Heading Back

Well, heading back to Germany tomorrow, so I guess it's time to start blogging again.

Skip claims to have missed us, but neighbors and friends have fed him quite well since he's been there by himself. I'm sure that has eased his pain.

My suitcase(s) are bulging. In addition to clothes for me and Maddie, I have books, a can of PAM cooking spray, chocolate chips, as much Sudafed as they would let me buy without being pegged as a meth maker, children's Tylenol and Benadryl, baking soda, my round (non-springform) cake pans, Lysol wipes and Lysol disinfectant spray. There's more, but I won't go on.

Maddie has been breaking out in hives every day for the last week. Cortisone cream and benadryl do the trick, but I hope it goes away soon. I did some research and found out that 70 percent of cases of hives in children come and go without ever knowing what caused them. I'm ready for hers to go.

Having two homes is not a good thing--you end up wanting the best of each in BOTH! I love my big kitchen here, but the appliances in the German kitchen are new and the oven (though small) is a convection oven that cooks faster and more evenly.

In Germany there's no garbage disposal and no spray nozzel in the kitchen, but there is a spray attachment on the tub--which I don't have here. It's much harder to clean a tub without that spray thing. But I haven't strained or bruised anything shaving my legs in my shower here. There will be more strains and pains once I attempt such grooming activities in our little German shower.

I'm really going to miss my refrigerator here that shoots out ice and water at the touch of a buttoon.

And I really, really need to get a job again so I can stop sitting around thinking about the pros and cons of kitchens and bathrooms.