wednesday Hodgepodge

Posted by Claudia Moser on 3:14 PM in ,
Since until now I had a very unsual day (including being insulted by a very unsecure male), I decided that I will celebrate my day with the Wednesday Hodgepodge and ignore all negative vibes.



1. Of all the tools and gadgets you own which do you most enjoy using?
For the tools I'll definetely go for our Nespresso coffee machine at home, it is amazing and the coffee is simply divine.
As for gadget I would say the Ipod, which treats me with lovely audiobooks while travelling. And the Kindle!

2. When (if ever) is impatience a virtue?
Well it is with me :) I want everything now :) Well kidding but actually there is some truth in it, I can wait but not for too long.

3. What temperature do you keep your thermostat set to in winter? Do you have another way to heat your house besides a furnace of some type?
Well I like it warm in the evenings, but during the day I do like a bit of constant fresh air. And according to many of my friends and aquitances, I am warmer than most, so I can stand cold.

No additional heating possibilities, just house heating.

4. Do/did you have a close relationship with any of your grandparents?
For this, I will repost an older entry

There are some letters which had words attached to them from the beginning, no matter how I would have felt while writing this post I knew I have to write about Grandparents. I was blessed to know all of my 4 grandparents, I even knew two grand-grand-mothers and one grand-grand-granfather. I thought that I would share with you some of my most vivid memories of these amazing people who were and still are part of my life.

Bunica (= grandmother in Romanian), Mimi. She is the mother of my mother and was and is a beautiful woman. I have one of her pictures when she was 18, she was so delicate but strong, so at peace with herself. She was born before the second world war, survived many hardships and still is one of the most optimistic woman I know. She did not lose her passion for life, she finds each day something worth smiling. My earliest memory of her ... Mimi reading to me bed time stories. Grimm Brothers, 1001 nights, simply great stories which filled my imagination, made me dream and put me to sleep. She had a great voice, calm, melodic, following the story with the perfect intonation. I am actually sure that I love books due to her. Books are part of my life since before I could read or write. They were always there and I cheerish them so. Mimi lives with my mom in Romania, is 84 this year and she will be travelling to see us in one month. I cannot wait, so many places to visit :)

Omi (= German version of grandmother) is the mother of my dad, living in Germany, Augsburg. The best seemstress in town a couple of years ago while she still lived in Romania. She was the costume designer of the local theatre and of course I was the best dressed grandchild in town :) She was so creative, never tired of new ideas, of finding new colours to match my complexion. Sadly she cannot do that anymore, old age got her hands, but still I can admire her work. My mom still has some suits made by Omi.

Otta (= German version of grandfather), the father of my mother. The most patient grandfather in the world. I think I drove him nuts with my questions, especially WHY?? We had a routine, on each Sunday morning (to give my mom some space), Otta took me for a ride in town, we went on a bus drive around the city and he showed me old building, told me stories of his youth. He never got tired of answering me questions. And somehow he always managed to answer them. One question I remember pretty well: how is butter made? Why of milk? Where does milk come? and so on and so forth. I miss him a lot. Unfortunately he died 10 years ago but he always will be in my heart. In a way I will never forgive me for not saying good bye. He died while I was on a business trip and I was not there. Miss you Otta! Miss your blue eyes looking towards me!

Buni (= Romanian version of grandfather), the father of my father. The kindest man ever, he loved me so much. I had the luck of having him in my life only for 8 years, but I can still remember his smile. He was in charge of me for the first 2 years of my life since my mom and dad were studying when I was born, so during their remaining study years he took care of me. He was the only one left, everyone else in the family was still working, so he learned how to change diapers, how to feed me, how to calm me down. Bless his heart! Sadly I was not allowed to go to his funeral and say good bye, by then my parents divorced and the second wife of my dad was pretty weird. I visit his grave as often as I am in Romania, I need to 'see' him. Miss him!

I know I am lucky ... I still have 2 wonderful persons in my life. I have / had so much love coming from their side. But still I miss Otta and Buni ... I hope they keep smiling!

5. When did you last have a family portrait taken?
Long time ago.

6. What does the word patriotism mean to you?
Being proud of being Romanian.

7. Do you like to play cards and if so, what's your favorite card game?
Rummy, I loved it as a child.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
I need sleep :)

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11

High & Low

Posted by Claudia Moser on 8:03 PM in ,
After some tough hours behind, the day after did not bring any notable high or lows, thus decided to take the Halloweenie-Hodgepodge and share some thoughts with you.

1. What gives you goosebumps?

Unknown dogs, darkness and being alone in an empty house. And for sure the cold temperatures in Estonia during winter time. Believe me there is truly cold!

2. Halloween—are you a lover or a hater? Okay, that sounds harsh...Halloween—yay or nay?

Halloween is not part of my culture, I do appreciate the 'madness' and like to see the kids be happy. Europe is getting more and more open towards this holiday, but it still takes some years until we will get similar dimensions as in USA.

3. Can you respect someone you do not trust, and can you trust someone you do not respect?

No and no. Trust for me means to rely upon a person's integrity and character and that for sure involves mutual respect.

4. Apples or oranges? Yes, you have to choose.

Apples. Love them in any shapes, size, meal :)

5. What is something you wish was in your town (shop, restaurant, attraction, etc.)?

Would love a river in order to walk on its banks.

6. What non-food item is in your refrigerator or freezer?

To be honest none

7. Are you at all superstitious?

Sometimes :) This question reminded me of a cartoon which I would like to share with you.




8. Insert your own random thought here.

Just realised how nice our home looks under the delicate lights of candles. Love cosy evenings at home, simply sharing moments with my husband.

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7

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Posted by Claudia Moser on 5:03 PM in


Beth is an inspiration for me for so many time, so here I try to asnwer some of this week's questions:

1. Have you ever been 'asked' to report for jury duty? Were you chosen to serve? If not, were you happy or disappointed?

Not living in USA this does not apply :)

2. On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being very), how mechanically inclined are you? Give an example to back up your answer.

I guess a 7 :) I could actually install things, but I rely a lot on my husband, don't blame me :))

3. Beets-cabbage-cauliflower-butternut squash....of the four, which is your favorite fall vegetable?

Beet for sure, then cauliflower. Actually I love vegetables in all forms, colours, shapes. Plus autumn is here with its amazing mix, a true celebration.

4. What do you recommend to overcome self-pity?

Breathe and start again analysing the situation, it usually works!

5. Do you enjoy classical music?

For sure! I just remembered my May Challenge where I shared many of my musical favourites. It relaxes me and provides a wonderful escape from daily worries.

6. October is National Book Month...what's on your reading list this month?

Oh my God, don't get nme started. Plus this week is the world largest book fair organised in Frankfurt so guess where will I be buying stuff on Sunday? Cannot wait!!!!

7. What is your idea of 'cute'?

Puppies :)

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I'm hungry, since 8am I only ate cookies and that is not good at all :)

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7

Holiday taste

Posted by Claudia Moser on 8:54 AM in ,


I like to experiment at home but here the terasses are also very creative in respect to their menus, and especially in respect to lemonades. Green apple, melon, peach, apricots, so why not a green apple cucumber lemonade? Woild you try it?

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14

High & Low

Posted by Claudia Moser on 7:38 PM in ,


Another Wednesday with a mix of highs and lows. Some random thoughts below:
- I am home, but alone, Peter still in the hospital
- Peter is better, but still not 100% recovered but so grateful that progress is visible and felt by him
- Another hectic day behind me, work was rather stressy, just found out that I might postpone my holiday (again!) and not to be able to spend my birthday with the extended family and old friends. Fast other thoughts!
- I made a lovely small dinner, some nice capelleti filled with mushrooms

Beth from Word Nerd Speaks is doing what is called the Wednesday Hodgepodge and I thought I'd give it a try. Let me know what you think about it!



1. What is one piece of advice you would give a 'just turning' 21- year old adult?
Just enjoy the present, you have a wonderful age! Don't bother too much about the thirties or forties!

2. Besides cooler weather (or warmer weather, depending on your hemisphere) what is one thing you are looking forward to this fall?

Just being able to enjoy a nice cup of tea with a great book! And lovely walks in the forest while the colours are changing!

3. What sound lulls you to sleep?

Silence :)

4. September is National Preparedness Month...does your family have an emergency 'kit' and/or disaster plan in place?

I was not aware of this, but hey! I don't live in USA! And no :=)

5. How has your blog changed since you started blogging? Or has it?

I actually described this in the first post under the GBE2 experience. My conclusion from then is still valid.

My expectations at the beginning of blogging activity? I just wanted to help a friend, then somehow my interest faded but in the meantime I am so in to it. I don’t expect to influence anyone’s life, I just want to enjoy writing, I am grateful for each comment that I get, knowing that someone out there is reading my words.

6. What's something you've recently learned to do on the computer?

Hm ... not much really! Does that sound conceited? I hope not!

7. Is a picture worth a thousand words? Elaborate.

This reminds me of a cool cartoon.



8. Insert your own random thought here.

Need a coffee :)

Enjoy your Wednesday!

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Motto

"A story is not like a road to follow … it's more like a house. You go inside and stay there for a while, wandering back and forth and settling where you like and discovering how the room and corridors relate to each other, how the world outside is altered by being viewed from these windows. And you, the visitor, the reader, are altered as well by being in this enclosed space, whether it is ample and easy or full of crooked turns, or sparsely or opulently furnished. You can go back again and again, and the house, the story, always contains more than you saw the last time. It also has a sturdy sense of itself of being built out of its own necessity, not just to shelter or beguile you."
by Alice Munro

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