Vie Gehts? Merci! Café, bitte…

Yep. It’s that time.
In just 14 days, I’ll be on my way to Europe for our 2011 buying trip!

Here’s what my work room looks like right now…


Maps and more maps...


Busted the Piggy Bank...


(no worries...I plan on taking a little more than what's pictured...)

Language Books...


These pages are a matter of life & death!!!


The plotting and planning are in full swing!

L'excitation monte!

I still remember the initial conversation that I had with my husband regarding this little business venture. I told him that if the only thing I gained from this was an annual trip “across the pond”, then it would be worth it!

There’s nothing like that feeling I get when my boarding pass & passport are in hand...waiting to find my (tiny) seat on a plane (after I've been tortured through security procedures, of course!).

I’ve been getting a few requests from our regulars (aka fabulous fans!) as to what they would like for me to bring back this Spring…vintage Easter linens, vintage designer buttons, kitchen kitsch…

Let me know if there’s something sweet and European that you’re dreaming of and we’ll do our best to hunt it down for You!

I'm off to continue my plan of attack!

Big Smiles...

I get super excited when I'm featured on another blog, included in an Etsy treasury, or even when someone walks by on a market day and says, "Cute stuff".
It doesn't take much to put a smile on my face!

It's always encouraging to know that someone besides me thinks my business is kinda special!

The last few days have been especially encouraging as my blog was featured over at A Few of My Favorite Things...



my business was featured over at Poor Pitiful Pearl's spot...


and today, the shop was featured over at the Horseshoe Craft & Flea Market site.


Woohoo! Feelin' the Love!

So just a thanks to all these sweet peeps who have put a big smile on my face this week!

Go check out these lovely ladies - you will be inspired!

From Our Hearts to Yours

Just had to say Happy Valentine's Day to our beloved followers out there.

Here's a sweet memory from a Valentine's Day in Paris.


My love was far away in the sands of Iraq, but luckily I was in great company with the grand chocolatiers of France!


Merci!

And on this Valentine's Day, here are some treats that we made here in our home.


(Take a quick look, because in the morning these will be quickly demolished by 16 kindergarteners.)

And the little Valentine's girl who warms my heart everyday.



Hoping your day and week are off to a Sweet start!
Blessings!

My Favorite Winding Road

Back in our glory days of residing in Germany, we lived in a teeney little village (seriously small) and we were surrounded by many more teeney little villages.

The scenery there was ah-mazing.


There was one little winding road that was just outside our village, that I drove quite often.

Especially when I was missing “home”.

When leaving our village of Rohrbach, and then taking a few curvy turns, this sign always greeted me:


Go a little further, and then you would see this crazy-looking building, which is actually someone’s home:



Just across the street from this house is a field, and here’s what you’ll find there:




Pretty cool, huh?

Here’s the story...

There was an Austrian soldier who was shot down over Germany in WWII. He was rescued and befriended by U.S. soldiers.

This house and land belong to him.
You see, he never forgot his American friends, and he has spent the past 60+ years (his lifetime) showing just how much their kindness meant to him.

I’m really bummed now that I can’t remember his name, but I do know that it’s possible that you can still see him walking the streets of Baumholder and neighboring villages, posting his signs.

When you do see this Austrian soldier, he is always (always) dressed in his full WWII gear and toting flags from the nations that he loves most.

I always felt so blessed to see him and his signs.

You see, I never realized what an amazing country America truly is, until we were living thousands of miles away from it.

Of course the locals there think he’s looney, but I think he’s passionate.

So here's to my far-away Austrian friend.
We never met, but his devotion to My country is one of the sweetest things I've ever seen.




Friday Favorites @ Whistlestop Cafe Cooking

200 Sweet Friends

I've been wanting to add this little post for a few days now, but I had to wait a bit...

Last week I reached 200 followers, and I was thrilled. Now, to some of you blog divas who have 2,000 followers or so, this may seem petty, but it's precious to Me.

I have to admit that I don't get to blog as often as I wish, but I do spend a ton of time on all of your pages, being inspired and encouraged everyday!

So as a sweet memento to my 200th follwer, I sent this little gift in the mail.


It's one of my favorite cobblestone path finds - a French canning jar.


Congrats to Pam at House of Hawthornes for choosing to be my new blogging friend that day - little did she know that 200 was the magic number!

This is why I had to wait for the giveaway reveal, so that Pam would be surprised!

I know that I will host two more giveaways in the upcoming months:

1) I'll be hosting a fun giveaway upon the return of my annual buying trip (in March). The winner gets a little trinket fresh from across the pond. Details to come...
2) My next milestone in blogging will be to have 500 followers, so that will be worthy of some giveaway-bliss as well.

Thanks so much to all of you who tune in now and then - I'm always blessed by your company!

Have a fabulous week, and happy vintage thrifting!